If you're looking to boost benefit auction revenues and your event is late November or December, your acquisitions strategy could include decorated holiday trees. Here are some ideas. 1. At one school auction gala, one of the live auction items was a tree decorated with 100 $1 scratch-off lottery tickets. Not only is the winning bidder buying a lovely tree, but with a hundred scratch-off tickets, the bidder could be taking home a goldmine. 2. At another school auction, the student-decorated ... Read On >
Live Auctions
Where to get charity auction items
Wondering where to get charity auction items? If you’re new to auction fundraisers, you might not realize all of your options. There are three primary ways to secure items. 1. The traditional way is to ask friends, family, and businesses for donated items. This is the most common approach and generally the best because it garners you the greatest returns. The donor might give you a product from their place of business, agree to let you sell a one week stay in their ... Read On >
Explosions can boost bidding at charity auctions
I don't always open my Florida Power & Light Company (FPL) e-newsletter each month. This time, I couldn't click fast enough. The subject line was "Watch the demolition of an old power plant." If you're looking for some unique benefit auction item ideas, that's one! Imagine, the chance to watch -- live -- the destruction of the plant in a nearby (but protected) area. Maybe even the chance to walk around the grounds with FPL execs after the big blow-up. If FPL was a sponsor at any ... Read On >
“Demolishing” the idea of glamorous benefit auction items
I sell my share of New York weekend trips consisting of a show, dinner, and hotel. Who doesn't enjoy a glamorous weekend? But what about those off-the-wall benefit auction items that might be better suited for the stomping grounds of my youth? I think back to the Kansas State Fair, where this next item would have been easier to procure and would have made a big splash with auction guests. The chance to compete in a demolition derby. Last month I read an article in the Orange County Register ... Read On >
Gala auction smackdown – live auctions trump silent auctions
When groups are looking for fundraising ideas, many add a silent auction to an existing event. I've heard of and seen silent auctions at all types of fundraisers and friend-raisers: dinners, fairs, golf outings, networking events, sorority meetings, and church functions. The silent auction is casually added to the mix of activities with the hopes that it will generate some needed funds. And it does. Sort of. Make no mistake, your guests LOVE silent auctions! Many like them because they are ... Read On >