Hybrid
| Rank/Motivation for Giving | % Very Important |
|
85% |
| 2. Feeling called by God to give | 84% |
| 3. Knowing God tells us to support those who minister to us | 67% |
| 4. An emergency need at the ministry | 36% |
| 5. A story about someone’s life that was changed through the ministry | 32% |
Teaching
| Rank/Motivation for Giving | % Very Important |
| 1. You believe in the mission and vision of the ministry | 85% |
| 2. Feeling called by God to give | 83% |
| 3. Knowing God tells us to support those who minister to us | 63% |
| 4. A story about someone’s life that was changed through the ministry | 27% |
| 5. An emergency need at the ministry | 27% |
The 2025 Finney Media Why Listen® Survey, which included almost 12,000 Christian radio listeners nationwide—almost 3,000 from Music and Teaching (Hybrid stations) and over 3,000 from all-Teaching stations and programs—reveals clear motivations for respondents’ giving to your radio ministry.
Among those who indicated recent giving, we asked this question: While there are many general reasons for donating to a radio ministry, there are often special circumstances that move you from just thinking about giving to actually making a call, going online, or writing a check to make a gift. Thinking of the last few times you made a gift, how important were each of the following in inspiring your decision to donate?
You can see their answers above. Both of the top two answers are a call to communication clarity. Are you clear (obvious, concise and often) about your mission and vision in ways your listener can relate to? If you were a brand new to Christian radio (and the faith), would you understand and be motivated by the words you’re using? This often means listening to listeners about why they give and then incorporating those words into your appeals.
Listener stories (no.4 or no.5 on the lists above) are an excellent way of communicating the emotions from the top three responses. Do you have ways of capturing those stories, editing them to a snack-sized length and airing/re-airing them?
Coming in January: From the 2025 Why Listen Survey 2025, The Top Five Denominations represented among Hybrid and Teaching the respondents. Get ready to hear about an opportunity to grow your audience.
