Call it coincidence, divine intervention or luck, but I'd bet that you've had a situation whereby you see or hear something, and suddenly it shows up somewhere else. For instance, you consider buying a particular type of car, and suddenly that model is all you see on the highway. That serendipity is what led me to write about today's subject. ============================== Thanks to a cancelled flight that left me scrambling to get from one fundraiser to another late last month, I've ... Read On >
Administration
The Seating Meeting: Developing an auction seating chart
"We should talk in the morning," one Auction Chair told me, "I'll be tied up with the seating meeting all afternoon." Ah, the seating meeting. It's one of the most dreaded of auction committee meetings. =============================== What is the seating meeting? It's when the Gala Co-chairs (or a small sub-section of the gala committee) convene to determine the auction seating chart. =============================== Why is a seating meeting important? Where a guest sits ... Read On >
Who needs Fundraising Auction Rules? Everyone.
No bones about it, auction rules should be included somewhere in your catalog. Maybe even at the registration desk. And online. Printed auction rules serve as the governing principles of the auction and can help mitigate problems. (You might also be interested in reading, "What not to do when the auction winner doesn’t pay.") Over the past year I've had two episodes that brought the topic of auction rules to the forefront. At one auction, a woman seated at a sponsored table ... Read On >
![David Shankbone [CC BY 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)], from Wikimedia Commons](https://www.redappleauctions.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/512px-Harvey_Weinstein_2010_Time_100_Shankbone-150x150.jpg)
The OTHER allegations: Harvey Weinstein’s ties to a fundraising auction
In October 2017, the New York Times published a story detailing decades of allegations of sexual harassment against producer Harvey Weinstein. Throughout 2018, Weinstein has been in court fighting charges. This focuses on a less-publicized dealing -- funneling donations through a charity via its fundraising auction gala. AmFAR is the charity, and I feel badly for their leadership. You may also cringe when you read it. It's a story about a wealthy, headstrong donor directing a ... Read On >
Creative event names for your auction gala fundraiser
I love word play. Thoughtful poems and good song lyrics beg for me to memorize them. And when rhymes are tied to rhythm in a rap, remembering lyrics is even easier. But word play isn't just for music. I recall listening to Sam Horn (the speaker, not the baseball player) sharing a story about her book title, "Tongue Fu! How to Deflect, Disarm, and Defuse any Verbal Conflict." What a great name. Kung fu conjures ideas of self-defense, and Sam ingeniously used the same alliteration ... Read On >