Last week wrapped up the final two virtual galas I worked in 2020, finishing up a total of 33 virtual events for the year. Many more virtual galas are already on the calendar for spring 2021. One question from new clients has been about themes. "What are people doing for themes? Are they doing anything special?" Over the last few months, 73% of the committees I worked with kept the same theme they'd intended to use for their 2020 in-person event. The remaining others adopted new ... Read On >
Theme
Mardi Gras school auction: One idea to recruit a new auction committee
Today is Mardi Gras, so it's the perfect time to tell this story. In one fell swoop, some long-time Gala Co-chairs "recruited" a new auction committee *and* announced they'd no longer be overseeing the school auction. ============================= If you've chaired an auction, you know it's demanding work. Though rewarding, interesting, and even fun, it is also time-consuming. Furthermore, some find that if they are good at the job, it's hard to get out of the role. No one ... Read On >
The 9 best auction themes from 2019
In the process of pulling together content for my new Auction Item Guide, I was reminded of the many themes my clients used over the past year. Here are the auction themes I thought most creative. The Eye Ball: See and Be Seen - The event raises money for eye research and corneal transplant, so the theme is directly tied to the mission of the nonprofit. I wrote about this event first in 2018 when the organization used a different, but equally clever, sub-theme. An Evening in CASAblanca - ... Read On >
School auction theme: Green for St. Patrick’s Day
I came across a few never-posted photos and videos featuring a few school auction themes. I was the fundraising auctioneer at an event that seems perfect to highlight this week, in anticipation of St. Patrick's Day this weekend. The Green Gate Gala is so named because of a green gate found on the Catholic school's campus. The school color is green. The event is held around St. Patrick's Day and boosts the Irish vibe with Irish dancers, shamrocks, and similar thematic elements. ... Read On >
Using the auction bid paddle as a sponsorship opportunity
Some nonprofits will print a guest's bid number on both sides of an auction bid paddle. The benefit of this approach is that regardless of which side of the paddle is shown to the auctioneer, the bid number is viewed. Another idea is to sell the space on the back of the bid paddle. The back of the bid paddle can be combined with other benefits and offered to a single sponsor at a high commitment level, or it can be sold as a standalone benefit to a company underwriting a specific ... Read On >