Christina – missing video. NHSPCA You can’t see it from the video, but Christina Eadie had a broken foot propped up on the chair next to her. It didn’t keep her and her husband Don from attending the NH SPCA auction, though. This was the second year she’s seen me work this group of bidders.
This guest attended a church auction of young professionals; all the guests were between the ages of 18 and 30. She felt drawn into the auction. “You made me want to participate,” she comments.
Why use Sherry?
I make you look good. Nay, brilliant. Prepare for a flood of compliments and expect to get phone calls in the following days with questions like, “Is that auctioneer a new hire?” and “Where did you find that gal?”
Smarts. It seems silly to refer to standardized test scores and GPAs once we’re beyond the age of 30, so instead let’s just say I’ve got a brain. My ability to simplify complex mission information so that even tipsy donors in your crowd has become a has been a major turnoff to finding a husband, but it works out pretty well for me in the business world.
Savvy.
As Louisville’s oldest continuously operating school, Presentation’s students and alumnae belong to a special part of history. No matter when they graduated, Pres Girls who walked and walk these halls share a profound connection to one another and to this iconic institution.
Friendly. Though it’s possible to catch me in a rare bad mood or a “I’ve got way too much to do” moment, mostly people think of me as being happy because — duh — I am.
Sophisticated. After working 7 years as a fashion model (mostly in Europe), I learned a thing or two about appearances and makeup. Correction … I learned a 100 things. I didn’t realize how little i know about this area until I modeled. realize I didn’t know JACK about how I should And now that I’ve got some age on me, I seem to get more respect.
Cheeky. If “cheeky” scares you, look elsewhere.
“We feel like the event drags. Is it us or our auctioneer? Sometimes guests leave mid-auction.”
This could be you, but your auctioneer should be helping control the gala. Red Apple Auctions runs a tight ship in silent auctions and live.”
Kathy was a guest at this hospital gala. She said, “Sometimes these auctions can go on-and-on … you kept it moving.”
Due to his work, this debonair guest attends benefit galas all over the country. He likes the way Red Apple Auctions controls the evening.
Mary was the Auction Co-Chair at this school. She liked the momentum of the evening.
This guest appreciated that we “kept it moving.”
“Our auction is getting stale. The benefit auctioneer is boring. We need energy.”
While I visited with some of her West coast colleagues, Mary walked by. “Heeeey Mary!” they shouted, “Come over here and tell the auctioneer how fun it was!” She walked over, set down her items, and jumped on camera, despite having an early 6 AM flight the next day. Thanks, Mary!
This Girls Inc gala had ~150 guests. Guest Stephanie has attended the auction before and shares her opinion about the night.
Paul sits on the Board of this Hospital Foundation.
This church auction of ~130 guests is comprised entirely of young professionals between the ages of 18 and 30. What did this gal most appreciate? “Your sense of humor actually made people want to bid more…”
Was your last auctioneer embarrassing? Or did he embarrass someone? Neville thinks you’re safe with Sherry.
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.
Craig is the Executive Director of this large non-profit which has an auction of up to 1500 guests. It’s “all hands on board” for this auction; we bring up to 10 people to work the crowd.
Melissa works in the special events / development team of Girls Inc. This gala had ~150 guests attend.
This couple enjoyed the evening and observed, “you were fantastic at getting the money.”
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)
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.
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!”
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.
Fran Becker, Executive Director, pauses after the big event long enough to say a few words about the live auction.
Within days of holding their auction gala, this organization locked in the date with Red Apple Auctions for 2012.
“I know there’s more money in this crowd than what we’ve been getting.”
“The same people always bid in our live auction. We want other guests to get involved, too. We want everyone to be engaged.”
Annie is a community leader and philanthropist who chairs many galas in the Washington, D.C. area. The ballroom is a bit dark in this video, but you can still hear her describe what she believes Sherry brings to the table.
Meagan served as the Gala Co-chair for this performing arts event.
The ladies attending this hospital function thought involvement was a strong suit of the Red Apple Auctions team.
These three guests felt that everyone was engaged … and there was some pressure to donate.
These two guests weren’t a couple, but they were having fun at the auction and the Red Apple Auctions team “made them bid more.”
This woman worked for the non-profit which was hosting the auction. “I sat there watching you, and wanting to buy everything,” she said.
VIDEO
“A Board member wonders how a female auctioneer is different than a male (besides the obvious).”
P.S. A good auctioneer is a good auctioneer, regardless of sex, color, creed, or anything else. We have a team of one female (Sherry) and three male auctioneers. All are trained in our methodologies and perform to exacting standards.
>Kim sits on the Board of this organization which had ~150 guests. She felt Sherry connected with the crowd.
On-camera, she said “you moved the audience.” Off-camera, she said, “You just have really good energy.” I think I like the off-camera comment better. 🙂
Lisa was a guest at this event of ~550 people. What does she like about the auctioneer that she isn’t sure others have? Sherry gets them to “put their heart into the cause.”
“Do you work school auctions?”
Here’s a great team! One ultra-dedicated volunteer (on the left) and two hard-working employees speak on behalf of the Newman Catholic Schools auction, which raises money for several Catholic schools in Wisconsin. It’s a PACKED gala — they squeeze almost 50 live items, 24 raffles, 5 activities, and an enormous silent auction into a standard evening event. In this clip, each gal shares her thoughts on the auction.
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 Altman-Neal, 2008 Auction Co-Chair
Christ Church School (Fort Lauderdale, FL)Note: The following year, the school Auction Chair went with a local auctioneer who didn’t deliver what they needed. They returned to using Red Apple Auctions in 2010.
Lucinda was one of the co-chairs of this school auction which attracted 500+ guests.
Auction guest Kevin observed that everyone got involved in his son’s school auction. It’s a tight-knit community, and he commented that we captured the friendly-feel they share.
Josette at St. Christopher’s auction
“We’ve always had our volunteers help in the silent and live auction in past years. Why would we consider adding a professional floor team to our gala?”
It was the first time this school auction of 500+ guests had witnessed a motivated, well-orchestrated floor crew work an auction. These two were in charge of the silent auction, and they saw the difference.
This businessman from North Carolina has attended lots of auctions, and he was especially impressed with the floor crew. It was a congested auction with lots of guests, and the crew “did not miss or overlook one person out there.”
Mary attended this auction of ~180 guests for the first time. What most impressed her? The Red Apple Auctions staff.
“Our auctioneer is OK, but I’m just wondering who else is out there and what they offer. I’m checking around.”
What does George like about Red Apple Auctions?
We deliver! (And he’s not talking pizza.)
What does she like about Red Apple Auctions?
Our loads of free and paid online training differentiate us from many other benefit auctioneers.
What does he like about Red Apple Auctions?
“She was pushing the silent auction items,” he says.
“A newscaster or a Board member will be our auctioneer. Or maybe a free auctioneer who sells real estate and cars full-time. Will that work?”
This is a voicemail I received from Karen Bontrager, a volunteer for a gala in Virginia. She found my site while searching for information on benefit auctions. Intrigued by the information she found here, and called me up to let me know how much the training was helping her. Getting feedback like this absolutely makes my day!
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Auction Chair Nancy of The Heights school talks with benefit auctioneer Sherry Truhlar about how their school auction had a larger impact than simply the money raised that night.For two years, Nancy served her son’s all-boys Catholic school auction as the Chair. The school had previously used a paid professional auctioneer, but made the switch to using a professional benefit auctioneer. Around 350-400 guests attend.
Nancy was the Auction Chair at this Catholic all-boys school auction. She loved the report.
Nancy was the Auction Chair of this event of ~400 guests. She immediately recognized the value of using the floor team instead of using volunteers.
Skip ahead in this short clip to :48 seconds to get to the meat of the talk. Nancy was the Auction Chair of an all-boys Catholic school auction. Skip ahead to hear what she has to say in the debate between volunteer versus pro.