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You are here: Home / Blog Post / Dispersal of auction centerpieces when they are rented *and* donated
Nov 22

Dispersal of auction centerpieces when they are rented *and* donated

Sherry Truhlar Leave a Comment

2016-nyumbani-centerpiece-winter-styleIt is Thanksgiving week in the United States, which means it’s a short week for many.  I can sense the eagerness to get out of the office, so here’s a short, helpful idea to finish out our month.

Centerpieces can be a source of stress for gala chairs.  I’ve been involved in discussions around the size and cost of a centerpiece.  Once I witnessed two gala chairs in a feisty debate about the style of the centerpiece.

A friend of mine tells a hilarious (?) story about how live fish were used as part of the centerpiece at a sit-down dinner gala.  Shortly before the ballroom doors opened to allow guests to enter, staff noticed that many of the fish were floating on the water.  Some had projected themselves from their bowl onto the table and were already drying to death.  An improper water pH had killed the fish.

That’s stress!

 

What about the stress of having centerpieces that are a combination of donated and rented items? 

 

“We don’t want the guests to take the vessel,” my client said, “but it‘s OK if they take the flowers.”

Take the auction centerpiecesHere’s what my client did to solve that.

See the image?  It’s a bit hard to read online, but on tent cards and in the program this notice read as such:

Many thanks to <donor> for enabling the beautiful centerpieces for the ballroom tables.  The vases are on loan to us, so please leave the vases on the table.  You may, however, remove the flowers from the vases and take them home to enjoy when the Gala ends this evening.

When the vessel needs to stay because it’s rented, but you know those flowers should be enjoyed after the gala by guests, communicating your message in this way is quick and effective. 

Sure, you can go to the added work of putting a star on someone’s plate or program to identify them as the lucky winner of the centerpiece, or you can encourage the largest donor of the night to take home the centerpiece.

There are also games you can play to award the centerpiece.  For instance, this past weekend, the student-made centerpieces were sold to the highest bidder at their respective tables, generating a few thousand more dollars for the charity.

But for quick and easy dispersal of flowers while keeping the vessel, this works.

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About Sherry Truhlar

Fundraising auctioneer and educator, helping schools and nonprofits plan more profitable benefit auctions. A prolific writer for her own blog and other fundraising sites, she’s been covered in The Beacon-News, Town & Country Magazine, The Washington Post Magazine, Northern Virginia Magazine, Wiley's Special Events Galore!, AUCTIONEER, and other publications.

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Sherry, oh, Sherry! You were an invaluable asset to this year’s gala. With your assistance we were able to add so many new elements that truly made a difference in taking our event to another level. This year was the most successful yet! Everyone loved you and the amazing energy that you brought to the event. We look forward to having you again in 2018!

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Thank you so much for the outstanding job you did for us on April 1! I have received so much positive feedback from so many who attended. You even earned Sister Suzan’s (our Vice-Principal) seal of approval! Safe travels to all your many events and thank you for making our biggest fundraiser of the year our best ever!

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St. Henry District High School (Erlanger, KY)
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I was very fortunate to have Red Apple on board for my first auction. Working with Sherry was invaluable. She provided guidance at every phase of planning, from procurement on forward – and she challenged us to make our event more ambitious and more successful at every stage. Thank you, Sherry!

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Oak Hill School (Eugene, OR)
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Irene attended one of my New Hampshire auctions and assumed I must be a radio personality — until I started to chant that fast talk. “I’ve been to this event before with a couple of other auctioneers,” she said, “Your ability to get personal with people in a way that isn’t intimidating — men, women,… Read The Rest “Irene”

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Most product & consulting remarks are found on their respective webpages, but I’ve listed two below so you’re assured my products are as spot-on as my auctioneering.   Not only was our 2013 auction a blast, but our Washington, D.C. public school raised $67,000 — that’s $25,000 more than last year! The evening went off… Read The Rest “Carolyn Kahn-Hall and Andrea Del Vecchio”

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As a former Fox News Anchorwoman, I am often called on to perform at auctions. So, I know first-hand that auctioneering can be a difficult job. Sherry Truhlar is one of the best in the business. She is skillful at managing an audience and keeping them focused on the task at hand – which is… Read The Rest “Cynthia Steele Vance”

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Guest at The Potomac School 2014 auction (McLean, VA)
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