Last Saturday I worked for a school that used “Gotham City” as its theme. I saw this idea and immediately thought of all the ways it could be used in other silent auctions. One of the least expensive ways to add entertainment to your silent auction area is to incorporate photography. Photo-related entertainment concepts might include ideas such as ... Flip books The Boothomatic (I received a promotion last week on a new type of booth designed specifically for “Selfies.” The entire ... Read On >
Silent Auctions
Auction Regifting: What to do with gifts you don’t want
You're going to receive some gifts you don't want this season. You'll get some perfectly nice things that aren't perfect for you. What do you do with gifts you don't want? These are nice things. New things. A friend of mine often takes those gifts to Goodwill. Another friend trashes them (which I find a bit heartbreaking). I've got a better idea. As you're involved in a fundraising auction, you have the opportunity to gather these items, package them, and sell them. School ... Read On >
How psychology affects the number of silent auction items needed
My master class in procurement (Big Ticket Procurement Secrets) launched last week. We started the 3-week intensive discussing how psychology can be used to improve your auction revenues. Here is an excerpt from that first class. When considering the auction procurement process and the number of silent auction items needed to hit your goal, it’s impossible to do much without first understanding human behavior. Let's look at both your behavior and your guests’ behavior. The natural behavior ... Read On >
Silent auction item ideas for fourth quarter auctions
In light of my 3-week procurement master course in December (Big Ticket Procurement Secrets), today I wanted to share some silent auction item ideas that work especially well for groups hosting fourth quarter auctions. ================ If your fundraising auction is in October, November, or December, be sure to include holiday-related décor among your silent auction items. This past Saturday I worked in Louisville, KY for a nonprofit that had a large silent auction. The holiday-specific ... Read On >
Signing up for something sinister?
It's not really sinister. This was just advertising a signup party ... a chance for people to "sign up" to participate in an event. Of all the signups I've sold, I recalled something related to Halloween. Voila, this SPOOKFEST party materialized from the ether. Fifteen rising Grade 8 girls were treated to a fun-filled outing. They were picked up directly from school on a "haunted bus" where they were taken to the Cheesecake Factory for an early dinner. Then the bus transported them to a ... Read On >