Jan 10

“CliffsNotes” – The most popular benefit auction ideas of 2010

Sherry Truhlar 2 Comments

While 2011 still has that new-year smell, I thought I’d do some quick “by the numbers” work.

As a regular writer (at least one post per week), I was curious to see which of my 2010 missives ranked most popular on the blog. What were the benefit auction ideas that you, the readers, liked?

If you’ve landed on my site and have no time for wasting, dive into these. It’s my CliffsNotes version of the Red Apple Auctions 2010 blog.

Your colleagues in the auction stratosphere found these to be the year’s “must reads.”

Here are the top 10 posts, starting with the most popular, as ranked by your click-through rates.

April 5, 2010: Tips for benefit auctions with Gen x and Gen Y guests
Feb. 23, 2010: Three phone resources every benefit auction chair should be using
Jan. 11, 2010: Part 1 / Using kids to raise cash at the benefit auction (even when they aren’t attending)
Jan. 18, 2010: Part 2 / Using kids to raise cash at the benefit auction (even when they aren’t attending)
March 1, 2010: Part 1 / Re-read your silent auction descriptions to make more money
March 8, 2010: Part 2 / Re-read your silent auction descriptions to make more money
Feb, 11, 2010: Part 1 / Tips for selling art in your benefit auction
Feb, 16, 2010 Part 2 / Tips for selling art in your benefit auction
Feb. 2, 2010: The Beach Ball theme in the dead of winter
May 10, 2010: Using Venetian masks in an auction centerpiece

About Sherry Truhlar

Fundraising auctioneer and education, helping schools and nonprofits plan more profitable benefit auctions. A prolific writer for her own blog and other fundraising sites, she’s been covered in The Beacon-News, Town & Country Magazine, The Washington Post Magazine, Northern Virginia Magazine, Wiley's Special Events Galore!, AUCTIONEER, and other publications.

Comments

Sandy Rees says
January 15, 2011 at 10:56 AM

Sherry, I’ve worked with countless nonprofits over the years, many of whom held auctions of some sort. I’ve never seen anyone who provides the level of information that you do to help nonprofits succeed. Keep up the good work!!

Sandy Rees

Reply
- Sherry Truhlar says
  January 15, 2011 at 11:47 AM
  
  Thanks, Sandy!
  
  It’s always nice to hear that the information resonated with someone.
  
  Reply

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Sherry, oh, Sherry! You were an invaluable asset to this year’s gala. With your assistance we were able to add so many new elements that truly made a difference in taking our event to another level. This year was the most successful yet! Everyone loved you and the amazing energy that you brought to the event. We look forward to having you again in 2018!

Krystal Fenwick

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Thank you so much for the outstanding job you did for us on April 1! I have received so much positive feedback from so many who attended. You even earned Sister Suzan’s (our Vice-Principal) seal of approval! Safe travels to all your many events and thank you for making our biggest fundraiser of the year our best ever!

Diane Albano, Director of Development

St. Joseph Academy Catholic High School (St. Augustine, FL)

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Sherry is flexible and easy to work with. She gives honest feedback and advice throughout the planning and implementation process. Without a doubt, Sherry and Red Apple Auctions has helped take our annual fundraising event to the next level.

Beckie Middendorf, Development Director and Janet Gulla, Development Coordinator

St. Henry District High School (Erlanger, KY)

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Sherry is “on board” from day one of auction planning, works closely with our steering committee and is only just a phone call away. The night of the auction, we toss her the keys and let her drive the event! We are never disappointed!

Charly Ryan, Director of Institutional Advancement

The Academy of the Holy Cross (Kensington, MD)

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I was very fortunate to have Red Apple on board for my first auction. Working with Sherry was invaluable. She provided guidance at every phase of planning, from procurement on forward – and she challenged us to make our event more ambitious and more successful at every stage. Thank you, Sherry!

Pete Goldlust, Director of Development

Oak Hill School (Eugene, OR)

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If your auction needs to upgrade, call any auctioneer you find on Google. But if you want your auction to be impressive, meaningful, and profitable, you need to call Sherry.

Erin Banda

2016 NYUMBANI Board member

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The auction was entertaining .. proactive … the crowd was involved and felt a part of it,” he said, emphasizing, “The entertainment value was huge.

Darrell, a long-time attendee

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We plan on booking Red Apple Auctions much earlier for our next event so we can take advantage of more of the pre-event offerings.

Nicole Carr, Director of Grants and Special Events

The Ivymount School (Rockville, MD)

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Sherry, personally, I can’t even begin to tell you the immense amount of positive feedback that I received having YOU (and Darby) there with is this year! Some of the tidbits: You added EXCITEMENT and ENTERTAINMENT… You added EXPERTISE and FUN… You helped the evening FLOW, in a wonderful and positive direction… You were FUN,… Read The Rest “Anne Livaudais Knudsen, 5th year gala co-chair”

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Aren’t KK and Michael a cute couple? They liked that I “moved the crowd along … kept the crowd engaged but wasn’t obtrusive or invasive. We were able to talk but still keep track of what was going on.”

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You have NO idea of how many people came up to me (I know Julie as well) and said, ‘That auctioneer was incredible … she engaged the crowd, … she got the bidders to bid without being rude/pushing, … I loved observing her, I just watched her, … she did a great job.’ It was… Read The Rest “Staci Meruvia”

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Geri said: “Great job of getting potential donors in the room to step up to the plate and not feel guilty or bad about it. They actually wanted to give more … and that’s not something I’ve seen in many other auctioneers.” The following year, she herself ‘stepped up’ and became one of the gala… Read The Rest “Geri”

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Irene attended one of my New Hampshire auctions and assumed I must be a radio personality — until I started to chant that fast talk. “I’ve been to this event before with a couple of other auctioneers,” she said, “Your ability to get personal with people in a way that isn’t intimidating — men, women,… Read The Rest “Irene”

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Most product & consulting remarks are found on their respective webpages, but I’ve listed two below so you’re assured my products are as spot-on as my auctioneering. Not only was our 2013 auction a blast, but our Washington, D.C. public school raised $67,000 — that’s $25,000 more than last year! The evening went off… Read The Rest “Carolyn Kahn-Hall and Andrea Del Vecchio”

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As a former Fox News Anchorwoman, I am often called on to perform at auctions. So, I know first-hand that auctioneering can be a difficult job. Sherry Truhlar is one of the best in the business. She is skillful at managing an audience and keeping them focused on the task at hand – which is… Read The Rest “Cynthia Steele Vance”

Cynthia Steele Vance

Guest at The Potomac School 2014 auction (McLean, VA)

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