The PRX Soundbank

PRX has teamed up with DEI and PRPD to create an accessible online repository of fundraising programming for use by stations - The Fundraising Soundbank. The goal is to pull together the best work of the past and present to serve either as broadcast-ready material or model content that stations can adapt for local use.

Public radio produces lots of fundraising programming - some of it good, some of it great, some of it exceptional and proven to work wonders on the air.

The Fundraising Soundbank is public radio's free on-demand source of fundraising audio and related materials: pitches, testimonials, classic bits, and proven "hits," evergreen and seasonal, format-specific and generic, ready for air or to inspire your own ideas.

There is a tremendous amount of energy, creativity, and expense that is invested in this programming. Now the Fundraising Soundbank provides an efficient way for stations to benefit from each other's efforts and find audio when they need it most.

Development professionals, station-based and independent producers, networks and national shows - all are invited to contribute to the Fundraising Soundbank and benefit from its riches.

The soundbank runs on DEI's development experience and PRX's program-sharing tools.

How it Works

Stations and producers upload audio to the Soundbank on PRX.org using simple PRX drag-and-drop tools.

The Soundbankers (a rotating review board of DEI and PRPD members) will select certain pieces to highlight throughout the year.

Stations browse, audition, license and download pieces for broadcast or inspiration.

Take

Browse. Listen. License, download and broadcast what you like; all of it's free.
If you're not already a PRX member, open a free station PRX account

Give

Stations or producers: Add your fundraising work to the sound bank using PRX's straightforward drag-and-drop tools.
Read the Quick-Start guide. Adding to the sound bank is the same as adding any other piece: you just need to select the correct format to get listed with the other soundbank pieces.
For each piece, select the format "Fundraising Sound Bank FOR AIR" or "Fundraising Sound Bank SAMPLE ONLY." If you're not sure which format your piece fits into, check out the "Browse" section below.
Publish after you've finished completing the piece listing. That's it.

Come Back

DEI's Pledge Team will highlight pieces throughout the year, and new material is constantly showing up.

Browse the Soundbank

There are two main categories that organize the PRX Soundbank: Ready to Air, and Samples.

Ready to Air material

Pledge Drives

Pre-drive messages
Pitches
Premium promos
Thank-you spots

Year-Round Fundraising

Membership pitches
Direct-mail reinforcements
Major giving reminders
Planned giving solicitations
Testimonials
Thank-you spots

Browse Ready to Air material by most recent.

Sample material

Audio file
Production script
Information about production elements, e.g. music beds or sound effects

Browse Sample material by most recent.

Resources for the Fundraising Producer/Programmer

Check out Pledge Well.

"Good fundraising is good programming."

Q & A

What does it cost to participate?
Nothing! Any station, producer, or public radio professional can sign up for a free starter account on prx.org and start using the Fundraising Soundbank.

How do I add a piece to the Soundbank?
Create a piece listing just as you would for any other piece by uploading your audio to your account, logging in, and clicking "add a piece" under the "My PRX" tab. Fill out all of the information necessary, and under "formats" choose Fundraising Soundbank FOR AIR or Fundraising Soundbank SAMPLE ONLY as one of your format options. This will add your piece to the appropriate Soundbank list. When you've finished filling out all of the piece information and have progressed to the "publishing" section, make sure to price your piece at 0 points.

Do I have to be a paid PRX/DEI/PRPD member?
No. This is the reason we ask stations to make their fundraising material available at no cost: any PRX member - paid or with a free starter account - can access and license anything on the PRX Soundbank. It doesn't matter how many points you have or don't have. The Soundbank is simply a space for stations to share fundraising material.

This is not to say that there aren't benefits to being a paid member for other features of the PRX site: paid PRX, DEI and PRPD members have access to additional materials, storage space, and can earn royalties when their work is licensed by stations.

What if I don't have enough space in my account to upload fundraising material?
Contact help@prx.org, and we'll give you the space you need to upload. If you have any doubts at all about adding fundraising material to your account, let us know; we can give you as much space as you need.

Do I need to be a tech whiz?
No, PRX is easy to use and even the web-wary among us can learn to upload audio with the free member tools.

Contact

June Fox
Director of Station Relations, DEI
jfox (at) deiworksite (dot) org
(703) 759-2221

Israel Smith
I.S. Marketing, LLC
ismarketing (at) yahoo (dot) com
612-377-3256

With any questions or requests: help@prx.org