So during CHIRP's Spring 2018 Spring Fundraising Campaign, I set a personal record for the number of donations - 51! I also set a record for the amount I raised (and this is not a coincidence). I'd like to try to get at least 50 donors again. And to do that, I'll need your help. 

But why should you donate to CHIRP? Well, this is a radio station that was built from the ground up by members of the community here in Chicago. We had to create an infrastructure, build out the studio, get legislation passed, obtain an FCC license, and finally get a tower up. We've been streaming at chirpradio.org since January of 2010, and broadcasting at 107.1 FM in Chicago since October of last year.

And what do we do? We provide 18 to 21 hours of live, original music programming each and every day. No algorhythms, no commercials, regular folks deciding what to play, taking requests, and trying to play more local Chicago (and Chicago area music) than any other station in the universe! A lot of our volunteers are folks like me, who have some sort of broadcasting background. But the important thing about a community radio station is that it allows folks who would never get the chance to be on the air at a commercial station to walk in, get trained, and go on the air. This year alone, I've trained three brand new DJs, and at any given time, at least 1/3 of our DJs had never been on the radio until they came to CHIRP. And that doesn't even cover volunteers who are at CHIRP to contribute to the many other areas that a radio station needs to keep going.

Indeed, we have about 250 volunteers, and only two part-time staffers. So CHIRP is a labor of love. A labor of love that needs contributions from lovely people like you to help us pay to broadcast and stream, to pay to repair equipment, to pay so we can rent the hall for our annual Record Fair, and other basics (paper, pens, printer ink, etc.)

So please consider a donation to CHIRP in any amount. Even $10 is a mighty big help. If you donate $10, I'll dedicate a cool cover to you on one of my shows. Donate $30 or more, and I'll send you a musical surprise (and play one of those covers for you). And we have cool promotional items for donations of $60, $120, and $240 (but you should go to chirpradio.org/donatenow if you want that swag). I'm on the eve of my 400th show at CHIRP. Please make a donation to see if I can do another 400!

MAKE A GIFT TO CHIRP TODAY!

CHIRP is a listener-supported, community-powered radio station—your gift makes everything we do possible!

Please make a gift supporting our fall fund drive so we can continue to bring you great music and events!

If you would like to become a sustaining member by making a recurring donation (monthy or quarterly), or select a fall campaign thank you gift, please visit CHIRP’s main donation page to make your contribution (and don’t forget to enter the name of the CHIRP Volunteer or DJ in the “How did you hear about CHIRP” section so they can receive credit for your gift!)