This spring I'm on the road working with three association clients holding fundraising auctions at their annual conference.Two associations are comprised of individual members (one in the insurance industry; the other in disaster recovery). The third client is an association for hospice organizations to join.Conference auctions are a different breed. They certainly aren't similar to school auctions, and they really aren't like standard nonprofit auctions, either.Let's dive deeper ... Read On >
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Finding a big donor – in prison
File this under the topic of "Donations found in the unlikeliest of places."While flying Delta last month, the inflight magazine Delta Sky profiled lifestyle company Beekman 1802.Years prior to starting the company with his partner, one of the two co-owners, Brent Ridge, was a doctor who was working at Mount Sinai School of Medicine.While Martha Stewart was in prison, Ridge wrote her a letter asking her to donate money to his employer, Mount Sinai.She did. The resulting gift of ... Read On >
Is your live auction “average?” (2015 by the numbers)
Two weeks ago while interviewing Lori Jacobwith about storytelling (Awesome call, by the way. Use all of her tips in planning your next Fund a Need), I asked her if there was a "right" number of stories to include in a fundraising event. Lori had a solid answer -- five. She explained what each story should do and who should tell it. (You can get details in our free call.) I commented that I often get a similar question -- "How many items should we sell in our live auction?" or "What's the ... Read On >
The most popular school auction item of 2015: Taylor Swift concert tickets
I’ve reviewed the results of the year. Want to guess the most common school auction item from this past spring season? Tickets to Taylor Swift’s 1989 concert tour. Here’s what we can learn from this.When popular performers stage shows in your city, buying two or four seats to the show can become a popular live auction item. Here in the Washington, D.C. area, the rage was for Taylor. When she announced two July 2015 concerts for the D.C. area, the shows quickly sold out. The advantage ... Read On >
An attractive display for a bad live auction item: Tiffany dishes
My clients procure some excellent live auction items. Each year I whittle down my favorites and list them in my Auction Item Guide™. (Speaking of which, the current guide, What Sold Like a Dream in 2014, will vamoose December 31. Download your free copy before then.) But every so often, I have to sell an item that isn't strong by benefit auction standards.An oriental rug A trip to a luxurious resort in a dangerous country. A set of Oneida dishes. With a dining room table. This ... Read On >