I'm working with a lot of schools right now as this is the height of school auction season. In keeping with the season, here's an idea specifically for you school auction committees. I'm often asked for ideas for items that a committee can procure for "free." By "free," the committee means they won't have to ask a company for a donation. It can also reference the fact that the item itself doesn't have a hard financial value associated to it. Some more common examples of free items are ... Read On >
Procurement
The most popular school auction item of 2015: Taylor Swift concert tickets
I’ve reviewed the results of the year. Want to guess the most common school auction item from this past spring season? Tickets to Taylor Swift’s 1989 concert tour. Here’s what we can learn from this. When popular performers stage shows in your city, buying two or four seats to the show can become a popular live auction item. Here in the Washington, D.C. area, the rage was for Taylor. When she announced two July 2015 concerts for the D.C. area, the shows quickly sold out. The advantage ... Read On >
How a school auction theme attracted a new auction donor
About half the auctions I work have a theme. Auction themes are most often used by school fundraisers, though just last weekend I worked a wine auction for the Amarillo Symphony which adopted a classy 1920's theme. (See my selfie on the right.) Some auction chairs hate themes. I can appreciate their opinion. They don't want to worry about finding the "right" outfit. They want to feel comfortable. They don't want to look silly. But today I want to share a story I heard from an Auction Chair ... Read On >
Auction item donation idea: A season of snow plowing
With winter storm Juno hammering the Northeast right now, I'm left to wonder ... since when did we name snowstorms? We used to say, "The blizzard of 2012." Now storms are humanized for the dramatic effect, making it sound as if the storm -- er, Juno -- is personally attacking us. Good grief! On the plus side, the frightful weather has made it a perfect week to share this auction item donation idea. In 2012, one of my Wisconsin school auctions sold a season of snow plowing. If the weather ... Read On >
In 2 weeks! FREE training: How to ask for auction donations, money, and more
I've got a complementary training coming up that EVERYONE involved in your auction should attend. It's about learning how to ask. Imagine being so confident with the idea of asking for donations that your team was EAGER to pick up the phone, pound the pavement, or chat up strangers at a dinner party. Can you envision how would your auction change? You'd get a lot more quality donations, bigger cash gifts, and nicer sponsorships. That's exciting! Auctions begin with a confident ask. ... Read On >