Friends of SDPB Celebrated 50 Years of Triumphs and Support
For the past 50 years, Friends of SDPB has been working diligently to provide funds for the programming and events our supporters and viewers have come to love. Without the support and innovation of the Friends team, SDPB wouldn’t be able to stand proudly where it is today. Through Friends, SDPB receives funding from 13,500 families and 200 corporate sponsors.
Before Friends existed, SDPB was funded and licensed through USD and SDSU. With network expansion statewide, SDPB came under the direction of the state of South Dakota, which continues to fund personnel and infrastructure. Paying for programming became the mission of Friends of SDPB, a 501(c)3 nonprofit. Friends was first organized in 1973, and the first television fund drive in April 1974 raised nearly $23,000 from 1,800 people – an average of $17 a gift. Today, 26 of those original members continue to donate and have done so, without fail, for 50 years.
Julie Overgaard, Executive Director of SDPB, started as a work-study student for SDPB in 1986. She talks about how Friends of SDPB began as primarily a membership organization and has grown to be so much more for the state and those that abide here.
“Friends’ purpose is to raise private dollars to support the mission and programs produced by SDPB. It’s a hand-in-hand partnership and relationship. Friends successfully raises money because of the programming on SDPB, which appeals to our viewers and listeners. People support things in which they find value and purpose. Friends of SDPB builds relationships between our viewers, our listeners, and SDPB. They share all of the great things we are doing with our members, and the members provide feedback, ideas, and community engagement,” said Overgaard. Friends of SDPB looks forward to seeing what can be accomplished in the future. Thank you for the role you have played in getting Friends here. Friends and SDPB look forward with optimism and confidence to another half-century of partnering with you.