WCMU Membership Questions & Answers
 
"What are the benefits of being a member?"

CMU Public Radio provides central & northern Michigan with access to the very best radio programs available, like classical music, NPR News and talk, local weather and much more. CMU Public Television is your source for signature PBS programs such as, Masterpiece Theater, The News Hour with Jim Lehrer, Nature and NOVA and it is the first choice for quality children's programming like Sesame Street, Arthur and Reading Rainbow. You don’t have to be a member to have access to this programming. However, it simply would not exist without our members. CMU Public Broadcasting members have the satisfaction of knowing that they are among those in our community who make all the difference in bringing the programming they value to radios and televisions all across our listening area!
"I made a contribution to WCMU recently, yet I have received a renewal notice indicating that my membership has expired. How can I be sure that my last gift was received and that it was credited as my membership renewal?"

If you made your gift within the week before you received the renewal notice, it is likely that your gift and our letter simply crossed in the mail. You should not receive a renewal notice the next month. Many of WCMU’s supporters choose to make contributions throughout the year, above and beyond their annual membership gifts. Because of this, our computer system is set to recognize as renewals only contributions that are made within three months of an individual’s membership anniversary date. So if you make a payment before then - in response to a special campaign letter perhaps - your contribution will be read by our system as an additional gift and will not affect your membership date. If there was a miscommunication and you intended this gift to be your membership renewal, please call our fundraising department at (800) 727-9268 or e-mail walte1kj@cmich.edu. We can easily change the renewal date of your membership to reflect the date of your most recent gift.

Why are you sending me more mail these days?

Beginning August 2003, the station implemented a “5-hit membership renewal system.”  This 5-hit method means that if members don’t respond to renewal mailing #1, they will receive mailing #2, and this logic continues through mailing #5.  The intent of this direct mail renewal program is three fold:

  • To give current members an opportunity to renew their support via mail (which is very cost effective), allowing us to focus the on-air pledge drives on acquiring NEW members (which is vital to the long-term survival of the station). 
  • To help us limit the number of days of on-air pledge drives, thus allowing us to bring you the regular program schedule that you enjoy.
  • To retain more of our members.  While many members have been renewing on their own via on-air pledge drives or in response to a general direct mail request, over 50% simply do not renew.  Our feeling is that it may be because we haven’t asked!

I’ve made a recent pledge or donation that should have renewed me – so why am I still getting a renewal letter?

1.   It is very likely that your recent payment and this letter have crossed in the mail.  If you feel that is the case, please simply disregard the mailing.

2.   Another possibility is that you made a payment to CMU Public Radio, and your letter is a renewal reminder for CMU Public Television (or visa versa).

If neither of those situations applies to you, and you are continuing to receive renewal letters after you made a payment, please call Kim Walters at 800-727-9268.
"I made a pledge but have not received the premium I requested. When can I expect to receive it and how can I confirm that it’s on its way?"

At the end of each campaign, we order the items from various suppliers, based on the number of orders we received from pledges. Once the items are received we send them out as soon as we can. This usually takes three to six weeks following the completion of the campaign. Premiums are only sent to members once their pledges have been paid in full. If no payment has been made on a pledge, the premium will not appear on our list of premiums to send. If you feel that you should have received your premium by now and would like to check the status, please call our fundraising department at (800) 727-9268 or e-mail walte1kj@cmich.edu
"I renewed my membership or made an additional gift and did not ask for a premium. I have since decided that there’s a premium I’d like to receive. Am I still eligible to receive one and how do I go about requesting it?"

If you have made a gift to WCMU in the last year and did not request a premium at that time, you are welcome to choose one that corresponds to the level of your gift. Please call our fundraising department at (800) 727-9268 or e-mail walte1kj@cmich.edu to request a premium for a contribution made within the last year.
"Is my entire pledge tax deductible?"

If you did not opt to receive a premium with your pledge, the entire amount is tax deductible. However, if you did choose to receive a premium, the fair market value of that premium (a small portion of your gift) is not eligible for deduction. The fair market value of any premiums you requested should appear on the thank you letter you received after you made your pledge. If you do not have this information, please call our fundraising department at (800) 727-9268 or e-mail earl1ss@cmich.edu
"How do I find out if my company will match my donation to CMU Public Broadcasting?"

Simply visit your human resources department for a list of organizations your company matches, or visit http://www.cmich.edu/match/default.asp If they do match gifts to CMU Public Broadcasting, get a form and send it in with your donation, we'll take care of the rest! This is a really easy and much appreciated way to make your support of CMU Public Broadcasting go even further.