Looking for free publicity in any shape and form? Here are a few places online you can list your gala charity auction so roaming eyeballs can find it. Eventful.com Free to post and the site itself is divided into many categories ... fundraisers, performing arts, concerts, and the like. Users can also sign up for alerts so if you like a particular type of event, they'll let you know when it's available. Vivanista.org In 2010 San Francisco-based Vivanista added calendar functionality to ... Read On >
Blog Post
Venues for benefit auctions expands in Blue Bell, PA (Philadelphia) with Normandy Farm Hotel
Occasionally my clients will ask me about interesting places to hold a fundraiser. I just read about one cool place in Blue Bell, PA (25 miles west of Philadelphia in Montgomery County). I've not yet visited the venue, but reading about it made me want to jump in the car and race north on I-95. Normandy Farm Hotel has two ballrooms, though neither sound particularly large. I think it would work for small benefit auctions as an intriguing venue. (If you've held an auction in the space, please ... Read On >
Getting started with a family reunion auction
This (somewhat) lighthearted post was written in 2009 for readers of my e-zine, Benefit Auction Ideas. Subscribe here. Every two years, I am under contract to conduct an auction in a tiny rural Kansas town. It's terribly unorganized - by far, the worst I conduct. The items have values ranging from $3 to ~$55, no items are marketed in advance, and the displays are plain. Most guests bring their donations directly to the event, throwing them on a table for others to see. Frankly, many of the ... Read On >
My gripe with some handheld bidding and online auction platforms
Did you attend my teleclass on Best Practices in Mobile Bidding for your Silent Auction? If so, you already heard one of my issues with some online auction and handheld bidding vendors (a variation is also called mobile bidding or electronic bidding). It comes down to functionality. I'm a fan of a feature called "extended bidding" which -- as I type this -- few vendors seem to offer in online auction or handheld bidding products. What is extended bidding? If a bid is placed on an ... Read On >
Should you print auction item values in your catalog?
Every tax season I seem to hear an ad from a tax preparation company. They confidently state their tax professionals will be able to find deductions overlooked by your previous tax preparer. Sounds familiar, doesn't it? If you’ve ever talked with more than one tax expert, you probably noticed that each one has a different interpretation of what you legally can and cannot do. What is legal in tax law seems to depend on who you talk to and what mood they are in! I share this because as ... Read On >