If your silent auction items are similar to many galas, at least one of the items donated will be from a photographer. It's often a free sitting with one 8"X10" print. Although the item is usually displayed nicely and the photographer often has a lovely image of their work available to view, it rarely sells for top dollar. I've been seeking a way to improve this donation and recently read something that offers a fresh twist on this traditional (but tired) silent auction item. Christopher ... Read On >
Unusual fundraising auction venue – Airplane hangars
One of the stories in the August 2009 issue of Small Market Meetings was "Planes, Trains, and Automobiles: Transportation Museums are on a Roll." The article discussed the many types of events held in transportation museums. I haven't conducted a gala in a transportation museum yet, but I have experience conducting auctions in transportation facilities. This article covers a school auction held in an executive airplane hangar. An unusual fundraising auction venue can make a guest do a ... Read On >
Auction centerpiece ideas – LEDs for low-cost glam
Here's a simple way to add glitz to your benefit auction centerpiece... A recent issue of BizBash Magazine Florida featured Uplyte's mini LEDs (light emitting diode) which can be submerged in water and have twice the brightness of traditional LEDs. They have a 12-hour battery life in water, which is plenty of time to drop them into the base of a centerpiece and let them glow through the speakers, dinner, live auction, entertainment, and whatever else you've got planned for the benefit ... Read On >
Venetian masks used as decor for a fundraising auction theme
Venice is a popular fundraising auction theme. The imagery of the city is perhaps most closely associated with its famous canals, followed by its infamous Carnival. But as canals are difficult to recreate in a school gym, most groups opt for the Carnival masks. Venetian masks are festive elements to use, easily portable, and come in a range of price points that fit most any budget. At a school auction, both hand-crafted and purchased masks were used. They were placed on the silent auction ... Read On >
Charity auction themes: Money and Banking
Each year, this nonprofit conducts a fundraiser roast of a well-known local figure. The decor represents the personality and profession of the one to be roasted. In this case, the honoree (i.e. the one to be roasted) was a banker, so the charity auction themes followed a button-up conservative tone, as seen in these visuals. The invitation was sent loose-leaf, but held together by a gift - an engraved money clip. Fitting of a banker, pinstriped dark blue, gray and white were the predominate ... Read On >