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You are here: Home / Entertainment / No budget? This silent auction activity is free and interactive
Jan 17

No budget? This silent auction activity is free and interactive

Sherry Truhlar 7 Comments

At the 2016 Honolulu Marathon trade show, attendees were encouraged to write words of support to runners on a Graffiti Wall.

One of my last auctions of 2016 was in Honolulu, HI.  The fundraiser coincided with two large public events — the 75th anniversary of the Pearl Harbor bombing, and the Honolulu Marathon, which is the 4th largest marathon in the United States.

The marathon was scheduled to be run the day after I left, but a free trade show was taking place at the Hawaii Convention Center down the street from my hotel.

I put on my sneakers and drove over there.  (lol)

One of the displays  at the trade show was a Graffiti Wall.

A Graffiti Wall can be incorporated into your event as a silent auction activity.

A Graffiti Board captured guests responses to “Where were you during the high school football game?”

What *is* a Graffiti Wall?

Attendees were encouraged to post words of encouragement or thoughts about the marathon on the wall.

By the end of the day, the entire wall was filled with well-wishes.

Here’s how I’ve seen this concept used at benefit auctions.

At a Grease-themed fundraiser for a nonprofit in St. Augustine, FL, a similar style of board was set up in the silent auction.  Guests were asked to post an answer to the question, “Where were you during the high school football game?”

It made for an easy, interactive, and free activity.

Unlike the Florida fundraiser, the Honolulu Marathon Graffiti Wall didn’t pose a question; the wall was blank and left for guests to write whatever they wanted.  But in a benefit auction environment, I suggest using a question to engage your guests. 

Depending on the formality of your fundraiser, you might opt for a serious question, such as “What do your children love about XYZ school?”  If that’s not your style, consider a lighthearted query, like the football game example.  Tailor the question to your event and audience.

With planning, the Graffiti Wall could be put on display at your headquarters, another venue, or another event.

If you’ve successfully used a Graffiti Wall, please share the style of event and theme that you had in the comments below.

I know other readers would love to get ideas.

 

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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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Comments

  1. JenniferNall says

    January 18, 2017 at 9:13 PM

    Can you tell me where they bought that size board?

    Reply
    • Sherry Truhlar says

      January 18, 2017 at 9:25 PM

      Hmmm, no I can’t. For all I know, they could have had it already in-house. For fun, I just searched on “oversized chalkboards” and got this http://mirrorlot.com/chalkboard/size_80x48_buy

      Reply
  2. JenniferNall says

    January 18, 2017 at 9:12 PM

    Thank you for your reply. Makes sense.

    Reply
  3. karen says

    January 18, 2017 at 8:34 PM

    this sounds like a great idea … looking forward to hearing how anyone did this!

    Reply
    • Sherry Truhlar says

      January 18, 2017 at 9:09 PM

      We’ll see if anyone posts an “after” comment or photo.

      Reply
  4. JenniferNall says

    January 17, 2017 at 9:12 AM

    I’m confused? Why is this in a silent auction? Are they paying to write on the wall?

    Reply
    • Sherry Truhlar says

      January 18, 2017 at 9:08 PM

      No, guests aren’t paying. It’s an “activity” for guests to enjoy (if they opt to do so). It’s generally offered during the reception, which is typically when the silent auction is open for bidding.

      At the Florida fundraiser, the wall remained up all evening. Guests could have written on it after the dinner and live auction (when dancing began), but most people took time to jot down something during the reception.

      Reply

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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!

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!

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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.

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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”

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