Imagine your school selling one of its class art projects for $50,000! Wonderful, right? Not in one case. It landed in court. In a recent blog post, I shared the Vanity Fair story of Harvey Weinstein and his auction donations at a 2015 gala in France. He's currently being investigated for the questionable financial dealings tied to that AmFAR fundraiser. With today's post, the drama turns from glamorous international galas to a more typical school auction. The controversy took ... Read On >
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VIDEO: LEGO® is trendy, but is it a great silent auction item?
Did you like LEGO®s as a child? If you did, you might think it should be included among those great silent auction items to offer. Wellll, I'm not so sure about that. They are popular right now, but I'm not sure about selling them in your auction. It depends on the form they take. I think selling it 'in the raw' is best, versus gettin' all fancy schmancy with it. Watch the video below to see what I'm talking about. Got any ideas on where to find those custom kits? If so, please post the ... Read On >
How to sell auction class projects to raise money in a nonprofit auction
Auction class projects, sometimes called art projects, are items that are handcrafted (at least to a degree) by children. Most often these children are students in a school. They've been tasked to create something to sell in the school auction. It's not uncommon for these projects to sell for hundreds, or even thousands, of dollars. ++++ To see over 100 examples of auction class project ideas, available on DVD with bonus materials: Cool Class Projects. ++++ Why do these items sell for so ... Read On >
Auction class projects for holiday school benefit auctions
Some school benefit auctions – especially those schools with younger children – like to sell class projects at their gala. These projects are made by the students with careful supervision by either a committed parent or art teacher. If your gala is held in the November through December time period, talk with the supervising adult now to suggest that any auction class projects take on a holiday angle. Testing out some winter-y inspired items can add a nice mix to your existing items. Here are ... Read On >
Fundraising auction tips for selling art – Part 2
(This is part 2 of a two-part post discussing fundraising auction tips for selling art in a gala auction.) Last week I talked about why you should avoid selling traditional art. I gave tips and I'm adding to it this week with three additional ideas. 3. Keep art politically "neutral." In 2009 at a more liberal school auction, I sold a signed print of Frank Shepard Fairey's iconic HOPE poster for $2500. It was so popular, I was able to sell it three times, earning the school $7500. Just 30 ... Read On >