Living in the Washington, D.C. area, I become accustomed to seeing certain auction items at many of my events. For instance, flags flown over the Capitol and tours of the House or Senate buildings are easy donations from your congressman. But I forget that if you live outside the DMV (DC-Maryland-Virginia metro area), some auction items and ideas are not necessarily as well-known. One such item I saw recently at a school auction was the White House Christmas ornament. The ornaments ... Read On >
Procurement
Did you see it? Auction Item Guide™ released
Did you catch it earlier this year when I released the The Pandemic Years: 2020-2021 Auction Item Guide,™ covering item sales during COVID? Since starting my business in 2005, I’ve released an publication showcasing 100 of the top-selling items from events I’ve worked the prior year. These are the items the crowds most loved, paying over full price for each one. It's curated full of great auction item ideas for your next event. Since launching my Guide, a number of software ... Read On >
Fundraising auction consignment: It’s OK to use more than one company
Though not ideal, one method of getting items to sell at your auction gala is simply to buy them. And one place to buy them is through consignment companies. During last week's Auction Procurement Masterclass, a student asked if it was OK / allowed to have more than one auction consignment company represented at your gala. The answer is “yes,” and I share why you might want to do that in the video. https://youtu.be/rAKxyORBIYo ... Read On >
Are you procuring “experiences” for your benefit auction? Hm…
In recent years, the prevailing advice I seem to catch online is that nonprofits should put more "experiences" into their auction line-up. Fundraising auction procurement angled towards "experiences" will presumably garner the big bucks. To be clear, we're not talking about experiences like a colonoscopy or dental work. It's more like a trip with a wine tasting. Or a hot air balloon ride. But here's my take: I don't believe that telling a committee member to "go get some experiences ... Read On >
Silent auction procurement idea: Buy Nothing
Silent auction procurement is more difficult this year, but I’ve got a tip for you. Your neighbors have items your guests will buy, and they are giving them away. Buy Nothing sites facilitate that generosity. Some of those items are silent auction-worthy. To give you a flavor of the site, here are a few items I saw listed in just the last few days. Watch the video to learn more about this resource. https://youtu.be/1fvn746KjDU ... Read On >