These are real fundraising auction donations that have been sold by nonprofits.Vasectomy Vaginal tightening Various cosmetic surgery, cosmetic procedures, and diagnostics (e.g. injections, tummy tucks, impotence evaluation) Fertility treatment (IVF)I'm fairly certain that every donation received made the gala chair wince, followed by a "How am I going to sell this" moment.Though I have sold these types of donations in live auctions, they don't belong there. First, ... Read On >
Procurement
When to use “Submit your best bid” for item donations that can’t be sold at the fundraising auction
Earlier this month I wrote about how nonprofits can sell item donations that arrive after the fundraising auction, or arrive before the event, but have a date restriction preventing the item from being sold at the auction itself. Typically these are donations for a sporting event, concert, or festival.If you run enough auctions, this situation is likely to happen to you.There are a few approaches for converting these donations into of these tickets to the highest bidder.For example, ... Read On >
One of the best auction donations from authors – writing your name in a book
In past posts I've written about the importance of securing the best auction donation from an author. Perhaps the most thorough post was from 2012, "Careful! Donations from book authors could be your next live *or* silent auction item."For instance, signed books are OK, but they are common. We tend to sell a collection of signed books in a silent auction.But if you secure something more juicy, we sell it in the live auction for thousands of dollars more.One of the several examples ... Read On >
New for 2017: Procurement training “Mastering Nonprofit Auction Consignment”
By a long shot, the most popular trip I've sold in benefit auctions over the last ~3 years has been a trip to Cuba.For over 50 years, Cuba was a forbidden country for Americans. We couldn't (legally) travel there.As the rest of the world marched on, time stood still in Cuba -- and that's what auction guests are eager to experience. They are hot for Cuba because it's a step back in time.Magnificent buildings are occupied, but crumbling. Cars considered antiques in the United ... Read On >
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 >