The 48TH NHPBS Spring Auction Will Go Online May 3-28, 2021

Durham, NH (February 23, 2021) - For 46 fun-filled years, the NHPBS LIVE AUCTION spanned over eight evenings every spring, enlisted thousands of volunteers who worked behind the scenes and on camera and was a cornerstone community event and fundraiser for the station. With the uncertainty of the pandemic still looming and the success of the spring 2020 online auction, the NHPBS Auction staff and core auction volunteers have decided to permanently take the LIVE televised auction online, where it can reach farther and wider.

“Our volunteers and staff are the backbone of the Spring Auction, and we cannot risk anyone’s health and safety,” said Auction Manager, Diane LaRochelle. “We usually have thousands of volunteers walk through our studio doors to pitch in for a night, a week or even months at a time. The pandemic has put a stop to us coming together as a community. This has been an extremely difficult decision to make, but in the end we need to put our volunteers and staff first.”

When the pandemic hit in March 2020, the NHPBS Auction team quickly shifted how they were going to produce the upcoming 47th Spring Auction. “We thought about how we’d been hosting the Holiday Auction online for years, so we quickly switched the way we were processing items and started putting our donations online,” said LaRochelle.

“The support from our donors was unparalleled. We decided to auction off certificates and the highly coveted NH Made Totes only, and because there was very little production cost, we were getting more return for our dollar. We were pleased with the results,” said longtime Auction Volunteer Richard Shepherd. “I think we are going in the right direction, and looking to the Spring Auction, we know we’ve made the right decision.”

“Having both the Spring and Holiday Auction totally online will allow folks all across the nation to bid on thousands of donations from small and large regional businesses, local artists, restaurants and more,” said NHPBS President and CEO, Peter Frid. “Shifting our Spring Auction online will enable us to move forward and hopefully grow revenue to be able to support the critical local programs and educational services you expect from New Hampshire PBS.”

“We may not be able to come together, but there are still ways to be involved with the Auction family,” said LaRochelle. “If I know our volunteers, they’ll be stepping up to help out in any way they can. And we cannot thank our volunteers enough for the support they’ve shown us over the years and in the days, weeks, months and years to come.”

To make a contribution or learn more, contact Diane LaRochelle at auction@nhpbs.org.

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