If you're seeking benefit auction ideas, this is a no-brainer event to attend. For those of you living in the Nashville area, I invite you to meet me at Maggiano's on Thursday, September 13. It's like a country-western fairy tale for me ... I'm becoming a Nashville benefit auctioneer for one day. :) I'm coming to share information on planning profitable auctions. Click here to reserve today. (I've seen photos of the room and SPACE IS LIMITED.) I'm presenting in conjunction with ... Read On >
Benefit Auctions Blog
Setting Seth Godin straight on the subject of charity auctions
I stumbled across a May 2008 post from Seth Godin called Marketing the Charity Auction. (It's short. You might want to read it first.) In the article, Godin writes that an auction fundraiser "never leads to a wildly successful auction, because the story that's told is too small." He suggests that the nature of an auction is the lure of a deal. Charities play upon this, selling the public on bargains instead of selling philanthropy. In turn, the guests become shoppers looking for a way to snag ... Read On >
School benefit auction catalog need some bling? Try a ring.
Here's a change for your charity auction catalog: Forego the traditional binding and opt for a ring. One of my client's - a school benefit auction committee - tried an experiment with its catalog. Instead of opting for the common binding, which is often staples or a plastic spiral binder, the committee decided to use a ring. The thinking was that the catalog would be easier to carry. A guest could loop the ring around his finger and still hold a beverage of choice while milling through ... Read On >
Sherry takes 1st runner up in Virginia State Champion Auctioneer contest
It's been three years since I last competed in the Virginia Auctioneers Association (VAA) State Champion Auctioneer contest. In 2009 I took 3rd place (2nd runner-up, as they say). You can see photos from that event here. Since then, I'd not entered the contest. In part, I've been busy growing my business. But another reason was that I hated the heat. The facility -- though very nice and the owner always arranged for this awesome BBQ -- wasn't air conditioned. There I'd be, in a light wool ... Read On >
Salmon or pork turd: Which would you eat?
I'm laughing as I type this. Twice I've gone into a fit of giggles as I imported this photo into the blog. Childish humor, I guess. Those of you seeking some deep, dark benefit auction secrets are about to hear one. Proofread! That's right. Proofread. Have a good writer in your nonprofit or school do a once-over on anything that is meant for the public to read. In this case, the options for the gala meal included salmon (which was delicious) or the pork terderloin. Not a tenderloin, but ... Read On >