KUAC Fall Fundraiser relies on volunteers

October 24, 2016

University Relations

The KUAC Fall Fundraiser raised just over $500,000 as nearly 400 volunteers solicited donations, answered phones, wore silly hats, banged a gong and rang a cowbell from Oct. 8-16.

The fundraiser is a wacky community celebration with a serious side — supporting public radio and television for Interior Alaska.

During the fundraiser, KUAC's normally locked doors on the University of Alaska Fairbanks campus were thrown wide open to welcome volunteers, food donors and the children who came to join the KUAC Kids’ Club.

The 124-hour effort raised $501,128.

The 2016 drive began with UA President James Johnsen and UA Regents Chair Jo Heckman in the FM studio and expanded to seasoned announcers and newbies.

“This effort takes community involvement,” said Gretchen Gordon, KUAC’s assistant general manager and director of development and outreach and FM. “We strive to create a fun, inclusive environment and then we help our guests become stars on the radio.”

KUAC aims to use 100 percent community voices during its drive. During all but one hour of the recent drive, the people pitching came from the volunteer pool.

“We had some new voices, like Mayor Karl Kassel and Ester Volunteer Fire Department Fire Chief Tori Clyde and Eagle’s Ann Millard, which was fantastic,” Gordon said.

The drives are a crucial component of keeping KUAC sustainable. The Fall Fundraiser provides more than one-third of the radio and TV stations’ fundraising budget.

Gordon and crew are already planning the Spring Fundraiser for April 2017. KUAC thanks all UAF employees and students who participated in the drive by volunteering or donating.