Connexion
What’s the Secret to a Successful Fundraiser?
Now more than ever, every dollar counts.
For a college media program, a successful fundraiser is a way to prove your worth to campus administrators. For a regional public radio outlet, it might simply be a matter of survival.
So when a college station pulls off a financially record-breaking campaign in its history, it’s worth taking note.
John Carroll University’s 88.7 WJCU(FM) recently raised approximately $108,000 over a 10-day radiothon. The radio station licensed to the private university located in University Heights, Ohio, the Cleveland suburb, broke the school’s record of about $83,000, which itself was a marked jump from approximately $69,000 in 2024.
To understand how WJCU pulled this off, it is worth revisiting the backdrop of a significant event in northeast Ohio’s collegiate radio scene this past fall.
The WCSB effect
On Oct. 3, World College Radio Day, Cleveland State University handed over control of its student-run radio station, 89.3 WCSB(FM), to Ideastream Public Media.
Though the operation is still licensed to CSU, Ideastream took over its programming, flipping it to a straight-ahead jazz format.
Jasen Sokol, who has been director of WJCU since 2020, felt the shockwaves immediately.
By night, Sokol operates as a public address announcer for the Cleveland Monsters AHL hockey team. While at the arena, unprompted, people came up to him through the penalty box glass asking what was going on at Cleveland State.
“I think it really hurt a lot of people, not just the students and the community volunteers there, but all the people that listen to those programs,” Sokol said.
“And all of us in the college radio community in northeast Ohio too, because it could have been us.”
As a result, Sokol does not take listener or administrative support for granted.
Proving your worth
While WJCU’s radiothon spans exactly 10 days, Sokol insists the effort is a year-round, around-the-clock campaign to prove the station’s value.
“Whether it’s live broadcasts from campus events or involvement fairs, we have to prove our worth constantly,” he said. That visibility has even earned WJCU’s studios a dedicated stop on the university’s prospective student campus tour.
When something good happens — such as the two awards WJCU earned at the 2026 IBS Convention in New York City — Sokol doesn’t waste any time sending out an email blast to campus departments. “Sometimes, you’ve got to be guilty of tooting your own horn,” he joked.
Sokol believes in the strategy. WJCU enjoys a well-placed standing with John Carroll’s administration. “Even members of our senior leadership team were donating,” Sokol said.
Believe-land
Today, about 40 students volunteer with the outlet, spearheaded by an eight-member student executive board. But crucially, the station also taps into the broader Cleveland community.
Approximately 40 community members host shows on WJCU. Many are alumni, including one founding member.
Another host will celebrate his 45th anniversary on the air next year. It’s a hybrid model that might not work everywhere, but Cleveland supports it, Sokol said.
“The cultural diversity in this town is something that is not only very broad, but it’s celebrated,” Sokol noted.
Beyond its deep rock-and-roll history, Cleveland’s cultural roots — from Little Italy to Slavic Village to its Paczki Day celebrations — provide a ground for local, niche radio.
But it’s evident in the number of college and community radio stations that are operating across the region. In addition to WJCU, there’s WRUW(FM) at Cleveland’s Case Western Reserve and Baldwin Wallace College’s WBWC(FM) in Berea. To the south, the Class B FM signal of WZIP(FM) is operated by University of Akron.
“I think this is the best location in the nation for college radio,” Sokol said.
There’s also successful high school-operated stations in Streetsboro High School’s WSTB(FM) and the Kenston High School district’s WKHR(FM) in Bainbridge, Geauga County.
Where to start?
For a public radio outlet looking to venture into fundraising for the first time, a $100,000 goal might seem daunting. Next year will be WJCU’s 25th radiothon, and Sokol cautions that building this kind of momentum takes time.
“Maybe you receive 75 pledges that are all around 20 or 30 bucks — that’s valuable!” he said.
Planning for WJCU’s spring radiothon begins in mid-September. Sokol said the team locks down themes and tests thank-you gifts before winter break to ensure donors receive high-quality items — like a WJCU Bluetooth speaker with a built-in FM radio for the $250 level, or an invitation to the annual Gold Member Dinner for the $500 level.
The radiothon is strategically scheduled to cover two weekends. The timing, Sokol said, ensures that community volunteers, who largely broadcast on weekends, get two opportunities to ask their dedicated audiences for support.
It pays off: “Jump in Joe’s Basement Show,” an oldies program, raised $25,000 between his two Saturday slots alone, driven by donors actively trying to one-up each other’s pledges on the air.
Meanwhile, a student show received a $10,000 single pledge called in by a former board member.
Finding the value statement
The first step for any successful drive, Sokol said, is training students on how to demonstrate to listeners that their hard-earned dollars are worth spending.
In late January, he works with WJCU’s students to refine their on-air pitches.
“The biggest thing is, we have to have a value statement,” he said. “This is a hard-working, blue-collar town. Why should someone who is living paycheck to paycheck contribute to us instead of the myriad of other causes out there?”
One WJCU student host, Lauren Koppelmann, pitched the station as the singular way she stays connected to her family back home in New Jersey, playing requests so they can share music via the online stream.
“We can still feel like we’re together because of what we’re doing on the radio,” she told her listeners.
Key students driving the station’s success include sports directors Nikolena Samac and Owen Close, and students Zachary Sinutko, Caitlyn Minney and Nick Colbert.
Koppelmann, WJCU’s co-music director and a varsity swimmer, even conceptualized an “inner circle” donor wall for those who contributed over $250.
“It’s something that’s going to last long after she graduates,” Sokol said.
During this year’s drive, which overlapped with Valentine’s Day, alumni host Zachary “DJ Z13” Sinutko was out of town for work, so he arranged for “Mustard” — the Cleveland Guardians’ hot dog mascot — to surprise his girlfriend, Emily Davala, with a gift while she was answering phones at the station.
Ultimately, Sokol’s advice to stations hesitant to ask their listeners for money is simple: “Jump in and try it. Even if you raise a few thousand dollars, it’s more than you had.”
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