ideas

Feb 26

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 >

Jan 11

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 >

Sep 06

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 >

May 11

VIDEO: Do you deliver? Use it to attract more bidders on large benefit auction items

Offering delivery can ensure that those larger benefit auction items will still attract bids from auction guests. In this video, I'll share ideas on how to best offer and advertise it. Watch the video below. ... Read On >

Mar 21

PODCAST: Silent Auctions: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

To do a really super silent auction, there are a lot of details you need to cover. Reviewing all of those would make for a hideously long podcast so I'm going to cover three points about displays. I'm calling it "the good, the bad, and the ugly."Listen to the podcast below. ... Read On >

Sherry, oh, Sherry! You were an invaluable asset to this year’s gala. With your assistance we were able to add so many new elements that truly made a difference in taking our event to another level. This year was the most successful yet! Everyone loved you and the amazing energy that you brought to the event. We look forward to having you again in 2018!

Krystal Fenwick

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Thank you so much for the outstanding job you did for us on April 1! I have received so much positive feedback from so many who attended. You even earned Sister Suzan’s (our Vice-Principal) seal of approval! Safe travels to all your many events and thank you for making our biggest fundraiser of the year our best ever!

Diane Albano, Director of Development

St. Joseph Academy Catholic High School (St. Augustine, FL)

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Sherry is flexible and easy to work with. She gives honest feedback and advice throughout the planning and implementation process. Without a doubt, Sherry and Red Apple Auctions has helped take our annual fundraising event to the next level.

Beckie Middendorf, Development Director and Janet Gulla, Development Coordinator

St. Henry District High School (Erlanger, KY)

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Sherry is “on board” from day one of auction planning, works closely with our steering committee and is only just a phone call away. The night of the auction, we toss her the keys and let her drive the event! We are never disappointed!

Charly Ryan, Director of Institutional Advancement

The Academy of the Holy Cross (Kensington, MD)

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I was very fortunate to have Red Apple on board for my first auction. Working with Sherry was invaluable. She provided guidance at every phase of planning, from procurement on forward – and she challenged us to make our event more ambitious and more successful at every stage. Thank you, Sherry!

Pete Goldlust, Director of Development

Oak Hill School (Eugene, OR)

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If your auction needs to upgrade, call any auctioneer you find on Google. But if you want your auction to be impressive, meaningful, and profitable, you need to call Sherry.

Erin Banda

2016 NYUMBANI Board member

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The auction was entertaining .. proactive … the crowd was involved and felt a part of it,” he said, emphasizing, “The entertainment value was huge.

Darrell, a long-time attendee

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We plan on booking Red Apple Auctions much earlier for our next event so we can take advantage of more of the pre-event offerings.

Nicole Carr, Director of Grants and Special Events

The Ivymount School (Rockville, MD)

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Sherry, personally, I can’t even begin to tell you the immense amount of positive feedback that I received having YOU (and Darby) there with is this year! Some of the tidbits: You added EXCITEMENT and ENTERTAINMENT… You added EXPERTISE and FUN… You helped the evening FLOW, in a wonderful and positive direction… You were FUN,… Read The Rest “Anne Livaudais Knudsen, 5th year gala co-chair”

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Aren’t KK and Michael a cute couple? They liked that I “moved the crowd along … kept the crowd engaged but wasn’t obtrusive or invasive. We were able to talk but still keep track of what was going on.”

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You have NO idea of how many people came up to me (I know Julie as well) and said, ‘That auctioneer was incredible … she engaged the crowd, … she got the bidders to bid without being rude/pushing, … I loved observing her, I just watched her, … she did a great job.’ It was… Read The Rest “Staci Meruvia”

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Geri said: “Great job of getting potential donors in the room to step up to the plate and not feel guilty or bad about it. They actually wanted to give more … and that’s not something I’ve seen in many other auctioneers.” The following year, she herself ‘stepped up’ and became one of the gala… Read The Rest “Geri”

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Irene attended one of my New Hampshire auctions and assumed I must be a radio personality — until I started to chant that fast talk. “I’ve been to this event before with a couple of other auctioneers,” she said, “Your ability to get personal with people in a way that isn’t intimidating — men, women,… Read The Rest “Irene”

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Most product & consulting remarks are found on their respective webpages, but I’ve listed two below so you’re assured my products are as spot-on as my auctioneering. Not only was our 2013 auction a blast, but our Washington, D.C. public school raised $67,000 — that’s $25,000 more than last year! The evening went off… Read The Rest “Carolyn Kahn-Hall and Andrea Del Vecchio”

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As a former Fox News Anchorwoman, I am often called on to perform at auctions. So, I know first-hand that auctioneering can be a difficult job. Sherry Truhlar is one of the best in the business. She is skillful at managing an audience and keeping them focused on the task at hand – which is… Read The Rest “Cynthia Steele Vance”

Cynthia Steele Vance

Guest at The Potomac School 2014 auction (McLean, VA)

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