The holidays are here! As you mingle and jingle through the rest of December, keep this tip for auction procurement in mind. Listen to the chatter. Here's the deal. There's not much auction committee work getting done between now and January 1. Instead, it's a season for socializing. Companies host holiday parties. Friends host open houses. Families reconvene at homesteads. As your co-workers, friends, and relatives swap stories about what they've been doing, pay ... Read On >
Procurement
4 ideas for handling auction donations that show up AT the event
Your auction catalog is printed. All items have attractive displays. Guests are arriving shortly. Lo and behold, a Board member/volunteer/parent arrives at registration with a last-minute donation. They'd been meaning to get this to you, but just didn't. What should you do? First, turn away as you roll your eyes. Second, consider these ideas. 1. Add the item to the live auction Here's a recent example from this past weekend. Upon arriving at the venue on Saturday night, I ... Read On >
Selling better sex and other awkward fundraising auction donations
These are real fundraising auction donations that have been sold by nonprofits. Vasectomy Vaginal tightening Various cosmetic surgery, cosmetic procedures, and diagnostics (e.g. injections, tummy tucks, impotence evaluation) Fertility treatment (IVF) I'm fairly certain that every donation received made the gala chair wince, followed by a "How am I going to sell this" moment. Though I have sold these types of donations in live auctions, they don't belong there. First, ... Read On >
Tips for associations running annual conference auctions
This spring I'm on the road working with three association clients holding fundraising auctions at their annual conference. Two associations are comprised of individual members (one in the insurance industry; the other in disaster recovery). The third client is an association for hospice organizations to join. Conference auctions are a different breed. They certainly aren't similar to school auctions, and they really aren't like standard nonprofit auctions, either. Let's dive deeper ... Read On >
One of the best auction donations from authors – writing your name in a book
In past posts I've written about the importance of securing the best auction donation from an author. Perhaps the most thorough post was from 2012, "Careful! Donations from book authors could be your next live *or* silent auction item." For instance, signed books are OK, but they are common. We tend to sell a collection of signed books in a silent auction. But if you secure something more juicy, we sell it in the live auction for thousands of dollars more. One of the several examples ... Read On >