A prospective client called me a few days ago. "We conduct a silent auction, a live auction, and a reverse auction," she said. A reverse auction? That was a new one for me. Perhaps more than any other activity during an auction fundraiser, cash appeals are called a variety of names. Let's describe it so we all understand what it is: A cash appeal is a direct request of the audience, asking them to make a cash donation to fund the organization. Similar to a street busker passing a hat ... Read On >
Blog Post
How to write your silent auction descriptions to make more money – Part 2
This is Part 2 of a 2-part series examining how missing information on silent auction descriptions costs you donations. Read Part 1 here. My floor team are outstanding sales support in any auction. They find an item and work it until it has bids or they've sold it outright to a guest. But if a silent auction description is lacking key information, my sales reps must leave their post to find someone in the marketing department who knows about this item and can provide the missing ... Read On >
Woolly Mammoth Theatre as an auction venue
In a search for some new Washington DC auction venues, last TuesdayI headed into the District to check out the open house offered by Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company. I've been to Woolly Mammoth before, but under different pretenses. As recently as six months ago I was in that same space, but I was attending as a patron of the arts. I hadn't paid attention to critiquing the space as a potential venue for an auction because - like any good theater-lover - I was focused on the production itself ... Read On >
How to write your silent auction descriptions to make more money – Part 1
This is Part 1 of a 2-part blog on writing silent auction descriptions. Part 2 is here. =================== If you're wondering why some items in your silent auction just aren't getting the bidding activity you expected, re-read your silent auction descriptions. In almost every silent auction my company attends, we spend some time researching items to find out details. Critical information is often missing. Until that information is known to the guests, they won't bid. Here are ... Read On >
She’s got a feeling (and it came from the school auction)
This past week I learned that one of my clients is a fellow blogger. A witty blogger. And she's letting me re-post one of her clever posts here. But first, here's the back story. In 2008, I worked with Christ Church School in Fort Lauderdale, FL. For the first time, they broke the 6-figure mark in their auction returns. After that gala, Shayna Altman-Neal, the Auction Co-Chair, wrote: Our event was awesome! We feel the night was incredible. We surpassed our goals, and set a new ... Read On >