Fundraising gala auctioneer Sherry Truhlar

Audio Visual / Powerpoint

A fundraising auctioneer’s biggest worry: Good sound.

This past Saturday I worked in a new venue in Washington, D.C. that presented some obstacles for any fundraising auctioneer. To mitigate issues on gala night, the client invited the caterer, registration lead, and me to join her onsite a few months ago to give feedback. Some background points: Special access:  The impressive venue was offered by a supporter and would have been unattainable under normal circumstances, so the client wanted to use the space. Anniversary celebration: ... Read On >

Best ballroom layout for an auction with dance floor

Many nonprofits end their benefit auctions with dancing from either a DJ or a live band. Traditionally there are two standard layouts for this type of event, and both are poor. The dance floor becomes the area from which the auctioneer works. The auctioneer is on a stage and a huge dance floor (a feature which isn't used but for the last 90 minutes of the event!) is positioned in a top location, directly in front of the stage. Neither of these options works because neither set-up ... Read On >

How to control your loud school auction crowd

Is your school auction crowd obnoxiously loud? Though any auction crowd has the potential for being deafening, the loudest auctions tend to be Catholic schools.  The parents know each other so quickly find their friends to chat.  And let's be honest -- Catholics aren't timid about drinking alcohol, and that has a tendency to increase anyone's personal volume when consumed in excess. This past spring I had a new Catholic school group who prepared me for the worst.  "Our crowd is loud," they ... Read On >

[Video] Model this sound system for a silent auction

One of the most difficult venues to hold an auction is in a gym.  Though the venue often offers adequate space, it is a difficult place to control audio. By design, gyms are noisy venues.  No one wants to sit through a quiet basketball game, so gyms are designed to deflect the slightest utterance.  The shape of the building and the hard surfaces reverberate the sound, bouncing it around the room to make the noise louder and less clear. This presents a problem for fundraising auctions. We ... Read On >