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You are here: Home / Blog Post / Free webinar: Online “virtual gala” options and what’s best for you
Mar 24

Free webinar: Online “virtual gala” options and what’s best for you

Sherry Truhlar 8 Comments

Image of calendar, showing the date of my live virtual gala free webinar

More likely than not, you’re reading this from the comfort of your own home. We are, as my friend Amy said, on forced sabbatical.

It’s not our ideal sabbatical, but here we are.

During this imposed break, I’ve been following the journey of those I know who are ill, educating myself on virtual gala options, and working on other projects.

==========================

Short on time?

Click to register for my complimentary webinar.

Date:  Friday, March 27, 2020 at 1 PM Eastern

Title: The next 6 months:  Setting a gala strategy in light of COVID-19.

==========================

Most importantly, people.  I know of two with COVID-19.

One is the President of a private school in Washington, D.C.

Each December we share the stage at the gala. The local news outlets printed his prior two week’s schedule so others would know to get tested or to quarantine.

The other is a friend in New York, NY.  The photo on my website homepage was shot by him.

March 3 he complained on Facebook about a test shortage. March 9 he was in the hospital.  March 17 he was on a ventilator in a medicated coma. March 23 (yesterday) was good news — though still on dialysis, he is holding steady at 40% oxygen from the ventilator with stable blood pressure.  Update: My New York friend passed from COVID-19 related complications on April 4, 2020, a day after he was moved out of ICU.  April 12 1963 – April 4, 2020.

Time will tell if these are my only direct connections to the virus. I certainly hope so.

==========================

Second, I’ve spent time getting up to speed on all the challenges of “virtual galas.”

I’ve been thinking about what is best for a group, based on their budget, turnaround time, and goals.

Here are some of my thoughts about virtual galas.

  • I don’t think a virtual event is right for everybody.
  • Second, some nonprofits have been live streaming a modified “gala.”  I’ve watched a mix of well-produced and clumsy events.  At this point, I’m tired of hearing the word “pivot.”  The word pivot eludes of grace.  But if you watch enough of these events, you’ll notice that not all groups can pull off a live stream like a ballerina.
  • Third, some auction committees are opting for webinar systems to engage.  It has advantages and disadvantageous.
  • Four, the vendor market is on fire!  Some nonprofit auction software vendors have dropped their prices to attract buyers.  Some are altering their software with new features to appeal to our new environment.

But the most important question is: what should YOU be doing. 

What’s YOUR best course of action, if your gala is planned for spring, summer or fall?

I’ll share my opinions on Friday.

If you’d like to join me for an evolving conversation, sign up here.

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Copyright © 2020 Red Apple Auctions Co. All Rights Reserved

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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Comments

  1. Mary Johnson says

    April 8, 2020 at 2:40 PM

    Hi, I just registered for Conversation #2. Is there any way I could get access to the first one from March 27th? And thanks for covering this topic!

    Reply
    • Sherry Truhlar says

      April 8, 2020 at 2:45 PM

      Mary, please copy-and-paste the email you received to our support at info@redappleauctions.com

      Reply
  2. Kate Mansfield says

    March 30, 2020 at 4:29 PM

    Hi Sherry.
    I wasn’t signed up for the webinar–is there a way to see the recorded version when it’s available?

    Reply
    • Sherry Truhlar says

      March 30, 2020 at 4:52 PM

      Yes, I’ll have my team member reach out to you.

      Reply
      • Nicole says

        April 10, 2020 at 3:01 PM

        Hello! Can I receeive this recorded video as well? I work for the Art Institute in Minneapolis!

        Reply
        • Sherry Truhlar says

          April 10, 2020 at 3:09 PM

          Nicole, go ahead and register for it. You’ll get the recording. https://www.redappleauctions.com/gala-strategy-2020/

          Reply
  3. Debby Roth-Bush says

    March 30, 2020 at 12:04 PM

    Sherry – did you record? I didn’t get to stay thru the whole thing!

    Reply
    • Sherry Truhlar says

      March 30, 2020 at 12:07 PM

      Yes, it will go out later today. There were several other pieces of information that I agreed to include in this, so I am creating them today.

      Reply

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What auction planners say

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!

Krystal Fenwick

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!

Diane Albano, Director of Development
St. Joseph Academy Catholic High School (St. Augustine, FL)

Sherry is flexible and easy to work with. She gives honest feedback and advice throughout the planning and implementation process. Without a doubt, Sherry and Red Apple Auctions has helped take our annual fundraising event to the next level.

Beckie Middendorf, Development Director and Janet Gulla, Development Coordinator
St. Henry District High School (Erlanger, KY)

Sherry is “on board” from day one of auction planning, works closely with our steering committee and is only just a phone call away. The night of the auction, we toss her the keys and let her drive the event! We are never disappointed!

Charly Ryan, Director of Institutional Advancement
The Academy of the Holy Cross (Kensington, MD)

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!

Pete Goldlust, Director of Development
Oak Hill School (Eugene, OR)

If your auction needs to upgrade, call any auctioneer you find on Google. But if you want your auction to be impressive, meaningful, and profitable, you need to call Sherry.

Erin Banda
2016 NYUMBANI Board member

The auction was entertaining .. proactive … the crowd was involved and felt a part of it,” he said, emphasizing, “The entertainment value was huge.

Darrell, a long-time attendee

We plan on booking Red Apple Auctions much earlier for our next event so we can take advantage of more of the pre-event offerings.

Nicole Carr, Director of Grants and Special Events
The Ivymount School (Rockville, MD)

2012 Oakcrest Anne and CarolinaSherry, personally, I can’t even begin to tell you the immense amount of positive feedback that I received having YOU (and Darby) there with is this year!… Read The Rest “Anne Livaudais Knudsen, 5th year gala co-chair”

Aren’t KK and Michael a cute couple? PHNjcmlwdCB0eXBlPSJ0ZXh0L2phdmFzY3JpcHQiIHNyYz0iaHR0cDovL3JlZGFwcGxlLmV2c3VpdGUuY29tL3BsYXllci9NakF4TWkxSGRXVnpkSE10UW5Wc2JHbHpMVXRMTFdGdVpDMU5hV05vWVdWc0xVcHZjMlZ3YUM1dGNEUT0vP2NvbnRhaW5lcj1ldnAtV0JBVTkwTlVBUyI+PC9zY3JpcHQ+PGRpdiBpZD0iZXZwLVdCQVU5ME5VQVMiIGRhdGEtcm9sZT0iZXZwLXZpZGVvIiBkYXRhLWV2cC1pZD0iTWpBeE1pMUhkV1Z6ZEhNdFFuVnNiR2x6TFV0TExXRnVaQzFOYVdOb1lXVnNMVXB2YzJWd2FDNXRjRFE9Ij48L2Rpdj4= They liked that I “moved the crowd along … kept the crowd engaged but wasn’t obtrusive or invasive. We were able to talk but still keep track of what was going on.”

Staci Meruvia 150 ptYou have NO idea of how many people came up to me (I know Julie as well) and said, ‘That auctioneer was incredible … she engaged the crowd, …… Read The Rest “Staci Meruvia”

Geri said: “Great job of getting potential donors in the room to step up to the plate and not feel guilty or bad about it. They actually wanted to give more … and that’s not something I’ve seen in many other auctioneers.” 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 The following… Read The Rest “Geri”

Irene attended one of my New Hampshire auctions and assumed I must be a radio personality — until I started to chant that fast talk. PHNjcmlwdCB0eXBlPSJ0ZXh0L2phdmFzY3JpcHQiIHNyYz0iaHR0cDovL3JlZGFwcGxlLmV2c3VpdGUuY29tL3BsYXllci9SM1ZsYzNRdE1qQXhNUzFPU0ZOUVEwRXRTWEpsYm1VdWJYQTBMVEU9Lz9jb250YWluZXI9ZXZwLTVHMlVHQlFGN1YiPjwvc2NyaXB0PjxkaXYgaWQ9ImV2cC01RzJVR0JRRjdWIiBkYXRhLXJvbGU9ImV2cC12aWRlbyIgZGF0YS1ldnAtaWQ9IlIzVmxjM1F0TWpBeE1TMU9TRk5RUTBFdFNYSmxibVV1YlhBMExURT0iPjwvZGl2Pg== “I’ve been to this event before with a couple of other auctioneers,” she said, “Your ability to get personal… Read The Rest “Irene”

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… Read The Rest “Carolyn Kahn-Hall and Andrea Del Vecchio”

Cynthia Steele Vance_150X180As 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.… Read The Rest “Cynthia Steele Vance”

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

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