school auction

May 23

Carnival auction themes from school fundraisers

An elementary school client asked for some game and design ideas. She and her committee are considering a carnival-esque auction theme for their annual fundraiser next year.Imagine red and white stripes. Family entertainment. Festive games. Finger food. "Something to do for everyone," she concluded.Here are video clips I compiled over the last three years, each featuring a different school with a different theme, but yet all three auction themes have the vibe she ... Read On >

Dec 06

Havana Nights auction theme: Tacky or trendy?

Since 2014 when President Obama re-established relations with Cuba, the country has been a popular topic in my client meetings. And with the recent death of Fidel Castro, news about Cuba has been widely covered in the papers and on television.For this post, let's discuss Cuba through the lens of our focus on fundraising auctions.======================== Readers want to know if it's tacky to use Cuba as a theme.Here's a question I was asked last week via Facebook. ("Like" me ... Read On >

Jun 07

[VIDEO] It was a 3-ring circus! This revamped school auction thought of everything

In April I worked a school fundraiser with a circus-theme. It was elegant, not campy. You'll see that via the video below. This is a well-run auction, but as with every event, there are concerns during the planning stage. Part of my time with each client is spent hammering out the details, especially as it relates to the fundraising components of the night. Videos like these don't show the pre-event concerns. Concerns about flow. Concerns about layout. Concerns about sound. Concerns ... Read On >

Mar 29

[VIDEO] Free donations to sell at school auctions, like Spirit Rock

I'm working with a lot of schools right now as this is the height of school auction season. In keeping with the season, here's an idea specifically for you school auction committees. I'm often asked for ideas for items that a committee can procure for "free." By "free," the committee means they won't have to ask a company for a donation. It can also reference the fact that the item itself doesn't have a hard financial value associated to it. Some more common examples of free items are ... Read On >

May 12

How a school auction theme attracted a new auction donor

About half the auctions I work have a theme. Auction themes are most often used by school fundraisers, though just last weekend I worked a wine auction for the Amarillo Symphony which adopted a classy 1920's theme. (See my selfie on the right.) Some auction chairs hate themes. I can appreciate their opinion. They don't want to worry about finding the "right" outfit. They want to feel comfortable. They don't want to look silly. But today I want to share a story I heard from an Auction Chair ... Read On >