I'm always surprised by the number of fundraising auction committees who go to great lengths setting up displays for silent auction items, but then fail to see the importance of setting up a live auction display. I encourage teams to apply their effort towards auction activities that garner the highest returns. Most times, your live auction items will far outsell any silent auction items, so set-up the displays accordingly. Give extra attention to how your live auction items will be ... Read On >
auction item display
Why change an auction venue? (This hospital foundation moves annually.)
My most recent auction was in upstate New York, working with Adirondack Health Foundation. I've worked with this creative development staff for three years, and I'm impressed that they've held their fundraising gala in a new location every year. In today's post I'm going to share a few reasons as to why you might want to consider changing your auction venue. But first I think you'd enjoy seeing a video recap of the hospital's gala, "The Black & White Bow Tie Gala." Here it ... Read On >
Auction item displays benefit from photo books like this
Here's a quick tip on how to improve your auction item displays when you're offering a trip in either the silent or live auction. Use a photo book in your display. "Photo book" is the name I give to books (and I use the term "books" loosely) which feature photos of the inside of the property, outside of the property, and activities to do in the area. Think of it as a handmade version of a traditional coffee table picture book. Sometimes these books are a few pieces of paper stapled ... Read On >
Five best free stock photography sites for live & silent auction displays
Last week I wrote about being busted by the photo police for illegally using a photograph on my website. A portion of that blog was devoted to sharing sites whereby auction planners could secure free stock photography for live and silent auction displays. To make it easier to find the sites, I've re-posted the list below. =============================== Here are my 5 best free stock photography sites for gala auction planners. This is where you can secure legal images to use in your ... Read On >
Busted! Be wary of images used in fundraising auction displays
In the summer of 2015, the nonprofit division of Venable law published "Busted: Nonprofits Will Have to Pay the Photography Piper." The article itself is short and worth reading, but here's the synopsis. For many years, nonprofits have pulled images from the internet and used them in their publications or websites. Until recently, software didn't exist to make it easy for photographers and their agents to track down these copyrighted images. Now the software exists, and nonprofits are ... Read On >