Over the last two weeks, you might have seen some of the publicity surrounding the predictions made in the 1985 movie, Back to the Future. In the movie, the lead character Marty McFly travels to the future date of October 21, 2015. I've read articles and seen video clips of late-night television show skits about the predictions made in that movie. Thirty years later, some prophesies came true (or nearly so); others were off the mark. Today's blog post follows this theme. ========== In ... Read On >
Catering
Sustainable benefit auction ideas for plates and utensils
Happy Earth Day! If you like to be gentle with planet Earth, you might be thinking of ways to "green your gala." Adapting your plates and utensils is a good start. These items were for events that forewent a sit-down dinner and instead served heavy hors d'oeuvres. At a Girls Inc. benefit auction gala I worked a few months ago, the menu consisted of thick crab dips, cheeses, finger food, and the like. Showing off the food were these plates and utensils from Earth Friendly Maryland. My take ... Read On >
Charity Auction Trends 2013: gift bags, technology, and trucks
Heads up! I published this article weeks ago in my e-newsletter. Only today am I re-posting it here, on my blog. But not every article from there makes it over here. So, subscribe to Benefit Auction Ideas (it's free) to get great content delivered to your in-box. +++++ Trends in the benefit auction world don't change as often as fashion, so upfront I'll admit that the three I identified in 2012 still hold. (Read Charity Auction Trends 2012 here.) But after working with over 100 onsite and ... Read On >
Salmon or pork turd: Which would you eat?
I'm laughing as I type this. Twice I've gone into a fit of giggles as I imported this photo into the blog. Childish humor, I guess. Those of you seeking some deep, dark benefit auction secrets are about to hear one. Proofread! That's right. Proofread. Have a good writer in your nonprofit or school do a once-over on anything that is meant for the public to read. In this case, the options for the gala meal included salmon (which was delicious) or the pork terderloin. Not a tenderloin, but ... Read On >
Charity Auction Trends 2012: We’re still talking technology and always talking food
I’m predicting three trends for 2012 charity auctions. Two of them involve execution. No, nothing that harsh. I’m talking about the other kind of execution, when we're getting stuff done. We’ve heard a lot in the past couple years about trends in technology, but I think 2012 is the first time we are going to see some of these ideas in action. First – for better or worse - mobile bidding will become more widely adopted in the silent auction. Vendors have been touting electronic bidding ... Read On >