Browsing through auction catalogs is a solid way to get fresh ideas for your own gala -- and it's a lot cheaper than flying across the country to attend an event. In this video, I dissect three auction catalogs from different associations. Each gala was held at the annual conference of the association. Members of the association attended the gala and could participate in the auction. You'll hear examples of how each association altered its items to match the budget and interest of ... Read On >
Catalogs & Programs
The case for good auction item descriptions (EG: Far Niente wine)
I like to be prepared for my fundraising auctions, as I know it matters in different ways to the donor, the nonprofit, and the guests. In this video, I share a recent example of how the printed description of a donation (a vertical of Far Niente wine) didn't seem to match the label of the wine. The last thing I wanted to do was screw up the description of the 5-bottle donation. It's pricey, and the donation even included a unicorn 2016 vintage. Furthermore, about 300 C-level people would ... Read On >
2020 fundraising auction trends
In my last blog post, I reflected on some of the more creative auction themes I saw in 2019. Today, let's look ahead and consider a few trends I'm seeing in fundraising auctions. Auction Trend #1: Three popular auction themes In 2020, I expect to see a lot of these types of themes. "The Roaring '20s," "Great Gatsby," and other nods to the 1920's. With a turn of the calendar, we've returned to the '20's -- it's just 100 years later. "20/20 vision," "Hindsight is 20/20," and other ... Read On >
Use your auction catalog to remind guests about group bidding
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 >
Land acknowledgments in fundraising events
Call it coincidence, divine intervention or luck, but I'd bet that you've had a situation whereby you see or hear something, and suddenly it shows up somewhere else. Like when you consider buying a particular type of car, and suddenly that model is all you see on the highway. That serendipity is what led me to write about today's subject. ============================== Thanks to a cancelled flight that left me scrambling to get from one fundraiser to another late last month, I've ... Read On >