What happens when someone famous -- either famous in your community or to the wider world -- makes an auction item donation that involves a tour of their home? Do you want that known to the wider world? Could it be dangerous for the donor? Here's how I answered the question. https://youtu.be/hHRm6_xT85s?feature=shared ... Read On >
Other
Your marriage will suffer when chairing a school auction
A few years ago I ran a course called Easy First Auctions. It was designed to help groups launch an auction correctly to avoid volunteer burnout. I shared what really mattered, so Chairs didn't get overwhelmed with it all and never want to run an auction again. I could have honestly promoted it by writing, "Here are the elements your auction should include in the early years, so you don't get a divorce." Auctions put enormous stress on volunteer chairs. Though I've talked about this ... Read On >
How Daymond John’s sales team talked me out of buying his program
Heads up: This isn't a benefit auction post. You can jump to another section of the blog for that. I was just so disappointed in a presentation I attended today (March 2014) that I typed up this post to clear my head and to remind myself of what not to do when I'm giving a speak-to-sell presentation. A couple of months ago, I had lunch with my friend Suzanne. She had recently launched her own business and was commenting that she'd invested in a program from Daymond John Academy. She ... Read On >
Thanks, Dad
A couple of days ago -- at 8:17 PM on 01-04-14, to be exact -- my Dad died. He was surrounded by people he loved and who loved him. My brother, Mom, and I tried to make his transition to spirit peaceful. As he took his final breath, we shared with him our personal sentiments against the backdrop of Johnny Cash singing "Danny Boy" (one of Dad's favorite songs) from my iPhone1. Though I personally believe we are eternal, it's still a heavy loss. "And grieving will take longer than you think," ... Read On >
THE SMURFS Movie versus THE SMERF Market
As a child of the 1980′s, I know the Smurfs. I didn’t watch the cartoon, but the merchandising was so strong that you were bound to run into a Smurf-something. And this Friday, Papa, Brainy, Smurfette, and the rest of the gang return when The Smurfs movie is released. As an educational post on the meetings industry and its tie-in to your auction fundraiser, today’s post teaches about SMERF: the SMERF market. In the meetings industry, SMERF stands for Social, Military, Educational, ... Read On >