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Friends of WVMO outlines summer outreach, new donor tools and argues local radio’s value in emergencies
Summary
At a May 14 meeting of the Monona Community Media Committee, Friends of WVMO volunteer Stacy Harba outlined festival outreach, a sustaining-donor program and a new donor-management tool, and argued the municipal low-power station is a civic asset for emergency communications.
Stacy Harba, a volunteer with Friends of WVMO, told the Monona Community Media Committee on May 14 that the group plans an aggressive summer outreach schedule and new fundraising efforts to sustain the municipal low-power station.
"We're going to be at the Waterfront Festival, Orton Park, Atwood, the Memorial Day Parade and the Monona Community Fourth of July festival," Harba said, and invited committee members to join events that will include tabling, merch sales and a boombox bike brigade supported by B-cycle. She said proceeds and memberships help buy equipment and underwrite programming outside the city operating budget.
Harba described new tools for donors, including a recent volunteer contribution used to purchase Little Green Light, a constituent-management service she said will help the Friends track donors and manage sustaining gifts. She also promoted the "987 Club," a sustaining-donor option that asks supporters to give $9.87 per month.
"That'll contribute a little bit more than $100 over the course of the year," Harba said of the 987 Club, adding that recurring donors help stabilize fundraising and planning.
The presentation placed WVMO in the broader context of low-power FM (LPFM) radio. Harba cited an industry estimate that there are just under 2,000 active LPFM licenses nationwide and said municipalities with an attached nonprofit friends group are uncommon. She argued the station serves civic functions that are hard to duplicate online.
"Radio is still very, very powerful, even in an age of streaming," Harba said, recounting an anecdote about a municipal radio station that provided life‑critical information after a hurricane knocked out internet and cell service in another community. She urged the committee to view WVMO as a public information platform for everything from leaf pickup to senior-center announcements.
Committee members asked whether WVMO relies on federal funding amid recent cuts to public broadcasting. Harba responded that WVMO does not use federal funds and credited the city and local underwriting for the station's current stability, while noting ongoing equipment and fundraising needs.
WVMO volunteers also highlighted recent recognition: the station and a Sun Prairie LPFM were named by the Wisconsin Broadcasters Association in a market-category award, and volunteer Rod Perry will be honored as a local broadcast legend next month.
Why it matters: The Friends' pitch ties fundraising to community services (local news, emergency alerts, and school and city messaging) and proposes recurring donations and visible public events to deepen local support. The committee thanked Harba and encouraged continued outreach and partnership with local businesses and event organizers.
Next steps: The Friends will staff summer tabling and continue to build the sustaining-donor program; committee members were invited to provide newsletter content and to help publicize events.
