Education Blog

One week’s worth of fundraising in 26.2 hours!  Join us in Supporting the WILL Marathon Today!

 
Stopwatch with 26.2 displayed. Underneath it, is WILL Marathon.

Illinois Public Media, WILL-TV.Radio

If you want to continue to support the quality programming and educational resources and events that we provide, join us today in supporting the WILL Marathon! This is a community effort to support strong independent news, great classical music, and diverse programming with less on-air fundraising. To keep more focus on our programming and make sure more of it’s available to you, we’re racing to fit a whole week’s worth of fundraising into 26.2 hours. Our goal is to reach $130,000 by 9:01 AM on April 11. It’s also a chance for #TeamWILL to make a huge difference in a short period of time by creating a brighter future for public media in central Illinois.

Come to the starting line with us at 6:49 am on Tuesday, April 10, as we kick off our race to the finish line. Help us keep the momentum going throughout the subsequent 26.2 hours so we can cross the Friends Finish Line together in a blaze of fundraising glory at 9:01 am on Wednesday, April 11. In celebration of an impressive #TeamWILL triumph, we hope you will join us from 7-9:30 am at the Friends Finish Line, just inside Friends Plaza at Campbell Hall (300 N. Goodwin Ave. Urbana, IL 61801) for a coffee and bagel bash presented by Einstein Bros. Bagels.

You can help us spread the word about the WILL Marathon and the importance of supporting great public media. To start, download the "I Keep Public Media Running" card. Display it proudly at your desk. Snap a quick selfie with it and share it on social media. Let those around you know YOU help keep public media running! You can also get your very own “I Keep Public Media Running” t-shirt with your gift of $120 at willpledge.org.

If you would like to give a reoccurring gift, you can choose the "Sustaining" option and support WILL as a Sustainer. Then, we’ll count the amount you’ll give over the next 12 months toward the goal. If you’re already a sustainer, this is a great time to consider increasing your monthly gift or making an additional one-time gift!

Last year’s marathon was a huge success—we saw a 40% increase in the money we raised and a huge increase in the number of donors. So this year we are shooting for a personal best of raising $130,000 with the help of more than 600 Friends of WILL.

To help us with this initiative, you can make your donation today at willpledge.org!

If you need more information, check out the full WILL Marathon FAQ, email us at will-membership@illinois.edu or call us at 800-898-1065.