Imagine the scenario ... You've agreed to chair the benefit auction for a charity in your hometown. The ball is rolling and in a few months, guests will all gather to your event. You've got lots of ideas, but might feel overwhelmed. You've heard that many benefit auctioneers are booked months in advance, so you've decided to call a few today to get an idea of their services. Stop. Don't pick up the phone until you're clear about one point. You'll save yourself and the benefit auctioneer a ... Read On >
Administration
Tips for including a modest amount of hotel sleeping rooms into your auction contract
When I worked as an event planner, I read event management magazines to keep abreast of remodeled hotels, unique venues, trends in meetings, and other tidbits. As an auctioneer reading those same publications, I like to keep an eye out for how my clients might use key information to help them in their planning. Among my clientele, hotels are among the most popular of auction venues. But for obvious reasons, hotels prefer to give deals to clients who book sleeping rooms as part of their ... Read On >
Is a fall charity auction date better than spring?
The Chair of a school auction called me a few days ago to get my opinion. Her committee is thinking of moving its fall charity auction date to a new day and season. Traditionally the fundraiser has been held in December, but they're considering an auction date in the spring so as not to compete with their Annual Fund. "What do you think?" she asked. In one respect, it doesn't matter. As long as a committee follows the principles of conducting a successful auction, the gala can ... Read On >
What’s the best day to hold an auction fundraiser?
Most charity auctions are held on Friday and Saturday nights. But is a Saturday night really the best day to hold an auction? Are fundraisers better on weekends? What's the matter with the rest of the week? Nothing. That said, sometimes you can tell what type of an auction the organization is hosting simply by looking at the day of the week they've chosen. Here's my not-entirely-accurate (but pretty close) look at what types of charity auctions fall on any given day of the ... Read On >