School Auctions, Fundraising Auctions, Charity Auctioneer

Appeals / Fund a Need / Raise the Paddle

Pet peeve of fundraising auctions: Pointing

One of the first lessons I learned at the Missouri Auction School was on the subject of pointing.“When inviting bidders to bid,” the instructor said, “use an open palm.  It’s an invitation for the bidder to give you more money.”“Don’t point!” he emphasized, “It’s rude.”A quick way to separate the professional fundraising auctioneers from the amateurs is to watch their fingers.Get the full story in today’s video.To me, pointing is obnoxious.Am I overreacting?If ... Read On >

Skip the silent auction; put your focus on the Fund a Need

Later this month (June 26, 2017) I'll be speaking at Planet Philanthropy, the annual statewide conference presented by the Association of Fundraising Professionals Florida Caucus. My topic will focus on Fund a Needs.As I prepare for that talk, I want to revisit a blog post I wrote for fundraising consultant Lori Jacobwith last year, when she asked me to speak to her Ignite Fundraising Club members in January 2016.Here's my take on why nonprofits – primarily smaller ones – should bypass ... Read On >

[VIDEO] Raising money for Haiti by focusing on the Fund a Need

In May I worked with a dedicated group of fundraisers in Louisiana whose gala raises money to build homes for some of the poorest of the poor in Haiti.  Each new home costs a mere $5000. The emphasis at this gala is on the Fund a Need.  Though there is a live auction, it's only three or so items.  Most of the focus is on the Fund a Need.I thought this group went above and beyond by building a shack onsite.  It visually demonstrated to guests what many Haitian families use as a home. You'll see ... Read On >

VIDEO: Your Fund a Need auction advocate

If you're interested in running a Fund a Need auction, today (June 23) at 3 PM Eastern time, I'm offering a live webinar called Fabulous Fund a Needs. (Buy the DVD here and you'll be registered for the webinar today).  I've written before about them. A growing portion of my business is devoted to doing nothing but the delivery of these speeches. And that's the sub-section I'm writing about today ... the trend of skipping a live and silent auction and just offering a Fund a Need. Each year I am ... Read On >

The raging debate on auction bid numbers versus names

Let me preface this subject with two quick stories. Story #1 While flying back from Eugene, OR, after last weekend's auction, I had lots of time to watch some movies, including Life Itself.  The movie is a documentary about Roger Ebert, the Chicago Sun-Times' film critic who recently died of cancer. Ebert shared an amusing story about the challenge of being a movie critic. At work, he sat next to a gentleman who reviewed other arts. Co-workers would come up to his colleague and ask, "What did ... Read On >