Travel with Rick Steves Public Radio Fundraiser Modules 2026

Funder #2026-1

Released March 4, 2026

Overview

With the added challenges facing stations this year, why not let one of the top fundraisers in public broadcasting put his expertise to work in raising support for your radio station?

In the latest set of Travel with Rick Steves fundraiser modules, Rick does most of the heavy lifting for you, in making a strong case for listeners to support your station.

This fundraiser edition of Travel with Rick Steves includes additional conversations from popular guests that have not aired previously.

Rick closes each segment by pitching the value of public radio, and the need for your listeners to show their support. Rick refers to the need to rely on news and information programming on public radio during these challenging times throughout this fundraiser.

The suggested rundown helps you to pace your local pitch breaks so that everything times out to one hour. You can also shorten or eliminate the hourly newscast to add to your local pitching time.

These 2026-1 modules can also be combined with material from previously released fundraisers to create a two-hour fundraiser special, or to run over consecutive weeks.

Each module ends with a fundraising pitch from Rick that stresses the value of public radio. Starting with Module B, Rick also opens each segment with a brief re-statement of the need to support public radio, and thanks listeners for doing so. It creates an appropriate transition from your local pitching back into the program.

We do recommend that you try to include the Billboard at the open of a Travel with Rick Steves fundraiser. It sets the same tone for the show as it would during non-fundraising weeks, to make listeners eager to hear the material coming up, and less likely to tune away "because it's a fundraiser."

There is also a promo for the fundraiser, to help you promote the content of program, as usual, during your regular programming.

If you'd also like more time to fundraise during one of the regular weekly Travel with Rick Steves programs, we've made it easy for you to shorten the segments on any week's edition of the program. Contact executive producer Tim Tattan in advance of your airdate to find out the cue points you can use to shorten each segment of one of the weekly programs.

Rick has also recorded promo-length funder pitches, for you to use at any time in your fundraising campaigns.

To offer the Rick Steves premium package as a thank-you to your contributing listeners, you should include one of Rick's premium pitches during your local pitch breaks. Rick does a great job of promoting the content of those packages.

As some affiliates have demonstrated, you can even get great results using the Rick Steves premium package for a Rick Steves-themed premium hour in your news magazine programming, too.

Rick Steves Public Radio Fundraiser Spots

Rick Steves also provides fundraiser spots designed to enhance your local fund drives, with a few salient thoughts from Rick to encourage your listeners to contribute. They each vary in length from :22 to 1:04 with music beds or voice-only options for some of them. Several of them are timed to an even 30 seconds, too. You can air them at any time and in any program. You can include them in your longer local pitch breaks too.

Rick Steves Fundraiser Premium Packages

The Travel with Rick Steves premium packages feature Rick's latest travel-themed books and are offered at an attractive wholesale price to stations. No minimum order is required — just order what you need. You simply add Rick's recorded premium pitches to your local pitch breaks to get him to promote them for you.

These Rick Steves premiums are otherwise not mentioned in the fundraising modules, for stations that wish to fundraise using other thank you gifts.

Note that the Rick Steves-themed fundraiser premiums have proven to be significant money-raisers for public radio and television. We encourage each Travel with Rick Steves affiliate to offer the Rick Steves premium package. There is no minimum required order on your part — just order what you need when it's time to fulfill your pledges. Station wholesale costs are kept low to help you optimize your station's fundraising potential.

Let your station's development department know about this link, so that they can see how the latest Travel with Rick Steves premium packages can raise money for your station.

Rick is offering thank you gifts at two support levels. These levels are designed to encourage monthly sustainer contributions from your listeners.

The contribution levels Rick describes are $8 a month, or a $96 one-time gift, and $15 a month, which would be a $180 one-time gift.

He has voiced two versions of his premium pitch. Each pitch is available as voice-only, or mixed with music to enhance the tone.

Some Travel with Rick Steves affiliates have also offered the Rick Steves premium package as a special Rick Steves-themed incentive during their local talk shows, and even during Morning Edition, with strong results. Let us know how it works for you.

Airing the 2026-1 Travel with Rick Steves Fundraiser

The following rundown helps you to program the Travel with Rick Steves fundraiser modules, released March 4, 2026. We suggest start times for each segment, and lengths for your local pitch breaks, in order to time out correctly to one full hour. The pitch breaks are long enough for you to include Rick's premium pitches, if you are offering the Rick Steves premium package.

The billboard promotes the content in all four modules.

We've also provided you with a 30-second promo for the fundraiser. It promotes the content in modules A, B, and D.

The modules in this Travel with Rick Steves fundraiser should be appropriate for airing at any time of year. Note that there are references to the U.S. government's "current administration" in the discussion near the end of module D.

 

Rundown — Travel with Rick Steves Fundraiser 2026-1

 

  • This rundown uses the billboard, full newscast, and four modules.
  • This gives you local pitch breaks of a bit over four and half minutes each. Total local pitching time for the hour is at least 17:55.
  • Gain more time if you omit or shorten the newscast break.

 

Run Time Segment (Length)
00:00 - 01:00

TRS FUNDER 2026-1 BILLBOARD


outQ: (theme music out)

 (1:00)
01:00 - 06:00

NPR or BBC Newscast I & II
(or local pitch break from 04:00-06:00)

Note: Gain two more minutes of local pitching time by starting Segment A after the first part of the Newscast at 04:00 and moving up the segment start times by 2:00.

 (5:00)
06:00 - 14:46

FUNDER 2026-1 — MODULE A


Module A — "Making a Home Around the World"
guests:
- "Senior Nomads" Michael and Debbie Campbell
- Elizabeth Murray, author of "Monet's Passion in Full Bloom"


inQ: (music note) "One of the lasting pleasures I get from being a frequent traveler…"
outQ: "Can we count on you as well?"

 (8:46)
14:46 - 19:00

LOCAL PITCH BREAK

Note: You can intersperse Rick's funder pitch spots, or his premium pitches, with your local pitching.

 (4:14)
19:00 - 28:30

FUNDER 2026-1 — MODULE B


Module B — "Lessons from Walking Around the World"
guest: Tom Turcich, author of "The World Walk"


inQ: (music note) "Thank you for making a real difference for your public radio station…"
outQ: "Thank you so much for being a supporting member of public radio."

 (9:30)
28:30 - 33:00

LOCAL PITCH BREAK

Note: You can intersperse Rick's funder pitch spots, or his premium pitches, with your local pitching.

 (4:30)
33:00 - 40:38

FUNDER 2026-1 — MODULE C


Module C — "Festivals in Sardinia"
guest: Jeff Biggers, author of "In Sardinia"


inQ: "Hey, you don't have to give up your home and live in a tent…"
outQ: "Every day, for a long time to come."

 (7:38)
40:38 - 45:00

LOCAL PITCH BREAK

Note: You can intersperse Rick's funder pitch spots, or his premium pitches, with your local pitching.

 (4:22)
45:00 - 55:11

FUNDER 2026-1 — MODULE D


Module D — "Remembering Your Friends"
guests:
- Irish Times columnist Fintan O'Toole, author of "We Don't Know Ourselves"
- Robert Edsel, author of "Remember Us"


inQ: "Thanks for your financial contribution during this special fundraising edition…"
outQ: "Thanks again for making public radio happen where you live."

 (10:11)
55:11 - 1:00:00

CLOSING PITCH BREAK

 (4:49)

 

 

 

Download "Travel with Rick Steves" 2026-1 Fundraiser Segments

Released March 4, 2026

  .MP3 files .MP2 files
Billboard — Funder 2026-1 (1:00) Download mp3 Download mp2
Module A (8:46) Download mp3 Download mp2
Module B (9:30) Download mp3 Download mp2
Module C (7:38) Download mp3 Download mp2
Module D (10:11) Download mp3 Download mp2
Promo — Funder 2026-1 (:30) Download mp3 Download mp2
Rick's funder pitch spot #11A (mixed) (:30) Download mp3 Download mp2
Rick's funder pitch spot #11B (vox only) (:30) Download mp3 Download mp2
2026 Premium Pitch 1 (mixed) (2:14) Download mp3 Download mp2
2026 Premium Pitch 1 (vox only) (2:14) Download mp3 Download mp2
2026 Premium Pitch 2 (mixed) (1:03) Download mp3 Download mp2
2026 Premium Pitch 2 (vox only) (1:02) Download mp3 Download mp2