Once or twice a year I open up my shopping cart for sales of a product I call the Catalog Carnival. The Carnival is a collection of catalogs and programs whereby I have pointed out the clever ideas worthwhile to model. What good ideas come from auction catalogs? The image on this page shows a modest example, though the photo quality is poor. Here's what I was sharing. A bold reminder was printed at the top of the live auction page. Remember: Costs can be split among multiple bid ... Read On >
Blog Post
Who should you believe — the benefit auctioneer, the auction software company, the consignor?
Have you seen memes like this? There are many variations referencing different professions. It reminded me of a conversation I had with a medical doctor at a fundraiser this summer. I was working on behalf of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. The doctor and I were talking about changes in her job. Patient consultations are different than just a few years ago. To paraphrase, she said: "People are more informed, but on the flip side, some think that spending a few hours in front ... Read On >
The rise and fall of YP (young professional) post-parties at galas
Between five and ten years ago, I started hearing chatter about involving young professionals (YP) at the fundraising gala. "We need to get the younger generation involved," was the general vibe. In practice, this often evolved to selling a lower priced ticket to the gala. If a regular gala ticket was $150, the YP price might be $30. If the standard ticket was $500, the YP price might be $125. This reduced price ticket allowed YPs to join full-priced guests and sponsored tables for ... Read On >
Whose fault is it when the fundraising auction fails?
Over the last two years I renovated my house. I purchased windows and five major appliances as part of the remodel. Nothing was cheap -- the cost of some of these purchases hovered around the price of a car. Shortly after the sales process was complete, I started getting sales calls, asking me to buy extended warranties. All these conversations got me to thinking -- if one of these appliances or the windows start to give me problems, I may have a hard time knowing if the problem was ... Read On >
The importance of subtitles for Fund a Need videos
I want to talk about the importance of having subtitles on your Fund a Need video. Subtitles aren't just useful for foreign audiences or those hard of hearing. Here's what happened last week and why I'm sharing. One of my clients runs a Foundation providing money for disaster relief. When a disaster hits some part of the world, the Foundation sends money to a local partner -- an on-the-ground nonprofit that funnels the money directly to those affected. The size of the disaster is ... Read On >