1.The number of calls receiving during each break
2.The break length
3.How many calls received were from new, renewal, and rejoined members
4.The total and individual amounts pledged
5.Which and how many premiums were requested

When these figures are entered into a database, tracked over a period of years, and thoughtfully analyzed, they can yield useful information about the characteristics of on-air campaigns, provide comparative trends with past drives, and help in planning future on-air pledging. Just as with using audience ratings data, pledge tallying statistics should be compared first with the campaign taking place a year ago (if there was one) and with the most recent comparable on-air effort.

The problem with pledge tallying comes with the misinterpretation and misapplication of the data. It is a legitimate use of pledge tallying data to conclude, for instance (these examples are hypothetical), "since our station instituted the 'Members Plus' program as a special incentive to pledge $100, those pledges have increased 28%." Another good use of the information might be, "looking back over a five-year history of data, we have typically received the most pledge calls on Fridays, Saturdays, and Mondays, at 7-9 am and 4-5 pm weekdays, and 6-8 pm Saturdays. Therefore, we need to schedule a sufficient number of staff and volunteers to service customers during those times." Still another proper application of these data might be, "Listeners have requested 19% more premiums during our pledge campaigns this year compared to last. We need to check our net income figures, to ensure that the increased expenditures for premiums are being offset by the increases in revenue." These are among the many uses for this kind of information.

Pledge tallying does not serve stations well is when it is used as projective data, such as assuming that if a certain number of calls arrived at a certain time or during a certain program, this translates into data that are applicable to the attitudes or behavior of the entire audience. An example of inappropriate use is when pledge tally data are used to try to deduce how popular a particular program or format is with members or listeners. Pledge totals cannot be projected to indicate the feelings of a larger group of listeners, or even used to provide a rough gauge of listener loyalty. This is because your station has many more listeners than members, and more members than ever call in during a single pledge campaign. This means that the numbers in pledge tallying represent only a very small percentage of all listeners, and a slightly larger, but still very small, percentage of all station contributors. Those who call during a campaign are also an entirely self-selected sample.

Furthermore, even those who do call during a campaign are counted only once in the pledge tally, even though most listeners enjoy several different programs on the station. If a person happens to enjoy jazz, classical music, and Marketplace, do they call in a pledge three different times? Not usually. Members also do not necessarily call during their favorite programming, either. When people call is ruled primarily by personal convenience and access to a phone. There are some people who love a particular program so much that they can't wait to call in their pledge while it is on the air, but that is the exception, not the rule.

Damaging the validity of most applications for pledge tallying data even further is the fact that many current members never actually call in during a campaign—they renew via mail or telephone. Their input into any single pledge campaign is limited. Therefore, trying to determine programming preferences for a wider audience through pledge tallying will be misleading.

Legitimate uses for pledge tallying data include areas where the data are being used historically, to examine trends, and not being projected to represent a larger sample. Stations should keep pledge records and use them, but use them appropriately.

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