In February I participated in a PTO (Parent Teacher Organization) expo in Chicago. Though I've participated in many trade shows when I worked at GE, I'd never participated in a trade show as part of my own company. I thought I'd give it a shot to see how it would go. The Chicago event is one of the largest PTO expos. Organizers mentioned that 600 or 700 people had registered. I was tucked in amidst a sea of traditional fundraising concepts: candy ... bags ... gift wrap ... etc. No surprise ... Read On >
school auction
How to get auction guests to notice your fabulous benefit auction items
The last time I visited my parents, I did a lot of work outside. But before I could mow, trim, dig, rake, and haul, I needed to remove about 30 orange and yellow flags from the yard. The city had cross-crossed my parents lawn with small flags identifying various cable and utility lines in preparation for some work that had been completed a couple of months earlier. When I asked Dad why he wanted me to store the flags versus just throwing them away, he said, “You never know when they might come ... Read On >
How to sell auction class projects to raise money in a nonprofit auction
Auction class projects, sometimes called art projects, are items that are handcrafted (at least to a degree) by children. Most often these children are students in a school. They've been tasked to create something to sell in the school auction. It's not uncommon for these projects to sell for hundreds, or even thousands, of dollars. ++++ To see over 100 examples of auction class project ideas, available on DVD with bonus materials: Cool Class Projects. ++++ Why do these items sell for so ... Read On >
The 10 most read benefit auction ideas of 2012
If you're just getting started in this wonderful world of nonprofit auctions, consider this blog post a study guide of what you should read *right now* to get up-to-speed. This is my "Best Of" issue. The best of my 2012 blog posts. It's what other auction planners found to be most intriguing on my site, last year. How do I know these posts were the most popular? They had the highest hit rates. (Thanks to Website analytical programs, it's easy for me to track these things.) As a prolific ... Read On >
Auction class projects for holiday school benefit auctions
Some school benefit auctions – especially those schools with younger children – like to sell class projects at their gala. These projects are made by the students with careful supervision by either a committed parent or art teacher. If your gala is held in the November through December time period, talk with the supervising adult now to suggest that any auction class projects take on a holiday angle. Testing out some winter-y inspired items can add a nice mix to your existing items. Here are ... Read On >