How Listeners and a Christian Radio Ministry Carried Each Other Through The Pandemic

Inside the studio of Family Life radio in Kanona, N.Y. Photo courtesy of Family Life.

NEW YORK— Despite facing uncertainty about fundraising at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, Family Life Network, based in Kanona, N.Y., is receiving more donations than ever before and planning expansions to its radio signal and headquarters facilities.

At its bi-annual “Sharathon,” a four-day fundraising event, held this April, Family Life brought in $2.1 million compared to $1.8 million at the one held in October 2020. Along with these donations, the Family Life Facebook page reports more than “8,800 generous faith promises” at the organization's most recent Sharathon this spring in April.

More than 90% of Family Life Ministries’ source of income is through listener support, and the largest donations come through its twice annual “Sharathon” events—fundraising drives for four days in the spring and fall when hosts ask listeners over the radio waves for their financial support. Pre-pandemic, “Sharathons” would include family-oriented fun like dinner theatres, a 5k race and a kid’s carnival. Employees and volunteers work the phones at these events and listen to stories of donors to the organization. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the organization held its “Sharathons” online this year with a virtual 5k and other digital events. And that limitation was not a hurdle to growth for the terrestrial radio station. 

“Our faith was tested but since that point, last spring’s Sharathon, last fall’s Sharathon, and the most recent one completed last week... each one keeps getting better,” said Steve Smith, one of three morning show radio hosts at Family Life. 

The trend may be unusual at a time when terrestrial radio listenership is in free fall and major radio companies like iHeartMedia and SiriusFM are struggling while streaming media - video, podcasts and music - is growing. Some believe it's a function of religious listeners caring about their local radio stations as a source of comfort, inspiration and community during an isolating pandemic that causes listeners to give back generously. 

The headquarters of Family Life. Photo courtesy of Family Life.

Family Life is not the only Christian non-profit to have successful fundraising in light of the pandemic. According to Christianity Today, Christ-centered nonprofits and churches ended 2020 surprisingly well: “85% said cash giving in 2020 came rather close to 2019 cash giving numbers—with a sizable portion of that group saying that 2020’s cash giving ended higher than 2019’s.”

A report from the Blackbaud Institute shows that U.S. charitable giving grew 2% year over year in 2020, with online giving growing by nearly 21% and outpacing previous years dramatically. The amount of the average donation also increased to $737 overall, up $120 from 2019, and $177 for online donations, which were up $29 from 2019. 

Stimulus Check Bonanza

Rick Snavely, CEO of Family Life, believes the stimulus checks the U.S. government issued over the past year contributed to the bump in donations.

“We heard from lots of people who have given their biggest gift they have ever given,” Snavely said. “I’m sure a lot of that was stimulus money.”

In his times volunteering on the phones at Sharathon, Dave Margolotti, a FLN radio show host, said that he has “heard from quite a few people who said, ‘Hey, the Lord has blessed me with this and it's His money so I just want to be a steward and give that back.’”

One faithful donor and supporter of Family Life is Paula Clark, a woman semi-retired from retail after 30 years. She juggles three part-time jobs, working as a school crossing guard, a cleaner of a local church and a part-time retail associate at a CVS.

Clark has been an active listener of Family Life radio since the 90s, around the same time that she became a Christian. Along with being an active listener, she has been both a donor and volunteer since the early 2010s. She remains confident in the mission and the future growth of Family Life. 

“God is still working in the business of Family Life,” she said. “He is still working and wants to see it grow and have them reach more people with the gospel.”

Family Life kept some audio clips of inspirational testimonies from their listeners at this most recent Sharathon. One listener said “Oh, I listen to it every day. I live by myself so I listen to the radio all time and it’s always on Family Life. It’s just very inspirational especially with all of the shutdowns and going through that alone…it really keeps me grounded.”

Another listener said that she “work[s] for the department of labor so I am working right now with all of the unemployed people and it’s heartbreaking to do this job. I just wake up in the morning and its such a pleasure to wake up listening to something so positive.”

A pre-pandemic “Sharathon” event for Family Life radio. Photo courtesy of Family Life.

Due to the success of Family Life’s more remote “Sharathon,” some of these changes in its structure will remain in those planned in the future. Snavely explained that the attendance at the virtual 5k nearly doubled compared to previous years and that the drive-thru chicken barbeque was more successful than ever due to its easy in and out drive-thru experience.

“We felt like we reached more people who might not feel comfortable coming in the building but they will come through the drive-thru,” he said. “We give them a pack of material talking about the ministry, talking about the Lord. We really feel that has become more effective.”

The virtual event was so successful that Family Life has “pretty much decided” to keep future “Sharathon” events virtual. 

Expanding Radio Signals

The success of these fundraisers will not only cover Family Life’s operation costs but will go towards the building project and the expansion of their radio signal. 

Snavely says that “It appears we are going to put on 8 new radio signals this year.” 

These expanded radio signals will increase Family Life’s reach, which already spans over large parts of New York State and into Northern and Central Pennsylvania. This should be only a positive to reach out to more listeners and create more support for future “Sharathons.”

A New Headquarters

Funds raised from these events will also go towards Family Life’s building project, which includes renovating and expanding on a former Harley-Davidson dealership in Gang Mills, N.Y. This facility is far larger, and even close to four times as large as its current facility. This building was purchased in 2016 but is still in the process of being renovated and expanded on.

 “We are digging out the parking lot area, all of the drainage tiles are being put in place, and we’ve spent nearly over $4 million so far,” Snavely said. “The building itself is going to be tens of millions of dollars to build this structure.”

With each fundraiser at the organization getting better and better, Snavely remains positive that these funds will continue to funnel into the project. 

“We are just praying for God to open the door with something miraculous to happen,” he said. “We anticipate it. Too many things have happened already, totally unexpectedly where the Lord opened a door for us not to think that this is going to go forward.”

Natalie Lowin is a student at The King’s College in New York City majoring in Journalism, Culture and the Arts. She has been a contributor to the Empire State Tribune, the independent student newspaper at King’s, and scheduled to graduate in May 2022.