This past Saturday I worked in a new venue in Washington, D.C. that presented some obstacles for any fundraising auctioneer. To mitigate issues on gala night, the client invited the caterer, registration lead, and me to join her onsite a few months ago to give feedback. Some background points: Special access: The impressive venue was offered by a supporter and would have been unattainable under normal circumstances, so the client wanted to use the space. Anniversary celebration: ... Read On >
auction venue
A unique auction venue sets the stage for Olympic-sized entertainment
One of my clients in the Adirondacks booked a new venue at the base of the Lake Placid Olympic Ski Jumping Complex. The complex was built for the 1980 Olympic Games and now serves as a training complex for Nordic ski and freestyle aerial jumping. It wasn't enough to have this impressive facility serve as a backdrop. The Executive Director of the foundation took the extra step of having Olympic-hopefuls demonstrate their talent for the benefit of the gala attendees. During the silent ... Read On >
Growing a public school auction
Here's an example of a public school auction that has made small changes every year to improve. Headwaters Foundation raises money for the rural Rappahannock County, VA public school system, which services fewer than 1000 students. At one time, it was one of the poorest counties in Virginia. It might still be. The county is located about 90 miles west of Washington, D.C. To arrive at the venue, you'll wind around the base of the Blue Ridge Mountains, passing a combination of roadside ... Read On >
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 >
Unique fundraising auction venue: car dealership
Earlier this month I headed to Florida to again work with a Boys & Girls Club whose fundraising auction venue is a local car dealership. Clearly this dealership is a good partner of the nonprofit, greatly inconveniencing itself to transform its space -- sales floor, customer waiting area, service bay and lanes -- into a festive venue to host a sit-down dinner for just under 200 guests. Attendees begin the evening with a reception and silent auction in the service bay and customer ... Read On >