![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)
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 >
Administration
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 >
Successful Nonprofits Podcast: Flipping Small Fundraising Events on Their Heads for Better Revenue
On June 18, I flew to Fort Lauderdale, FL, picked up my rental car, and headed to the beach hotel where the Planet Philanthropy 2018 conference was being held. If you've not been, the conference is worth noting in your calendar. The well-organized event is the annual statewide conference presented by The Association of Fundraising Professionals Florida. This was the third year I was presenting, but the first year to be there with clients. Two Florida-based development directors had agreed ... Read On >
Do you have to print the value of an auction item?
The rules around listing fair market values Here's a common fundraising auction question: "Is it OK to put the fair market value of an auction item on the receipt, instead of listing it on the bid sheet, auction catalog or display?" Some people believe (mistakenly, in my mind) that guests will pay more for an item if they don't know the value of it. The IRS regulation explains that for a donation above the fair market value to be considered a gift, the winning bidder must be told the ... Read On >
Transforming a mundane auction checkout receipt into a mission-driven missive
There was a problem at one of my spring fundraising auctions. The event was new, designed to take the place of a more traditional fundraising dinner. For many years the dinner reliably drew 400- 500 guests. The hope was that this new event would attract a similarly sized crowd. It didn't. At first the planner dropped the guest count estimate to 300. Five days prior to the auction, the count wasn't yet 100. It didn't climb much higher than that. (Not all events are stellar out ... Read On >