I used to have a 45 minute (or longer) drive to work, and NPR saved my life.  90 minutes of intelligent programming a day made the drive almost bearable.

So it was with some nostalgia that I listened last week to the WNYC spring fundraiser, to an interview with Mark Bittman and an offer to get his new cookbook for free if you donated “$180, or became a sustaining member for just $15 a month.”

I can’t figure out why you’d focus on $180.  $15 a month is the pitch.

Think about your gym membership which, in New York, will run you about $100 a month.  There’s a reason why New York Sports Club doesn’t advertise that you can join for “just $1,400 a year.”  It’s the same reason that I never think about the fact that having two iPhones costs me and my wife nearly $2,000 a year, that DirecTV costs about $600 a year…and on and on.

Take a cue from the gym – pitch monthly recurring donations every time.