Heads up: This is a personal blog post. Nothing about benefit auctions here. This past summer, Sue Painter, one of my Mastermind friends in Tennessee emailed me via Facebook: "My Sunday paper fell on the floor today and some of the ads fell out," she wrote, "When I leaned over to pick them up, YOU were smiling up at me from a Catherine's insert!" Even though she knew I was a plus-size model, she was excited to suddenly see someone in print whom she recognized. (For those of you just joining ... Read On >
Sherry's Life
A rather large fundraising gala in a small town by an (as of yet) unknown chef
I recently cleared my desk of papers and found this clipping my Mom mailed to me a few months ago. It was a nice event worth sharing. This wasn't an auction, but it was a fundraising gala. Read on... My trip to Kansas this summer coincided with a local fundraiser. It was a well-crafted event and a nice gesture on behalf of the young man who organized it. Adam Hoffines graduated from high school in 2006. He headed to the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY and graduated in ... Read On >
Alpha Phi of San Diego State University’s Red Dress Charity Auction
Even when I'm not working at a charity auction, I find myself around one. This past weekend, I traveled to San Diego's Hyatt Regency to attend a conference which has been on my calendar for months. The hotel is surrounded by Mission Bay, making attendees feel as though we were on our own private tropical island. Our meetings were in one of hotel ballrooms, but the facility also has a permanent tent on the grounds. Tucked inside was a a silent auction. During lunch break, I popped into the ... Read On >
Winning big ticket items comes naturally to auction team member Julie
Earlier this year, auction team member Iris guest posed in my blog. Today, meet Julie. If you’ve ever spoken to Julie at one of our auctions, you know she’s got a wicked sense of humor! What you might not know is that she is a master at winning sweepstakes. Julie regularly wins stuff. Great stuff. I suggested she write about her expertise, as some of you might be intrigued. Maybe Julie is onto an unconventional auction procurement process here. ;) +++++ Does anyone ever win those ... Read On >
Speaking to Rotary Club of Baltimore about benefit auction ideas
On Tuesday, September 29, 2009 I visited the Rotary Club of Baltimore to talk about benefit auction ideas. I've been documenting some of my Rotary talks, which you can read here and here. The Club meets in the beautiful Belvedere Hotel. (A misnomer: The Belvedere Hotel was converted to condominiums in 1991 and is no longer a hotel.) I'm a sucker for old buildings, so this quickly ranked as the most glamorous venue of any Rotary meeting I've attended. Rotarian President Mary Anne had told me ... Read On >