I love word play. Thoughtful poems and good song lyrics beg for me to memorize them. And when rhymes are tied to rhythm in a rap, remembering lyrics is even easier.But word play isn't just for music.I recall listening to Sam Horn (the speaker, not the baseball player) sharing a story about her book title, "Tongue Fu! How to Deflect, Disarm, and Defuse any Verbal Conflict."What a great name.Kung fu conjures ideas of self-defense, and Sam ingeniously used the same alliteration ... Read On >
ideas
Raffle Cheat Sheet: A tool that helps volunteers sell more raffle tickets
Last night I worked an event that had about 1,000 guests in attendance. It was a tasting-style event ... the kind that have 50 or 60 restaurant chefs in attendance, each handing out samples of their food and cocktails.As they always do, the nonprofit did an excellent job of recruiting, organizing, and training its volunteers.For instance:All the volunteers were taken on a tour of the hotel so they knew where to direct guests. They could point out the registration and checkout ... Read On >
5 ways to keep your benefit auction’s sex appeal
February is synonymous with Valentine's Day, so this month I've committed to writing every blog post with a tie-in to love, romance, sex and even lust. We've covered auctioneer one-night stands, training your auction volunteers to flirt in the silent auction, and showing the love to your guests. Today, it's about sex appeal. (You know, keeping your benefit auction fresh and attractive.) +++++ Has your gala auction lost its sex appeal? Earlier this month I talked with a long-time auction ... Read On >
The charity auction ideas YOU (Auction Chairs) researched in 2011
Year-end recaps are great ways to get up to speed on the best information that auction chairs were learning last year. And if you’ve been reading my blog for a while, you know I'm a numbers person. I like to measure results and make decisions based on numbers. There’s nothing like seeing the answer in data and going for it. So this week, I'm giving you the most popular blog posts of last year. Consider it your insider’s guide as to what was hot when it comes to charity auction ideas, as ... Read On >
Add pizzazz with these silent auction ideas
Continuing last week’s theme of responding to popular client questions with my blog, I am sharing videos to help with your silent auction. Volunteers at organizations, both large and small, spend a lot of time preparing for this portion of a gala fundraiser. This collection of short videos offer several silent auction ideas to add some pizzazz to this year’s auction. Family Photo Party: The traditional photography donation gets updated into a great silent auction itemNeed some fresh ... Read On >