Anyone who follows me knows that we here at Red Apple Auctions are fans of LinkedIn.  It’s rich with great information on ideas and people.

(I recently sent a LinkedIn connection to one of my clients who was soliciting an auction donation from the producer of a popular TV show.)

Here’s a recent gem we found for our Washington, D.C.-area readers.

Peter Panepento, Web Editor for the Chronicle of Philanthropy, is offering the chance for you to star in a Chronicle of Philanthropy video.

• Think about the free publicity.
• Think about the exposure for your non-profit.
• Think about all the tweets, posts, and comments you can extract from this single video and use in your own social media campaigns or fundraising auction marketing.

I’m likin’ it!

The Chronicle of Philanthropy is launching its first online video series with plans to release a new video each Thursday.

The group is seeking people who work or volunteer in the nonprofit world to tell your organization’s (or your) story.

That’s you.

Peter writes:

“The series, titled “In Their Own Words,” features people who work for the greater good talking about key events in their careers. Some are sharing anecdotes about powerful moments. Others are talking about what motivates them.  To add diversity and richness to the series, we’re playing host to a casting call of sorts in our DC office. We’re inviting people who work in our near Washington DC to stop by to tell their stories. We’re also inviting folks who are visiting the DC area to include a visit with the Chronicle as part of their itineraries.”

Folks, this sounds good.

The hope is to take the series on the road over the next few months.  For now, it’s DC-area groups.

If you want to get in the action, here’s how you schedule a taping.  Email now.

• Richard White, Video Journalist   |  richard.white@philanthropy.com

To see one example of a video, view Anne Goddard of ChildFund International in Richmond, VA.

Good luck!

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A reverse auction?

I had to smile.  Perhaps more than any other activity during an auction fundraiser, cash appeals are called a variety of names.

Let’s describe it so we all understand the activity:  An appeal is a direct request of the audience, asking them to make a cash donation to fund the organization.

During an appeal, the crowd is – in effect – giving a group gift to the charity.  “Here’s our money,” the audience cries in unison to the organization, “Live long and prosper!”

So what are the names I hear for appeals?

I’ve heard at least 17 different names:

• Cash appeal / Appeal
  
• Paddle Raisers / Raise the Paddle
• Gift from the Heart
• Dutch Auction
  
• Mission Call / Mission Moment
  
• Fund a Need / Fund an Item / Fund a Program
  
• The Challenge
• Love Offering / Love Gift
• A Bid Down
  
• The Shakedown (a tongue-in-cheek reference, and my personal favorite)
• And now … The Reverse Auction

Which sounds good to you?  Perhaps regional differences play a role here.

Generally speaking, what you call an appeal isn’t a problem, unless you are calling it a different name all of the time.

Select a name, and stick with it.  You and your auction committee should always refer to it by that name so you, other committee members, and your guests do not become confused.

If you conduct an appeal, what do you call it?

(c) 2005-2010 Red Apple Auctions LLC

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The description overlooked providing a date OR day for this activity. We wrote it on the left-hand side.

This is Part 2 of a series examining how missing information on silent auction descriptions costs you revenue in your auction fundraiser.

My floor team are outstanding sales support in any auction.  They find an item and work it until it has bids … or until they have outright sold it to a guest.

But if a silent auction description is lacking key information, my sales reps must leave their post to find someone in the marketing department who knows about this item and can provide the missing details.

Here are some additional common omissions on silent auction donation descriptions.

Guests want to know if the gift cards for chain restaurants are good for ANY of the restaurants in the chain, or only ONE of the restaurants in the chain.

If a guest sees that Morton’s Georgetown has donated a $100 gift card, the first question they ask is, “Excuse me, but could you tell me if this $100 gift card will work at the Morton’s in Tyson’s Corner? Or what about in Boca Raton … I’ve got a sister in Boca who loves Morton’s.  But I just don’t want to drive into Georgetown to use this …. so I’ll bid on it if it works anywhere. Do you know if it works at any Mortons?”

Argh!

If it was in the description, we would have immediately got her to bid on or buy the item.  Instead, we’re chasing down information. Now she might walk off elsewhere, we’ll never find her, and she’ll never come back to bid.

Guests want to know the day of the event, as well as the date.

Tickets to sporting events and theater performances often list the date, but they don’t always mention the day. Yet many of us schedule our lives around days more than dates.

“I take the kids to dance class on Monday afternoons,” remembers the Mom.

“I have my computer class on Thursday nights,” remembers the Dad.

If you provide a day as well as a date, it helps guests decide on whether they are interested in bidding. If they have any doubt about it, they won‘t bid, so it’s important to provide the information upfront.

Guests want to know what is included.

At one auction, my team was scrambling to uncover information on a salon donation. It was being sold in a school’s silent auction and the description was vague.

“A $150 gift card for salon services.”

At first glance, it sounds great.  But two guests were inquiring as to whether the salon focused on cutting hair or esthetician services. What kind of a salon was it?

There was no “menu of services” on display and we had no idea. So during the course of the silent auction, we are researching this item, instead of focusing on the more important task of sales.

On the positive side, at least these guests were asking questions. Often guests won’t even bother to ask … they just won’t bid. This is why complete descriptions are important.

Note: This is the second blog post on this subject.

(c) 2005-2010 Red Apple Auctions, LLC

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Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company's art is always edgy ... just like its performances.

Last Tuesday, I headed into Washington, D.C. to check out the open house offered by Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company.   (I’m always game to learn about new potential benefit auction venues.)

I’ve been to Woolly Mammoth before, but under different pretenses.

As recently as six months ago I was in that same space, but I was attending as a patron of the arts.  I hadn’t paid attention to critiquing the space as a potential venue for an auction because – like any good theater-lover – I was focused on the production itself that night.

But there I was last Tuesday, thinking about flow, and food stations, and silent auction tables, and all those things good Auction Chairs consider when they are sorting through an auction gala’s festivities in their mind’s eye.

The theater holds 265 people

So what are my overall thoughts of the facility for use as a benefit auction venue?

I think it would work for groups in that 225-or-less range, but bag the silent auction. Instead, opt for a live auction only with one or two revenue activities thrown in for added income.  But I wouldn’t opt for any activities which take up floor space because it’s not conducive for that.

The theater has a three tiered lobby which advertises an occupancy of 350.  The tiered layout is attractive, but it would be detrimental to a silent auction as guests could easily wander off and never see the items.  Better to have your volunteers amidst the crowd, selling tickets to the raffle.

The main area outside of the theater.

For your live auction, it would be easy to move guests into the Main Theatre, which has an occupancy of 265.

I liked that some of the chairs alongside the stage are not nailed to the floor, allowing guests to move chairs as they’d like.  Some seats are actually barstools and have the added benefit of a ledge to rest on.

These chairs are secured to the floor. But not all chairs are. And look at the different heights to ensure good visibility of the stage.

I especially liked that wine is allowed in the theatre.

Alcohol can be sold and served on premises.  As many charity auctions serve alcohol, having that added benefit of bringing the refreshments into the theater itself is an added plus.

These barstools were in the back. Guests will want to sit back here and will appreciate the ledge, too.

About 6-steps down from the main / mid-level is the Rehearsal Hall (35′ x 43′) and the Meyere Foundation Classroom (30′ x 22′).  Either would work for a secured check-out area, if needed.  Note that there is an additional cost to rent those rooms, and those classrooms are located 6-steps down from that main /mid-section.

Generally speaking, I’d put registration on the top level where guests could see it immediately upon entering the facility.  Then direct guests down to the main floor (where the Main Theatre is) for drinks and savories during cocktail hour.  For the live auction and program, you’ll move guests into the Main Theatre.

When it’s time for check-out, either direct guests back up the stairs (where you had the registration tables), or set up a separate check-out in one of the secured rooms.  (But remember, that’s an additional cost and about 6-steps down.)

The facility offers five approved vendors.  You’ll not be disappointed in your choices:

Put your auctioneer on the stage ...

• Geppetto Catering
• Occasions
• Ridgwells
• RSVP
• Windows

To rent the lobby and theatre, advertised rental space is $1800 for a half day (4 hours).  Honestly, who can pull off an auction fundraiser in 4 hours?  So plan on spending $3600 to allow you the time you need for the function.

Anybody know where this place is located?

If you’re wondering why some items in your silent auction just aren’t getting the bidding activity you expected, re-read your silent auction descriptions.

In almost every silent auction my team conducts, we are spending time researching the items to find out details.  Critical information will be missing from descriptions.  Until that information is known to the guests, they won’t bid.

Here are some tips on what seem to be common omissions.

In any metropolitan area, guests need to know the suburb, town, or general location of the business.

Washington, D.C. commuters have some of the worst traffic congestion in the nation.  You better believe we want to know *where* something is located before we buy!

Nobody wants to buy a $40 gift card only to find out the business is a 50-minute commute.  I might be interested in buying that gift certificate for bird seed from The Wren’s Nest, but only if I know *where* The Wren’s Nest is located.  Is it within 20 minutes of my home or office?  Great!  If it’s located 60 minutes away, I might still be interested in buying, but I’ll give it as a gift to my sister-in-law, who lives in that area.

Guests need to know if delivery is included.

"Our daughter would love that playhouse," your guest is thinking, "But my husband would never haul it to our house." No worries - delivery is INCLUDED!

This is most commonly heard when the item being sold is large, like a piano, playhouse, or holiday tree. And between school auctions and non-profit gala auctions, I hear it more often at school silent auctions where these large, more awkward types of items are more frequently donated.

If delivery is included — or is available for a modest fee — be sure to mention that in the description. Delivery could be the make-it-or-break-it reason as to why a guest bids.

Guests must understand if the business service is coming to them, or if they are going to the business service.

I might be interested in signing up for a massage session, but only if that massage is available to me in my home, or within a 10-minute drive of my home or office.  Outside of that, I’m not bidding.

So if the description says, “Jen Smith is a certified massage therapist,” but fails to tell me if Jen Smith is providing these services to me in my home or at her studio, I won’t bid.

Some services are vague.  Like what about those services with the home designer?  Am I taking my pillow cushions to her at her retail outlet, or is she coming to me?

And what about the seamstress who is going to create my one-of-a-kind fitted suit?  Am I going to her, or is she coming to me?  If she’s are coming to me, I’m likely ready to bid a little more.

Note:  This is one blog post in a series.

(c) 2005-2010 Red Apple Auctions, LLC

P.S. Like what you just read?  It’s ancient news.

This article was eons ago in my e-zine – Benefit Auction Ideas. Sign-up here to have ideas like this delivered straight to your in-box, twice a month.

The McMommy Chronicles blogger ...

This past week I learned that one of my clients is a fellow blogger.  A witty blogger.  And she’s letting me re-post one of her clever posts here.

But first, here’s the back story.

In 2008, I worked with Christ Church School in Fort Lauderdale, FL.  For the first time, they broke the 6-figure mark in their auction returns.  After that gala, Shayna Altman-Neal, the Auction Co-Chair, wrote:

“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.”

In 2009, the new Auction Chair hired a different benefit auctioneer.  It didn’t go as well.

So in 2010, Red Apple Auctions was back.  Last Saturday, this group hit a new record — ~$30,000 more than we achieved two years ago.  Wahoo!  The entire auction team is floating.

Maria, the primary Auction Chair, called me from the grocery store to share the good news.  Excited patrons. Thrilled donors.  Ecstatic auction committee.   “I’m over the moon,” she said.

Then she shared that one of her elated team members had blogged about it.  “The McMommy Chronicles” has graciously allowed me to re-post her entry below for your enjoyment. Read it below or on her site.

-

===========================================

“Like the Black-Eyed Peas, I got a feeling.”

Like the Black Eyed Peas, I gotta feeling.

I don’t remember the last time I went to bed at 2am.

It’s definitely been awhile.

Then again, I don’t remember the last time I helped raise $140,000 for my son’s school.

Oh wait, that’s right.

I NEVER HAVE BEFORE.

Until Saturday night.

I am still on a high from last night. Because for the past YEAR, I have been working with 4 other wonderful women to plan the biggest and best dinner auction in my son’s school history.

There were many mornings and evenings put into this planning.

Many Saturdays and Sundays.

Many emails.

Many emails that began with “It’s 9pm. Is it too late to call your house? Because I have a question about…”

Many frustrations. Many high-fives.

Many tears of sheer gratitude and joy as we watched the numbers tally up last night.

$140,000.

Are you serious? WE did this???

But let me tell you about the most glorious part of the night.

No, no. It wasn’t when we all hit the dance floor at midnight to dance to Black Eyed Peas, although that was memorable.

No, it was the fact that…..

My feet were not killing me.

PEOPLE, I WORE FLATS TO THIS AUCTION AND IT WAS GLORIOUS!!!!!!!!!

Now I know right now you are probably all “You’re dumb.” because really, how can shoes be the most glorious part of a night like Saturday night???

But on such a occasion as this, where the attire on the invite said “Safari Chic”….it literally PAINED me not to wear an adorable pair of heels.

However, my brain was all “Don’t do it, McMommy. Seriously, DO.NOT.DO.IT. STEP AWAY FROM THE HEELS!”

I knew I was going to be on my feet the entire evening. Sitting was not going to be an option.

So I picked out a long, black and white, giraffe-print dress that was kind of flow-y and summery but oh who cares. It’s February and 80 degrees here.

Hmmmm.

I kept calling it a giraffe-print but that doesn’t look like giraffe in that picture. Plus since when are giraffes black and white?! Was I drunk when I bought that dress?

Ok, moving on…being that the dress was long, it gave me the strength to go for the flats.

I chose a pair of black, patent-leather, thong sandals. They kind of looked like this, only mine had some rhinestone thingys on the t-strap. And they weren’t Dolce & Gabbana. And they definitely did not cost $500.

I was standing, lifting, dancing, running (yes, at one point I was literally running in those sandals down the long hall looking for the caterer) and my feet were surviving! My plan was working!! IT WAS GLORIOUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!! VICTORY WAS MINE!!!!!!

And it totally was.

Until a 250 lb guy accidentally stepped on my foot as he was making a beeline towards the bar.

I believe the imprint crushed into my skin from the sole of his massive shoe read:

100% shoe fail. Better luck next time, McMommy.

===========================================

A story well told, McMommy.

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1. Free conference calls

No Cost Conference

Your Auction Committee needs to touch base.  Regularly!  So use this free service to chat it up.   It has successfully managed my teleclasses when I have hundreds of people on the line, so I know it will work for your 5, 10, or 15 person committee.

One of the great capabilities is the control the moderator has.  When everyone starts speaking at the same time (which is easy to do on a conference call), you, as moderator, have the capability to mute everyone, using either your computer or your phone.  As each committee chair needs to give her status report, simply unmute her line, let her speak, and then allow questions one-by-one.

2. Free phone number

Google Voice

If you’re managing multiple vendors (caterer, venue, auctioneer, event manager), this service is great for ensuring you don’t play phone tag.  When someone dials your number, it rings ALL your phones (cell, work, home).

If that makes you feel a little too accessible, program the number to ring to a particular phone.  Perhaps a call from your procurement chair rings all three phones, but a call from the production company only rings your work and cell.

Or take it one step further.  Have messages go straight to voicemail on your computer, where they will then be transcribed for you.

3. Free direct-to-voicemail connection

SlyDial

Assume you need to leave the chatty Decorations Chair an an important message.  But you have no time to waste talking with her about her weekend plans with the family.

You can avoid talking with her — but still share the information she needs — by using this voice mail service.  After you listen to a short advertisement, the system will directly connect you to your Chair’s mobile voicemail.  She thinks she missed your call, but you know better.

With these three tools, staying in touch with your auction team has never been so convenient.

(c) 2010 Red Apple Auctions LLC

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A signed and numbered print of Shepard Fairey's HOPE piece was popular at a Washington, D.C. event.

(This is part 2 of a two-part post discussing the selling of art in your auction fundraiser.)

Last week I talked about why you should avoid selling traditional art in your live auction fundraiser.  I gave tips for selling art, and I’m adding to it this week with three additional ideas.  

• Keep art politically “neutral.”

In 2009 at a more liberal school auction, I sold a signed print of Frank Shepard Fairey’s iconic HOPE poster for $2500.  It was so popular, I was able to sell it three times, earning the school $7500.

Just 30 days prior to that auction, I worked at a conservative school fundraiser.  An item had been — the auction chair believed — intentionally damaged because it had President Obama’s image on it. 

This brings home the challenge of politically-themed art.  There’s a chance that at least 50% of your audience will immediately dislike it.  You’ve got to know your crowd.

• Suggest a signed and numbered print.

If you aren’t getting an original piece of art (and you usually won’t), it helps to have the piece signed and numbered. “It’s 14 of 100 prints,” sounds better than, “It’s a print.”

I doubt the HOPE poster of President Obama would have brought the value it did had it merely been a poster and not signed by the artist.

• Think twice before framing.

Framing is good for art, but the challenge is that framing is so expensive. An additional $300 of framing might never be recovered in the sale of the item. Although I prefer selling framed pieces, I advise against it unless the framing is deeply discounted or free.

Some final thoughts for my art center clients which have traditionally only sold art in their benefit auctions.

In many cases, an art center’s mission is to promote art to the larger community. These centers remind us that art enriches our culture, reminds us of our humanity, and is a valuable, tangible creative expression. In many cases, an art center’s mission is not to support *this* art style or *that* artist, but to support art in general.

Consider expanding on that theme in your items.

• Sell an art vacation. It might be a first-class trip to Miami Art Basel or transportation and lodging to Burning Man (Can you imagine!).
• Offer a behind-the-scenes at the Santa Fe Art Colony in Los Angeles, or one-on-one instruction with a professional artist at The Torpedo Factory.
• Is there a restaurant in the city which has collaborated with an art center to rotate artwork on the walls? Secure a dinner for two where guests can enjoy culinary delights on the table, and artistic delights on the walls.

The auction is your opportunity to remind art-loving guests that art is meant to be experienced in a multitude of ways, and can be brought into many aspects of our life to enrich our experience as humans. Use your items to remind guests that art is meant to be appreciated with all five senses.

© 2005 – 2010 Red Apple Auctions LLC by Sherry Truhlar

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Here’s a secret: It’s old news.

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This stunning (and it was!) hand blown glass vessel and tripod had a value of $6000. It saddens me to say what it sold for, so I won't.

I’m going to make a bold statement:  Avoid selling traditional art in your live auction, unless you are an exclusive art auction.

Traditional art pieces — items like sculptures, paintings, drawings, and mixed media which are produced by a professional artist who makes his or her living from selling artwork – are risky auction items for the standard, non-art benefit auction.

Art is too subjective.  What I like, you don’t.  What fits my home décor, doesn’t match yours.  Art has limited appeal, and the goes against the most general of fundraising auction strategies which is to select auction items with broad appeal.

Are there exceptions?  Of course! 

Your school can sell artwork made by the children.  And an arts organization whose entire focus is on art may have an art-loving and art-buying crowd (although even art auctions can be tweaked).

Despite best intentions, sometimes art is included in the live auction.  Perhaps a respected donor insists that you sell her artwork, or a renegade Board member has a best friend who happens to be a “great” artist.  What do you do then?

Consider these auction tips:

This local artist's painting was the first item to sell outright in the silent auction.

• Well-known local artists will sell better than non-local artists.

An Orville Bulman reproduction had aggressive bidding activity in Palm Beach, FL fundraiser.  A Sara Linda Poly landscape sold immediately at the highest price point available in Arlington, VA.  These local-to-the-area artists enjoyed great sales, but switch these two pieces of art to the other location and watch the bidding suffer.  Your guests will enjoy supporting local talented artists.

• Ask for a piece with an achievable price point for your audience.

An artist might regularly sell his pieces for $10,000, but if your audience is a $2000 top-end crowd, you’re going to have a lot of work ahead of you to get that piece to sell close to value.  Give the artist a price range of what your audience typically spends on various items so he can select something appropriate.

• Never put art in the live auction just because the artist suggests you should.

Artists want to protect their reputation.  They don’t want to sell a piece for less than a given price because they are afraid it will affect the value of their other artwork.  Some make a donation with the stipulation that the item can’t sell unless it reaches a given price.

On the flip side, your charity isn’t concerned about the artist’s reputation.  You merely want the money to support your cause!

If you are offered a piece of art with this stipulation, you might be better off to decline the donation because the piece might never sell.

Earlier this year I worked an auction where the same piece of art has been for sale three times in a silent auction!  No one would buy it for the mandated price.  The print has become a ball-and-chain donation. The event manager is now the responsible agent for the item, moving it from storage to venue each year, and taking responsibility for protecting it from damage.   The audience has seen that same print for three years in a row.  Can we say, “BORRRRing!”

© 2005 – 2010 Red Apple Auctions LLC by Sherry Truhlar

P.S. As great as this information is, it’s old news.

I shared these ideas months ago with readers of my free e-zine, Benefit Auction Ideas.  Subscribe here.

A Beach Ball theme brings out the bright colors.

The official theme was “Beach Ball,” but the overall effect was definitely more on the “beach” and less on the “ball.”

When spring break isn’t quite here and winter has been around for what seems like eternity, everyone is eager to relive some of the summer fun enjoyed so many weeks before.  Sand, sun, and water may still be months away, but it’s nice to have a party that reminds us of the warm sunshine that is coming.

This school did a lovely job of brightening up a fellowship hall to make it festive and fun for guests.  Guests did their part by showing up in colorful beach-themed wear.  (No swimming suits were seen, but lots of flowered shirts.) 

Here are some of the theme elements at this auction which really stood out.

Maybe some of these will trigger ideas for your own event.

1.  The decor started outside

I loved how they found a lifeguard chair and put it outside the school.  I asked one of the auction co-chairs where on earth they’d found a lifeguard chair.  She wasn’t sure, but thought it came from one of the parents.  (It’s amazing what we keep in our garages, isn’t it?!)

The registration team is suited up, and ready for the crowd.

Upon entering through the glass doors, guests saw another display.  This one was of Adirondack chairs with a palm tree.

Carrying a theme through from beginning to end is what makes it special.  The earlier you can introduce the theme, the better.  Imagine the impact that would have been made if guests would have been picked up and escorted to the auction in a 1950 Dodge woodie station wagon .. the kind used by California surfers?  That would have caused a stir!

2.  The Registration Team Wore Costumes

Signage was put onto surfboards.

By the time our guests reached the registration table, they’d seen two decor elements and now — at check-in — they are being greeted by lifeguards.

I like how the uniforms make it easy for guests to identify someone who can help them.  It’s easier to see a red shirt with a lifeguard cross on it than it is to, say, see a namebadge.

3.  Signage had a beach theme

The colorful signage scattered throughout the venue was cut into the shape of surfboards.  This is a simple idea to incorporate into your auction.  All you need to do is decide upon an appropriate shape for your theme.

For more ideas, scroll down this blog post.

(c) 2005-2010 Red Apple Auctions LLC

P.S. Like what you’re seeing?  If so, you’ll love my free e-zine, Benefit Auction Ideas. Subscribe here.

The cabana was used to sell raffle tickets.

Swim up to the bar for drinks.

Colorful tablecloths brightened up the space.

These are easy centerpieces for anyone to make.

This decor piece was the first element guests saw upon entering through the double-doors.