Over the last two years I renovated my house. I purchased windows and five major appliances as part of the remodel. Nothing was cheap -- the cost of some of these purchases hovered around the price of a car. Shortly after the sales process was complete, I started getting sales calls, asking me to buy extended warranties. All these conversations got me to thinking -- if one of these appliances or the windows start to give me problems, I may have a hard time knowing if the problem was ... Read On >
Fundraising auction
Red Apple Auctions’ blog makes Feedspot’s Top 25 Auction Blogs list
In April during the busiest part of my spring travel season, I received an email from Feedspot. "I would like to personally congratulate you," the email began, "Your blog at Red Apple Auctions has been selected by our panelists as one of the Top 25 Auction Blogs on the web." Woohoo! The Red Apple Auctions blog landed at #15 on the best auction bloggers list. It's nice to be recognized for something that takes some time to produce. When I looked at their list, I noticed that most ... Read On >
Pet peeve of fundraising auctions: Pointing
One of the first lessons I learned at the Missouri Auction School was on the subject of pointing. “When inviting bidders to bid,” the instructor said, “use an open palm. It’s an invitation for the bidder to give you more money.” “Don’t point!” he emphasized, “It’s rude.” A quick way to separate the professional fundraising auctioneers from the amateurs is to watch their fingers. Get the full story in today’s video. To me, pointing is obnoxious. Am I overreacting? If ... Read On >
Eleven options for fundraising auction venues
A client called last week. Her preferred benefit auction venue is booked, and she's on the hunt for a new space that will hold 200-250 guests. "Can you point me in a few directions?" she asked. Here in the Washington, D.C. area I have a list of interesting venues to meet her guest count. But as this blog is read by auction planners from across the globe, I'm going to be more general. Changing your venue is an easy way to give a facelift to your benefit auction and it comes with the ... Read On >