Are you overwhelmed with a life transition? Are you undergoing your own personal transformation? I’ve done a lot of that in my own life. Though I’m hardly an expert in the subject, I have learned that it requires a lot of internal fortitude, self-confidence, and a darn near total disregard for what anyone else thinks or says about you. None of that is easy. That's why I think it's fabulous that Joyce Buford, a life coach in Tyler, TX, has a weekly live radio show focused on this ... Read On >
Benefit Auctions Blog
Fake charity auction memorabilia raises problems
How would you handle this sad situation? Visualize your gala. You’ve worked hard to acquire items, and your guests are milling through a large auction. Some of the items are the local sorts of donations one often sees at events in your area. Other items are more glamorous because you’ve worked with a memorabilia company to bring in “big ticket” items. Guests are ogling and bidding on the merchandise, buying signed guitars from their favorite bands and snapping up memorabilia signed by ... Read On >
Easy tip to help activate sponsorship benefits: Show and Tell
A couple of weeks ago I shared some ideas for golf tournament goodie bags. This related idea for sponsorship benefits is worth mentioning: Even if your tournament tends to have more male participants than female, don't discount goodie bag items that target women. I've found many players like taking something home to share with their significant other. But to make this work for you and your sponsor / donors, please include a little "show and tell" to properly market it This can go a long way ... Read On >
Ban catchy titles in your silent auction displays
Years ago, when I was new to D.C. and searching for a job, my friend (a human resources professional) and I hysterically laughed as we took turns verbally reading job descriptions in The Washington Post. We'd substitute the language of the job posting with what we believed was the true intention of the post. In other words, we did this: Job description language What that really means Seeking dedicated employee = expect to stay many late nights Creative work ... Read On >
Benefit auction workshop in Louisville, KY next month
Today’s question is: What do you do that makes your auction different from every other benefit auction in your city? Is that chirping crickets I hear? If you're stumped by the question, I'm not surprised. We planners get into ruts, doing the same thing all the time. Unless you’re traveling the world attending auction galas, it’s almost impossible to get exposed to fresh concepts. (Let alone the time it takes to learn about properly implementing something, once seen.) This leads me to why ... Read On >