topic Re: Have You Ever Bought Anything From a PBS Pledge Drive? in Community Chat

Have You Ever Bought Anything From a PBS Pledge Drive?

Plaid Pants2 — Thu, 17 Nov 2016 03:13:40 GMT

I just did! It was the first time that I have ever bought anything during our local PBS pledge drive.

Local businesses donate gift certificates, goods and services to be auctioned off, and if they get full value for the item being auctioned, they ring a big cow bell.

They had a gift certificate for a restaurant, for $50. I decided that it would be nice for me to take my dad there for lunch, in order to get him out of his apartment.

I put in an initial bid of $40.

Someone bid $45.

I bid $50, full value, and won the auction, and got the ringing cow bell!

I like PBS. They have good programs, and the money raised go to keep those shows going.

So it's a win-win-win!

The business wins by getting a customer.

PBS wins by getting money.

I win by getting a certificate for a place that I might not have otherwise tried.

So, if your PBS has fund raising auctions, have you ever won anything, and if so, what was it?

Re: Have You Ever Bought Anything From a PBS Pledge Drive?

x Hedge — Thu, 17 Nov 2016 03:33:55 GMT

I bought a quartz heater for $15 bucks that kept me warm for 32 wisconsin winters. Lightweight, portable, very effective!

I wore out the control dials by around year 25, but fixed them. The quartz heater was still in good working order when I reluctantly tossed it out a couple years ago because I couldn't repair the dials for another season.
Im STILL kicking myself 'cuz since then I learned how I could've repaired it!

Re: Have You Ever Bought Anything From a PBS Pledge Drive?

libbyannE — Thu, 17 Nov 2016 04:12:02 GMT

We always donate but tell them to keep the gift so that more money goes to their programming fund.

Re: Have You Ever Bought Anything From a PBS Pledge Drive?

DiAnne — Thu, 17 Nov 2016 04:22:09 GMT

Out PBS station used to put together a cookbook with recipes from local home cooks and local restaurants. They always had a theme like one year it would be salads and another year desserts, etc. I always used to purchase that book. The last couple of years they stopped doing it.

Re: Have You Ever Bought Anything From a PBS Pledge Drive?

hennypenny — Thu, 17 Nov 2016 06:52:26 GMT

Ours used to have an auction. It was such fun. I bid on a painting done by a Los Angeles artist. When it arrived it was really not right for our home so donated it to our son's school to auction off.

Re: Have You Ever Bought Anything From a PBS Pledge Drive?

cotton4me — Thu, 17 Nov 2016 08:08:42 GMT

I don’t recall our PBS station ever having auctions but they sell merchandise associated with the programming. I’ve purchased some books/CD's over the years on heart health, healthy eating, fitness, etc.

Re: Have You Ever Bought Anything From a PBS Pledge Drive?

151949 — Thu, 17 Nov 2016 12:32:00 GMT

WQED in Pittsburgh has cooking shows and then they give the cookbooks as gifts when you make a pledge - I have several of their cookbooks.

Re: Have You Ever Bought Anything From a PBS Pledge Drive?

hookedonq — Thu, 17 Nov 2016 12:55:06 GMT

We made a (somewhat large) donation during an Andrea Boccelli show and received tickets to his concert. Our seats were amazing, the show was fantastic, and we feel good about the donation going to PBS.

Re: Have You Ever Bought Anything From a PBS Pledge Drive?

x Hedge — Thu, 17 Nov 2016 16:30:45 GMT

@Plaid Pants2, I thought this was a wonderful topic and I'm surprised response has been sluggish.

PBS has T W O HUGE annual fundraising auctions in my area.

There is one, in spring I think, that auctions all manner of artistic pieces, and another in fall that auctions merchandise or services.

Each auction runs about 15 straight broadcast hours a day for a full week, and the whole south-eastern portion of my state gets involved in donation, volunteering, and buying what is put up for auction.

I guess I was under the impression all larger cities put on their own PBS fundraising auctions since these have been going on annually in my area around 40 (?) years.

Congratulations on your restaurant certificate. Hope you have a great meal. Your certificate covers your meal, but don't forget to leave a tip!

Re: Have You Ever Bought Anything From a PBS Pledge Drive?

shoptilyadropagain — Thu, 17 Nov 2016 16:41:10 GMT

I did but it was probably 30 years ago. A local jewelery store had donated a gift certificate so I bid on it and won. I don't remember the price but I do know I won it for a little less than face value. I ended up getting a necklace with it. I wore it a couple of years and then gave it to my mom. I don't think she wears it anymore but still has it. As for the local jewelery store....it's gone now as the owner is now in his upper 80's.

Re: Have You Ever Bought Anything From a PBS Pledge Drive?

Moonchilde — Thu, 17 Nov 2016 17:26:08 GMT

I have never purchased from an auction such as is described. If my PBS station has them, I never noticed and they don't make a big thing of them. I have however paid more money for a membership to get an offered premium (video, etc) that couldn't be obtained elsewhere.

Had one interesting experience with tickets for Andre Rieu. PBS "price" was something like $250 per person for membership and "special circle" ticket at well-known trendy venue. I later bought a ticket for the concert through Ticketmaster for $75. My seat was amazingly excellent - and smack in the middle of the PBS $250-per seats.

Re: Have You Ever Bought Anything From a PBS Pledge Drive?

ChynnaBlue — Thu, 17 Nov 2016 17:30:15 GMT

From an auction, no, never.

I do have plenty of mugs, CDs, and other things I've gotten from my donations to my local public TV and radio stations. I do not have any NPR or PBS tote bags, though.

Re: Have You Ever Bought Anything From a PBS Pledge Drive?

AuntMame — Fri, 18 Nov 2016 06:07:43 GMT

For its annual fund-raising auction our local PBS station would contract a local artist to paint a picture representative of our part of the country. The paintings were always gorgeous and they would produce a limited number of signed lithographs which one could bid on. Years ago I bought one. A watercolor of wild flowers at night. We didn't have much money at the time and it was thrilling to me to buy a real piece of art. After all these years it is still hanging in my living room and is my favorite piece of art. They no longer produce the annual lithograph from a local artist so I no longer tune in to their auctions because nothing much interests me. I would rather just donate.

My husband one year purchased a pair of Loppers from the PBS auction. Which we still have.

Re: Have You Ever Bought Anything From a PBS Pledge Drive?

Cats3000 — Fri, 18 Nov 2016 10:39:30 GMT

I never watch the PBS "Beg-a-Thons". PBS gets enough of my "taxpayer dollars". They don't need any more from me.

Re: Have You Ever Bought Anything From a PBS Pledge Drive?

Lila Belle — Fri, 18 Nov 2016 21:16:54 GMT

I think PBS and NPR are worth every penny. They educate, entertain and inform.

I do donate each year ( through an automatic withdrawal
, painless btw) and have gotten many DVD sets or CD's.