Ways to Support the Station Before the End of the Year

As we enter the season of gratitude and giving to causes near and dear to our lives, here are a few ways that you can support the station before the end of the year, if you have yet to give this year. Thank you for the support!

Donate from your IRA Charitable Rollover

Did you know folks 70 years old or older can give up to $100,000 (and up to $200,000 for married couples) from your IRA directly without having to pay income taxes on the money. The gift can be used as your required minimum distribution. You can have your financial institution issue the check directly to Central Vermont Community Radio and mailed to WGDR at 123 Pitkin Rd. Plainfield, VT 05667. You’ll need to make the gift by December 31 to qualify in the current tax year. Contact your IRA provider or visit their website to obtain a simple form to complete.

Give the Gift of WGDR For the Holidays

• Shopping for a hard to please person? Are they a radio nerd? Check out the CVCR Swag Shop for bags, mugs, sweatshirts, t-shirts and more.

• Make a donation in honor of someone you love as your gift this holiday season. You can make a dedication and note who the gift is made on behalf of in the giving process. We'll send them a note and limited edition antenna sticker in recognition of the gift too! If you give during Giving Tuesday, on Tuesday, December 2, your gift impact will be doubled.

• Give from a Family Foundation or Donor Advised Fund - Your generous support from your foundation or advised fund before the end of the year will truly move our mission forward. We especially look for this kind of support to launch new initiatives like moving our WGDR antenna in 2026. If you have questions, contact us.

Ways to Support Anytime

We of course appreciate support in many ways, all year long. Here are a few that don't require action by December 31 (or sooner!).

• The new WGDR Antenna Fund - This one time campaign will cover the cost of raising our new antenna on the ridge in Plainfield next spring and bridge the new costs to operate it for the first few years. We're at $91K toward our $175K goal. This is a great way to support the the future of the station, helping us reach an additional 20K (or even more) Vermonters than we do with our broadcast.

• Underwrite or Sponsor the station - Reach the ears of thousands of Vermonters in Central Vermont and the Northeast Kingdom and show them you support the station they love. Our rates start as low as $273. Spots are limited, so contact us today to reserve your spot by the end of the year.

• Donate an old vehicle! We are part of a national car donation program (CARS) with other public and community radio stations that give us a percentage of the value/resell of any car (in any condition). Doesn’t run anymore? Fine! As long as it has an engine and is towable, you can donate the car. If your car is newer and worth more, it could bring you a significant tax deduction. We get about 70% of the final sale after fees and towing costs are covered. Learn more here.

• Volunteer your time and talents with the station by joining our board, a station committee, doing a show, or helping in many other ways. Reach out to Llu@WGDR.org for more info!

Please spread the word on your Front Porch Forum, social media, and other ways too! Thank you!

The New WGDR Antenna and Tower Location - Help Us Fund It!

In 2026 we will replace our 30-year-old WGDR antenna and move it to a new, higher location in Plainfield.

This is a once in a station lifetime moment, where we will go from just 88 square miles reached by our radio signal, to over 700 square miles. The map below, in blue, shows our current tower reach. The yellow is the projected new reach. We are taking the tower from the valley to a mountaintop, and it will make a huge difference!

It will cost us around $150K to fund the cost of of the WGDR Tower project. This includes the cost of the new antenna, installation and upfit at the new tower, and cover the new operational costs for the first three years (giving us time to adjust our budget to take on these new costs).

We have raised a total of $91K (as of 10/9) toward a goal of $150K!

• We have $25K secured to buy and raise the antenna from the state of Vermont.

• As of October 9, we have raised an additional $66,000 from generous major donors. We are seeking investors and support from foundations we to help cover the combined costs of this new antenna, the install, and the increased costs we will incur while we build our new listener-donor base. Gifts of $5K or more, made annually, for three years, will help us make this a reality. But, we welcome gifts of any amount too!

  If you are eager to support the future of community radio in Vermont with a legacy or significant gift toward the WGDR Tower Fund, please contact Llu Mulvaney-Stanak, our Executive Director at Llu@WGDR.org. Or make a gift by clicking the donate button below.

Call for CVCR Board Applicants

Thank you for your interest in serving on the Central Vermont Community Radio Board of Directors. 

The board is made up of 8-10 members of the CVCR community and are charged with setting strategy, ensuring our mission has the resources it needs to succeed, and providing overall leadership to the organization. In our next round of new board members, we are seeking folks with fundraising experience (or a willingness to learn!), board leadership skills, and past work with organizations undergoing big change (like a move!). We’re eager to also expand the board to more fully represent our diverse community of central and northern Vermont, especially folks from our BIPOC and LGBTQ+ circles, as well as folks to expand our gender representation beyond the binary and age ranges (under 50).

The work of the CVCR board is centered around ensuring the right-sized capacity of the organization is in place in time, money, and expertise. We look to the board to be both strategy leaders, but also “doers.”

Members are expected to attend monthly board meetings (all on zoom still), participate on board committees (also on zoom), make personal financial contributions (if able), and participate in the organization’s fundraising campaigns (major donor cultivation, etc.).

We ask that interested folks submit an application soon for this next round of board seats.

All applications will be reviewed by the full board and qualified prospective candidates will be contacted to schedule an interview.

CVCR serves the communities of north central VT and beyond by providing a forum for cultivating social change, supporting the independent arts, protecting the environment, and celebrating diversity, creativity, and freedom.  More information about CVCR and its mission is on our website under About Us.

For more information, contact CVCR's Executive Director, Llu@WGDR.org

Please address the following questions: Board@WGDR.org.

Vermont State Employees, Support WGDR through the VT Shares Program by 11/7

Do you work for the state of Vermont or know someone who does? Consider supporting Central Vermont Community Radio through the annual VTShares program.

From now until Friday, November 7, state employees can sign up to donate directly to nonprofits like WGDR directly from their paycheck. You can make a one time gift or set up monthly giving. You will get a Charitable Contribution Tax Credit for every dollar you pledge. 

This is a quick, secure, and easy way to support community radio in central and northern Vermont. 

Go to VTShares.Vermont.Gov to pledge today. 

THANK YOU!

We just raised the most fundrive money ever!

Wow! That was one heck of a Fall Fundrive. Thank you to every single one of you who gave.

As of 10/22, we met our $25,000 big, big goal! That is the most we have ever raised in one fundrive, in the history of the station (52 years!). You all came together to continue to fund the programming you count on and to keep radio accessible to all. Thank you so much!

We also crushed all our other goals!

📻 21 new monthly, sustaining donors (most ever in a drive!). These folks have come together to add another $2,500 to our annual support. This means $15K of our total budget is supported by sustainers. Wow!

📻 41 returning donors, who haven't given in a few years - a record!

📻 57 donors who stream us live at WGDR.org - so close to a record!

📻 66 new donors - a record!

📻 Over 250 donors total

Community radio matters more than ever. Thank you for investing in us as we give it right back to you everyday on the airwaves!

Each Fundrive we give out a Fundrive MVP (Most Valuable Programmer) Award to thank the person(s) who stepped up in extra fun and drivin' ways. Congrats to our Fundrive MVPs, Alan LePage and Steven Farnham for crushing not one, but two matches during their three shows. These guys gave you 9 hours of Curse of the Golden Turnip and motivated $8K in total impact/giving during the drive. Their names are now sharpeed on the cowbell alongside our other MVPs - our highest honor. Thanks, Alan & Steven! 

Central Vermont Community Radio continues to be 75% funded by individuals like you. This is why our fundrives - twice a year - are so critical to funding the station.

• The addition of all our new sustainer will now help fund over $14K in expenses each year. A small monthly gift by these folks, adds up in a big way for the station.

• Once again thank you to all our matching donors during this drive. This made a huge difference! Thanks to our many generous anonymous major donors, to Larry Kressley and George Kimmerling, our CVCR Board of Directors, and our underwriters East Hill Tree Farm, Galaxy Books, and VT Arts Council!

We are back to normal programming this week! Phew!

You didn't miss your chance to give either. We're still accepting donations to the station for the rest of the year. All our funds help us make budget adjustments across the year in other areas that are far less reliable than our listeners! Thank you for making us part of how you support your community.

As always, thanks for listening and for supporting WGDR & WGDH!

Llu Mulvaney-Stanak

Executive Director, Central Vermont Community Radio

p.s. Thank you to everyone who sent in fan mail to the station and left such great comments on the drive site. This powers the programmers for months to come, knowing there is such support out there for what they work so hard to do each week on the air.

New Show Application Window

New Show Application update as of September, 2025.

We are proud to have nearly 70 local shows on the airwaves. This means spots of new locally made programs are limited! We still welcome anyone to apply and pitch us a show. Landing a show still requires it to be a fit with our programming needs and values, and, now, if we can find a slot that works for you and the station.

All new shows are vetted by our Programming Committee. Going into the fall and 2026, we are prioritizing shows that can help us build up our local news coverage, tell the stories of our community, provide listener interaction with call-in shows, and/or that captures the lives and experiences of our diverse community members. We are still accepting locally curated music shows, but they need to expand upon the music shows you currently already hear on the air. Please listen to what the station already sounds like and consider this as you apply! What could you add to the mix?

We also have a running wait list, for local shows that are accept, but a schedule slot doesn’t fit, yet. These folks are also encouraged to join us as show subs or be involved in the station in other ways. Getting involved, beyond a show, is a great way to move you "up the waiting" list when a slot that works for you opens up.

For fall, 2025 applications here is the timeline:

• Open apps September & October.

• Programming Committee Review in November

• New Programmer Training December & January