To me a good NPR pledge drive is like a Jewish Holiday. Call it yam-ki-pledge week, or Pledge-hashana.
First, pledge weeks float, like any good Jewish holiday. It’s always a surprise, one can never be sure when it’s about to start. They seem to last at least eight days, too.
Second, pledge week is really about gratitude. This requires token sacrifice. Jews don’t eat bread on Passover to remind us of how we fled from Egypt in a hurry … just as, in a pledge week, we don’t get to hear all of Fresh Air uninterrupted. This reminds us that someone out there is paying for the shows we listen to, and we need to honor.
Third, like a Jewish holiday, a pledge week reminds us of the larger community by reading the names of others contributors. And being around your community can be fun. The first time I became a member of the community, they asked what I most enjoyed on the station, and I cheekily answered, “The pledge drive!”
Most importantly it’s a time of self reflection: As a volunteer myself, I think it’s perfectly okay for you not to donate -- as long as you ask yourself why. It’s not okay to wish to donate, but then not get around to it, or to never consider it.
If you can’t tell yourself why you’re not a contributing member, you need to get your name written in the book of contributors for the coming year.
I’m Dan Libman, and that’s my perspective.
