This patriotic canine and his three dog buddies were being pushed in a baby stroller in Miami Beach this past July.

I love dogs and I live in one of the United States’ friendliest dog towns (Alexandria, VA).  There are lots of dog lovers in this part of the world, and I usually sell one or two donated puppies each year as part of a live benefit auction.

Selling a puppy in a live auction makes the event memorable and typically (in D.C.) brings a $2000 to $5000 sale.  Most bidders respond to the animal positively and are eager to pet the little guy while inquiring about its age, vaccinations, breed, etc.  To make the sale a positive experience for human and creature, here are some tips.

1.  Select the right breed

Choose a popular breed; avoid exotics or any breed with negative press. I adore pit bulls and bull terriers, but I don’t suggest selling either in a fund raising auction because of the negative press they’ve received.  Similarly, the odds of selling an “extra-large” dog (e.g. Great Dane or Mastiff) will appeal to fewer auction guests.  Mixed breeds can be successfully sold, especially if it combines two popular breeds (i.e. cockapoo or labradoodle).

2.  The puppy’s temperament should be calm.

If you have an option, select one of the least high-strung puppies of the litter.  As adorable as that puppy is when its squirming in its pen, we don’t want a puppy squirming in a volunteer’s arms during the silent auction.  Calm, quiet dogs show best and will sell better.

3.    Sell the animal early in the live auction.

For the puppy’s sake, have the animal inside the live auction room for a minimum length of time.  Noise can be hard on those little ears!

4.  Sell one animal per charity auction.

Keep it unique by only selling one.

5.  Know that some national groups don’t agree with the sale of live animals at a gala.

The official position of the Humane Society is that animals should be prohibited from being sold at auction.  Animal rights groups have a fear (perhaps valid) that the dog will go into a home where it won’t get good care. Consider ways you can protect the animal to ensure it goes into a great home.  Every creature deserves TLC.

(c) 2009 Red Apple Auctions LLC

Here's a view of a chef's table in a kitchen in Leesburg, VA.

A popular item to sell at benefit auctions is the opportunity to dine at the Chef’s Table in a restaurant.

What is the Chef’s Table?

Not every restaurant has one, but a Chef’s Table is a table situated within the kitchen of the restaurant.

As with real estate, what makes this table unique is the location, the location, the location.

By virtue of where it sits (in the kitchen), the table allows the guests to see how their food is being prepared, observe communication among the kitchen staff, and generally experience the inner workings of a busy restaurant kitchen.

The uniqueness of the experience is what makes this auction item popular at fundraisers.

The Chef's Table awaits guests in this restaurant. During my meal at the restaurant, no one sat at the table.

It’s always nice to go out for a good meal.  But it’s even a more fascinating experience to eat out when you are literally in the middle of the hustle and bustle of a busy kitchen.  It gives you a new dimension.  You are dining in the kitchen, while dining out of the home.

Sometimes a restaurant will book the Chef’s Table when the restaurant is at capacity. Other times the table might be left vacant unless a special customer arrives.

A few years ago while attending a conference in Pittsburgh, PA, my colleagues and I headed down to an Italian restaurant on the South Side.  I have since forgotten the name of the restaurant, but I haven’t forgotten the experience.  The restaurant was very busy, and the only table large enough to accommodate our entire group was the Chef’s Table in the kitchen.  “Would you mind eating there?” the hostess inquired.

We were ecstatic!  We got to enjoy a fabulous meal and have a unique view of the restaurant which no one else did.

When soliciting for donations from restaurants, ask if they have a chef’s table.  If they do, would they mind donating a dinner at that table?  It’s a better donation for you, and doesn’t “cost” the restaurant additional money.

I know there are some restaurants with good food, but you might not want to see the kitchen.  I admit it; I eat at more than one of those places.  In such cases, take the gift certificate … thank them heartily for their contribution … and be on your way.   (And always follow up with a thank-you letter to the auction donor.)

(c) 2009 Red Apple Auctions LLC

Why not incorporate a cocktail element into your own auction fundraiser?

Is there a trendy bartender in your town?  Or maybe a good hangout that everyone heads to on Friday night after work?

At one auction earlier this year, I sold a clever cocktail package.  It was two-hour cocktail instruction for six people hosted by a local Alexandria mix-master who has received a lot of press for his creative work.  It sold for $900 – almost twice it’s value – and drew lots of interest from the crowd. 

This particular bartender had won the regional semi-finals for the Domaine de Canton Bartender of the Year competition in December — beating out nine top New York bartenders.  No doubt about it, he had a strong resume.

But even if you select someone with less credentials, this is a good package.  Most people aren’t regularly making unusual cocktails, so any personable bartender (and what good bartender isn’t personable?) will be able to teach your guests something.

Your bartender could begin by explaining some bar basics, like why the bottles are arranged the way they are in the back bar, or how to easily remember that the grapefruit juice goes into a Sea Breeze versus pineapple juice for Bay Breeze, or why any drink with the word “wall” in it means Galliano is going into the drink.  Maybe three different cocktails are featured, including one that the bartender is “known for.”

The other advantage of asking for this auction donation is that there’s a good chance that if a trendy restaurant won’t donate you a dinner, they might be open to donating a cocktail-only instruction because it would cost them less.

Go ahead — impress your local establishments with your creativity and give it an ask.  Good luck!

(c) 2009 Red Apple Auctions LLC

I love to learn.  I believe that any subject can be interesting — an adventure, really — if you simply have the right teacher.  I’ve undertaken dozens of classes over the years just for the pleasure of learning.  (Auction School was one of those classes.)

Tonight while driving back from a client meeting, I passed a training academy which was so unusual it made me whip my neck around to read the sign again.  Call me crazy, but this could be a unique auction item idea for the live or silent auction.

It’s been months since I’ve driven on Howard Road between I-295 and South Capitol Street.  The last time I took that route, the area had a new elementary school, a sheet metal building, and (what appeared to be) an abandoned junkyard.

Today, the junkyard was gone and the sign on the chain link fence read HEAVY EQUIPMENT TRAINING ACADEMY. Bulldozers, dump trucks and other construction equipment sat behind the fence.

A Google search revealed many of these heavy equipment schools across the country.  Although the individual training courses offered by the academy are several weeks long, I wonder if the academy might be persuaded to donate a 1-hour hands-on lesson (with an instructor) to operate a bulldozer? Or a backhoe?  Or an excavator?

Consider the potential of this idea …

If Tonka dump trucks were your husband’s favorite sandbox toy, you could buy him the real deal experience at your charity auction fundraiser!

He’ll enjoy a one-hour dump truck lesson for his birthday while you support your non profit.  On his big day, send a buddy with him to take (hilarious) photos, and by the time they both return from the adventure, you’ll have his surprise birthday party all set-up.

This sounds like such a riot that it almost makes me wish I had a husband.

Does your young son love to watch the bulldozer operators working along the highway?

Perhaps the academy would donate the opportunity to sit in a real dozer at the academy. Your son would be in 7th heaven.

I’ve heard it said that men are just little boys who never really grow up.  If that’s true, then these big boys toys would be a perfect fit for the man in your life.  I suspect that even adventurous females would bid on this at a fundraising auction. (I know I would.)  I envision this idea as being more of a silent auction item, but it could go into the live auction, too.

BRRRM.  BRRRRM.  BRRRRRRRRRRM.  (My best attempt at writing the sound a bulldozer makes…)

(c) 2009 Red Apple Auctions LLC