CT Public Broadcasting

A child watches educational cartoons on TV. An adult gets a quick rundown of the news on the radio during their commute to work. A teenager gets the latest entertainment notifications on their phone. All these services are provided by Connecticut (CT) Public Broadcasting, a statewide, member-supported public media service located in Hartford, Connecticut. The mission of CT Public Broadcasting is to inform, entertain and inspire by providing thoughtful, accurate content that can help connect communities across the state. During the pandemic, when many people found themselves spending more time at home, these services became invaluable. Though many nonprofits saw their funding decrease during that time, CT Public Broadcasting did not. “Our major donors stayed with us,” said Lisa Wrubleski, donor relations and estate gift planning manager. “They took advantage of listening and watching during the pandemic and saw that we were there 24/7.” However, general community support—also known as member support—started to waver in recent months. “Members may be feeling the downturn of the economy and higher prices for food and travel, which can result in less disposable income to support us,” Wrubleski said.Woman holding a rolled up picnic blanket imprinted with a logo. How donor-thank you gifts keep the programming coming Challenged with maintaining—or even increasing—funding through major donor support, Wrubleski came up with a plan to use thoughtful, quality donor thank-you gifts to show supporters how valued they really are. Wrubleski was drawn to the fun plaid color of the Picnic Stadium Blanket, which is very close to the CT Public Broadcasting logo’s color, as well as its close link to their slogan, “Media for the curious.” “We decided on the theme Curiosity Covered—perfect for a picnic stadium blanket,” she said. The blanket’s high quality and multifunctional purpose was also noted. “Our major donors are typically older and like to travel a lot. This blanket can be stored in a car and pulled out for a picnic, attending a sporting event, a visit to the beach and countless other uses.” Plus, with the organization’s logo displayed on the blanket, donors will be spreading the word—and possibly inspiring others to donate—when they use their gift while they’re out and about. “The logo is a bonus,” Wrubleski said. Wrubleski is excited to begin giving these donor thank-you gifts soon, starting with one valuable donor who has been a loyal contributor for years. “We meet with this donor once per year, and at our luncheon we like to bring her something that she’s going to appreciate,” Wrubleski said. “A lot of thought has to go into an item for high donors, and we wanted something unique and high-quality. With this grant, we were able to purchase double the amount of blankets that we wanted.”

For more information about CT Public Broadcasting, please visit https://www.ctpublic.org/about/contact opens in new window