Earlier in September I was in New York for business. New York City has a lot of street hawkers, and this guy was selling purses. He was dressed as Superman. Carried a purse over each arm. Held up a big sign indicating the price. Wore a big smile and "danced a little jig" to music blaring from his portable CD player. While he oversaw the "in your face" marketing, his two buddies sold purses. Is this idea crazy for your benefit auction? Heck no! It's fun! This past spring, one of my ... Read On >
Blog Post
“Funding Edge” covers managing volunteers. (Red Apple has an article!)
If you are searching for content around the theme of volunteers (managing volunteers ... how many to use at your fundraising auction ... where to find them), check out the latest issue of the quarterly newsletter, The Funding Edge, which is published by the auction software company Auctionpay. The fall issue has several articles devoted to the subject of volunteers, and the lead article is written by ... me! My article is "Four Tips to Keeping Your Volunteers Engaged." Dig in, as I'm sure ... Read On >
Auctioneers are Rare; Female Auctioneers are Rarer
I'm behind in my reading, so it was only recently I read the June 2009 AUCTIONEERS magazine and an article called "A Rare Occupation." It talks about how auctioneers are few and far between. Author Robert Doyle did some research on the InfoUSA Website to compare the numbers of full-time auctioneers in the United States to other professions. The statistics were interesting: Auctioneers: 10,034 Funeral Directors: 23,648 Painters: 43,178 Plumbers: 60,767 Real Estate Agents: ... Read On >
Silent auction item idea: photo garage doors
These garage doors are impressive. Someone sent the link to me a couple of weeks ago. I'd recommend putting something like this into an online auction or use it as a silent auction item. Honestly, I'm not sure how likely you are to get a donation -- it's a German-based company. If you're a German international school or have a fluent German speaker amidst your ranks, you might have better luck! The garage photo covers are less than $300 and they have many styles. (Check out their website. ... Read On >
Speaking to Rotary Club of Fairfax about an auction fundraiser
Earlier this week, I had the pleasure of speaking at the Rotary Club of Fairfax. With 93 members, this is one of the largest clubs in northern Virginia, although attendance was a down today due to the timing of my visit. (Note to self: Schedule speaking appointments during the school year to avoid vacation season.) As near as I can tell, Rotary is one of the most under-marketed organizations in the world. They do a tremendous amount of good work globally, but they are so busy eradicating ... Read On >