Charity Auction Problem: We’re not getting all the money
“I know there’s more money in this crowd than what we’ve been getting.”
Craig, the CEO of Food & Friends, comments on how the recession affected his fundraising auction. This large-scale event attracts anywhere from 1200 to 1500 guests.
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Melissa works in the special events / development team of Girls Inc. This gala had ~150 guests attend.
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Nancy was the Auction Chair at this Catholic all-boys school auction. She talks about what they did in the past, and how they shook things up this year.
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Jennifer Harris (on right) in full disco regalia with her co-chair, Monica.
Dear Sherry,
Wow, what an event!! We raised more money than ever, about $108,000! You made such an impact on our group. To quote Monica, my co-chair, “If Sherry organized a cult, I’d join.”
Like most groups, we had fallen into a rut, doing things the same way, year after year. We were doing things that made all the sense in the world to us but didn’t translate into dollars. When we decided to hire you as our auctioneer, we had some skeptics (you weren’t cheap.)
In past years we always had an auctioneer donate his or her time to run our Live auction. Nice for our budget, however, they never had anything to offer except for “going once, twice, sold.” You came with a boat full of ideas, enthusiasm, and charm.
You completely revamped our whole event. All those skeptics are now dedicated fans of yours. We even had some of our guests request your information for other events.
Now when people ask me about the success of our event I simply say, “hire an expert and listen to them.” With the hard work of our committee and board and the guidance from you, we had our most successful gala ever. And, everyone had a blast!
Thank you so much for your support along the way. If ever we were challenged by something, we knew you were only a phone call away with a spectacular idea. Your knowledge of what would work and not work was spot on. I know that our event was not perfect, but it was successful and fun. We can work with you on perfection for next year, right?
Jennifer Harris, Auction Co-Chair 2009
YWCA Annapolis
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Lynne was one of the co-chairs at the Lupus Foundation luncheon gala auction. We connected again a few months later when she invited me to speak at a business networking function.
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Sue and Dina are co-workers at a hospice facility in southern California. We chatted on our way out the door to the check-out area.
“I don’t know what you know about hospice,” said Sue, “but [your performance] made me believe you know a lot about it. That might not be true, but ….”
“Effective, but not in the least high pressure,” added Dina.
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Our event was awesome! We feel the night was incredible. We surpassed our goals, and set a new standard for this school auction. It was time to take our event to the next level, and we got more than we thought possible.
It was a 30% net increase from the previous year. We knew there was more money to be made than what we’d been raising.
We’d been using a professional auctioneer, but Red Apple Auctions showed us the difference between a benefit auctioneer and an auctioneer. I personally loved everything Red Apple gave to our event. We would have never had done as well as we did without you.
Shayna Neal, Auction Co-Chair 2008
Christ Church School (Fort Lauderdale, FL)
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At an benefit art auction, this two guests (both from the Midwest) commented on the skillset of the charity auctioneer.
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It's a jungle theme! Auction Chair Maria stands second-from-the-right with other members of the school auction committee.
I’d been to benefit auctions before, but certainly hadn’t chaired one. Our school had a lot of women who wanted to help in various capacities, but no one wanted to lead the charge. So I agreed to fill the Auction Chair role.
Red Apple Auctions had been referred to me because the Auction Chair two years ago used the company and set a new record in the process. Several people had commented on Red Apple’s professionalism and ideas, and they loved Sherry and the floor team who worked the event, so they urged me to hire them again.
When the company helped Shayna and Corrine two years ago, the school hit an all-time high of $108k. And now this year, we hit an all time new record of nearly $147k! On auction night it was around $143k, but by the time the dust settled, it was at $147k. Our school has never even come close to these figures. We just surpassed so many goals. Even my own personal goals.
Everyone was talking about the auction. They are still talking about the auction and it is over a month later! Even as I write this, I’m covered in goosebumps just thinking about how fabulous it was. I get high-fives in the hallways. I can’t believe it. People were so generous and it was phenomenal. Everyone keeps saying how it wasn’t just an auction … it was a great party. And I did this without ever having chaired an auction before.
Prior to the event I appreciated how Red Apple Auctions was there for me every step of the way. Sherry was available to me always, and at our disposal as much as we needed her. Her ideas were fresh and FUN! She helped us come up with new ideas on raising money and making the most of what we had. Then – at the event – our crowd loved the auctioneer and the floor team, who were all again very personable and looked very professional and kept everything moving forward.
The biggest “ah-ha” I got out of this entire experience was watching Bill call during the live auction. I thought to myself this is what a professional auctioneer should sound like. He got the crowd motivated and excited. He was funny and entertaining.
The entire evening was a smashing success and it was largely due in part to Red Apple Auctions. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Maria Castellano, Auction Chair 2010
Christ Church School (Fort Lauderdale, FL)
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This couple enjoyed the evening and observed, “you were fantastic at getting the money.”
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While I don’t yet know our bottom line, our revenues were up significantly (over 10%) above the prior year. The reverse auction was almost double and the live was up substantially. So although the room cleared after the long running roasts ended, those that stayed were in the mood to bid and you did a great job of accommodating them.
Paul Hirshbiel, Chair
Gala Roast
Horizons Hampton Roads (Hampton Roads, VA)
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Like many of our auction chair clients, Catherine is active in her community and regularly supports worthy charities by attending fundraisers, chairing galas, and working in a plethora of other ways both in front of the cameras and behind the scenes. She’s seen us perform multiple times and recognizes our consistency in quality.
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Geri was a guest at the American Heart Association Gala of ~550 guests. She shares what she thought was the best part of the auctioneer’s performance.
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This professional artist talks about “doggedness” when it comes to auctioning art at a benefit gala.
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Martha sits on the board of the Children’s Chorus of Washington. This well-run event isn’t large (fewer than 200 guests), but the creativity they pour into it each year makes it a stand-out auction gala.
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Thank you SO much for your many contributions to the seventh annual Arlington Community Foundation Gala. Our enormous success this year – our best gala EVER – was due in no small part to your involvement.
Your initial presentation and consultations throughout the planning process were invaluable to my committee. And WOW did you ever light up the auction, working bidders to prices far beyond items stated values! Your detailed post-event report was thorough, well constructed and included some of the best pictures anyone took of the event spaces that night. It will provide a solid basis on which the Foundation can continue to grow this event.
Bottom line, Red Apple Auctions was a fabulous addition to our Gala. I give you my very highest personal commendation and would welcome the opportunity to speak with any potential clients should they ask for a reference.
Sherry Crittenden, Gala Chair 2008
7th Annual Gala
Arlington Community Foundation (Arlington, VA)
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Susan saw a lot of auctions when she lived in Texas, including the well-known Cattle Baron’s Ball. But she’s never seen a female auctioneer …
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“The auctioneer’s persuasiveness was merciless,” this fun-loving bidder comments after the auction.
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After Red Apple Auctions’ debut in Baltimore in 2011, we heard from this guest who talked about charisma.
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Richard was one of great volunteers helping out at the 35th Anniversary Gala for The Lupus Foundation of America, Greater Washington Region. “I was ready to buy something,” he says, “and I had no money!”
P.S. At a benefit auction, never let that stop you, friends.
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Barbara is a long-time auction committee member of the Northern Virginia Family Service gala attracting ~550 guests. We’ve hit auction records with this group every year we’ve worked together.
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Robin was the Auction Chair, but her friend Janie (in video) gave some insight as to why the small school’s $19,000 auction became a $70,000 auction in 2010.
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Susan attended events in Texas, like the Cattle Baron’s Ball. She’s got an opinion on what made this auction better than those other benefits.
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This is the most we have ever raised in the 10 years of holding this annual fundraiser — $337,715 in the live and silent auctions alone!
We thought we had a record-breaking year in 2009, but this surpasses everyone’s expectations. The advantages of using a professional auctioneer cannot be measured … You made my job easy.”
Marcy Belfi, Director of Special Events
Camillus House (Miami, FL)
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It looks like we did amazingly well. We grossed a bit over $84,700, a figure we are thrilled with!
In light of the economy and reduced numbers in attendance, I think the auction was a huge success. As always, your debriefing report is so thorough and so helpful. We were relieved and grateful to have done so well this year, especially since attendance was down.
I will let you know as soon as we’ve chosen a date for next year since we would love to have you back!
Dianne Straus, Executive Director
Auction 2009
Children’s Chorus of Washington (Washington, DC)
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When the Carpenter’s Shelter decided to add a live auction to their annual fundraising event and then asked me to serve as chair of the auction committee, the first call I made was to Sherry Truhlar with Red Apple Auctions. She guided me through the entire process.
Her professional expertise and ability to connect with the bidders has led to five successful years of meeting or exceeding our goals. I can’t imagine doing an auction without her.
Joan Greene, Volunteer Auction Chair 2005-2009
Carpenter’s Cook-Off
Carpenter’s Shelter (Alexandria, VA)
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August 6, 2010
Dear Sherry,
The money has been counted, and our first-ever Bite Nite raised $83,000! The money is great, but even more importantly – even weeks later – the good feelings and compliments keep rolling in (I’m going to share some of them in this letter).
Our event has done more than raise money; it’s raised interest in our cause by positioning us in a positive light. Potential donors can’t miss it; there’s no mistaking that good things are happening here and they should get involved. I don’t exactly know how to put a price on that yet, but I sense it’s worth more than $83,000.
I’m not kidding when I say that here in the Phoenix area, a charity is hosting a fundraiser almost every night of the week, 12 months a year. We knew that our first-ever event had to be special to get attention. With your help, we nailed it.
One guest wrote, “Having attended at least six ‘new to the market’ gatherings I can say, without the slightest doubt, you have raised the bar and created a new gold standard.” Another said, “This was the first year? Wow! We had a blast.” Even one of the restaurant vendors commented, telling me he’d seen many silent auctions around town, but had never seen a silent auction run as well as ours.
As you know, our “new to the market” gala was structured to be an evening filled with lots of great restaurants and an entertaining band. We knew we’d include an auction and assumed we would handle it “in-house” until I saw your resources on LinkedIn. Although my team had planned, executed and attended many events with auctions, we aren’t planning auctions day-in and day-out. We lack that insider expertise. And coming from a corporate background myself, I understood the idea of having a specialist “running the show.” As I told you on the phone during our meetings, “Just tell us the best way to do it, and we’ll execute.” You knew what would work. And after getting our feet wet this year, we’ll be prepared to tackle even more next year. You’ve set us up on a course for success.
Naturally, my team and I thought Bite Night was special. But it was all the continuing emails and phone calls that kept on coming that made us realize how unique it really was. Simply put, you made us look good and the flawless execution attracted new supporters (and remember, these are supporters who regularly attend competing events in our area).
“It was such a classy and well organized event, I really believe it was one of the best events ever,” wrote one. “I have been to a few charitable events and have never experienced anything approaching the vibe of generosity and dedication to the cause that was obvious the entire night,” said another. “You have set the bar high and I wish you and your organization continued success in your efforts,” wrote a third. “I wanted to thank you for asking us to be a part of an amazing evening. We hope we made you as proud as we were to be a part of it. We had a splendid time and were honored to be a participant,” penned another.
And I can’t even begin to tell you the number of unsolicited emails we received that just said, “Thanks, we had a GREAT time!”
Sure, these guests enjoyed the music, the food, the vibe, and all of that. But our silent and live auction was the strong undercurrent running through the night. We trusted you on our set-up, and then trusted you to represent us on the microphone. If the auction had been anything different, many of those compliments wouldn’t have been sent.
Sherry, thank you for helping us knockout ALS! As I told you after the event, my team and I got way more than our money’s worth from you. If anyone questions your fee, have them call me. We’re walking on air here in Arizona.
With My Warmest Regards and Thanks,
Ken Brissa
President & CEO
The ALS Association Arizona Chapter
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Fran Becker, Executive Director, pauses after the big event long enough to say a few words about the live auction.
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This couple was amazed at some of the prices we achieved in the auction.
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