Last week I received an email. A benefit auction volunteer was reaching out. Her charity-of-choice raises money for schools in overseas countries. They have a smaller auction (~120-150 guests) managed in a walk-around food station-styled event. She wrote: We have begun discussions about next spring fundraiser. We have found that the silent auction route has not given us much in return for all the work it takes. We want to keep the live auction, but are looking for an alternative to the ... Read On >
Training / Education
The (free, online) Fundraising Summit is this week! Don’t miss it.
** THIS EVENT IS OVER** ++++++++++++++ Here's a wonderful resource for fundraisers. It's a LOT of free education on a variety of fundraising topics. I know several of these speakers and they are good. My topic is highlighted below. The Summit is a free online event taking place this week. Here's the advertising copy: ++++++++++++++ Join an expected audience of 80,000 of your peers from around the world for five days of insight, instruction and inspiration from 40 of the world’s ... 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 >
Benefit auction workshop in Louisville, KY next month
Today’s question is: What do you do that makes your auction different from every other benefit auction in your city? Is that chirping crickets I hear? If you're stumped by the question, I'm not surprised. We planners get into ruts, doing the same thing all the time. Unless you’re traveling the world attending auction galas, it’s almost impossible to get exposed to fresh concepts. (Let alone the time it takes to learn about properly implementing something, once seen.) This leads me to why ... Read On >
FREE training on auction consignment items! Trends & other ideas you need to know.
UPDATE: This class has passed. To keep abreast of future calls, subscribe to Benefit Auction Ideas. ++++++ Benefit auction consignment: Trends and other ideas you NEED to know Let's say you want a really cool trip for your benefit auction (perhaps to tie into your theme) and you've got zero connections on how to get one. Or maybe your "hot" leads turned up cold. When frustration ensues, many planners turn to using a trip consignor. Join me on Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2014 when I'm ... Read On >