• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to secondary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • About
    • About RAA
    • Meet Sherry Truhlar
    • What makes us unique
    • Reviews/Clients
    • Press
    • Licensing
  • Contact
  • Client Login

Fundraising gala auctioneer Sherry Truhlar

  • Services
    • Onsite Auction Services
    • Virtual Auction Services
    • Fund a Need Experts
    • Consulting
    • Onsite workshops
  • Products
    • $10 Trainings
    • On Demand Webinars
    • Books
  • Speaking
    • Why Sherry
    • Keynote and Other Topics
    • FAQs
  • Blog
  • Free Resources
    • Webinar: COVID-19
    • Virtual Gala Cheat Sheet
    • Newsletter
    • Auction Item Guide™
    • Recording: Porch Parties
    • Benefit Auction Case Study
    • Blog
  • Store
You are here: Home / Blog Post / Party with a Purpose: A stellar birthday bash
Jun 21

Party with a Purpose: A stellar birthday bash

Sherry Truhlar 4 Comments

Party with a purpose - Quarter of a Century

I recently posted an article on how to involve Millennials in your benefit auction. (It’s almost prerequisite reading for this post.) Today you get to see a Millennial in work, and — further bonus! – how it ties into a recent LinkedIn conversation I’ve been following.

Aaron is my virtual intern. After I spoke at a George Washington University event management function, he came up to me and said, “Don’t forget me. I’m going to be contacting you!”

And he did.

He’s been helping with some of my company’s social media outreach, videos, and one-off projects. He’s merging his event planning skills with fashion.

Perhaps it’s no surprise that given his interests and age, his 25th “Quarter of a Century” birthday is a huge bash to raise money for The Scleroderma Foundation.

benefit auctioneer Virginia Sherry Truhlar

Sherry Truhlar and intern Aaron

Look at what some of this 24-year-old has done in preparation:

  • Secured the venue
  • Bought insurance
  • Reached out to many sponsors to cover food, drinks, hotel rooms, gifts, and more
  • Designed a Website and tied the back-end to Paypal for processing
  • Coordinated accommodations for his New York designer (whom he works with during New York Fashion Week)
  • Oversaw marketing, signage, A/V, etc.

Given Aaron’s professional approach, you might be stuck for an answer on this next bit.

Recently a LinkedIn discussion launched by Michelle Bourassa, CFO of Lots of Fund in the Detroit area, asked members to give their thoughts on unsolicited fundraising events. She wrote:

Interesting article in this week’s Crain’s Detroit Business by Sherri Welch. It’s all about young professionals who have started sponsoring charitable events designed to attract younger donors. They’ve used Facebook and branded this type of fund raising as “Party with a Purpose.” While the events sited in the article have been successful, most are unsolicited.

The article quotes Gary Dembs, President of the Detroit Chapter, Association of Fundraising Professionals, who states “But from a professional standpoint, there is risk in third-party use of a brand name and how their mission is being portrayed.”

Dembs suggests that nonprofits can head off problems by making sure that they have third-party event guidelines in place about the use of their brands and by having staff at these events. It is also suggested that event organizers contact charities in advance to ensure that the event they are planning doesn’t hurt the charities it’s meant to help

One of the event organizers, Josephine Nicholas, is quote in the article as saying “Once you affiliate with a charity, you’re required to go with their unspoken rules. We’re not comfortable with that. We want to fundraise our own way.”

Michelle asked: Should charities become more flexible to allow these types of events in order to attract younger donors?

Opinions are split 50/50.

In Aarons’ case, he called The Scleroderma Foundation, explained what he wanted to do and why, and they lended him the use of the logo. The charity didn’t have any third-party fundraising guidelines, so Aaron had free reign.

He’s running this in a top-notch way so the charity should be nothing but excited. But I could imagine that in some cases, a fundraiser could go wrong.

Really wrong.

Someone might drink too much alcohol and end up dead. Or a less scrupulous organizer might neglect to tell attendees that “$0.01 of every $1.00 spent tonight is going to Charity XYZ (and the rest stays in my pocket).”

In such a case, the image of the charity could be tarnished in the process, even though the charity had nothing to do with the function — other than their name being used.

I know that if my company logo was being broadcast, I’d want to have some confidence in how it was being used.

I do not advocate charities drawing up a document filled with 20-page legalese, but it might be useful to provide a 1-pager of broad guidelines with helpful hints.  Something like,

  • “Sometimes venues require liability insurance. You might check into that because we won’t pay your bail bond.”
  • “We really like the colors and shape of our logo. Though tempting, please don’t change it to work better with your event theme.”
  • “Alcohol has an odd effect on people. If you’re serving it, follow local ordinances to avoid trouble.”

What do you think?  Leave your comment below.

Share on Facebook Share
Share on TwitterTweet
Share on Pinterest Share
Share on LinkedIn Share
Send email Mail
Copyright © 2010 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.

Reader Interactions

Do guests wear costumes to your auction? Here’s a coupon.
Event sponsorship can grow, if you look in these places

Comments

  1. Sherry says

    June 30, 2010 at 11:41 AM

    Thanks for the comment, Clair. I’ve got several posts on the blog that might help you get some ideas cooking:

    https://www.redappleauctions.com/volunteers/how-to-turn-millennials-young-professionals-into-cutting-edge-auction-volunteers/

    https://www.redappleauctions.com/audience-development/encouraging-youth-to-attend-your-gala/

    https://www.redappleauctions.com/audience-development/what-to-do-when-your-fundraising-auction-guests-are-gen-x-or-gen-y/

    Good luck!

    Reply
  2. Claire says

    June 30, 2010 at 10:44 AM

    We have a cause that is not all that appealing to young people – caring for the elderly. To make a broad generalization: they think old people are, at best, boring. Baby boomers and older “get it” because they’re dealing with their own aging parents. Any thoughts for engaging younger people?

    Reply
  3. Kelly Tirman says

    June 24, 2010 at 11:18 AM

    I think it is important to partner with the charity that you want to support. Overall it is better for the cause in the long run.

    I am presently doing a fundraiser for an organization called “Faces of Tomorrow”. When I contacted them they were so excited – they posted about the fundraiser on their website and even did an email drop to help support my efforts!

    Reply
    • Sherry Truhlar says

      June 24, 2010 at 2:51 PM

      I like that you use the term “partner”, Kelly. I think approaching the event as a partnership between the organization and volunteer will always result in a win-win.

      Best of luck to you on your fundraiser with “Faces of Tomorrow”.

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Connect with Me Here

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)

home | auctioneering | consulting | free item guide | about

 

Red Apple Auctions Co., PO Box 6066, Arlington, VA 22206
Toll free: 888-474-0838 | Email: Info@RedAppleAuctions.com | Copyright © 2005 - 2021

 

Sherry Truhlar • Charity Auctions • School Auctions • Fundraising Auctions • Auction Galas • Benefit Auctions

 

Terms of Use · Privacy Statement