A couple of years ago I was on a Webinar advocating year-round auction procurement. The best gala chairs I know always have their "ear to the ground" when it comes to getting items for their auction. Here's a recent example. Last week I was in Pennsylvania meeting with a few clients. Over dinner with one group, the two co-chairs and I talked about their upcoming auction and specifically, their items. They felt they needed just a couple more items for their live auction to feel finished. As we ... Read On >
Careful! Donations from book authors could be your next live *or* silent auction item
Last week I held a free teleclass teaching you how to procure items for your benefit auction without leaving your home. This week, I'm sharing one of the ideas presented. +++++ [CLASS NO LONGER AVAILABLE.] Interested in hearing all 7 secrets for procuring great items? For a limited time, enjoy a recording of the call. +++++ From 2009 through 2011 I sold several author-related items at my client's fundraising auctions: 4 auctions sold dinners with well-known authors 3 ... Read On >
She got so frustrated with item procurement…
An auction chair recently email me. She wasn't happy. She'd downloaded my free Auction Item Guide, taken a peek at the auction items, and was stunned at what other charities had procured. "How do people even get these things?" she implored. I could sense all this exasperation in her email. +++++ In a hurry? Join me at this no-cost training call (7 Secrets to Procuring Great Items for your Charity Auction … without leaving your house!) this Thursday, Sept 27, 2012. UPDATE: This call has ... Read On >
Hit by United Way’s $50,000 rule? Run a benefit auction.
The Washington Post recently reported that "D.C. area’s United Way tightens requirements for charity funding." You can read the article yourself, but the crux of the message is that nearly 200 smaller charities are at risk for losing funding from the United Way of the National Capital Area because the United Way is changing how groups qualify to receive money. The United Way is asking these charities to take on more responsibility for their funding. Charities must raise $50,000 themselves, ... Read On >
Where to get auction donations and goody bag ideas? Try HARO.
UPDATE: The call mentioned has passed. Stay abreast of future free trainings by subscribing to Benefit Auction Ideas. +++++++ I'm soon offering a call (on September 27, 2012) on auction procurement for live auctions, silent auctions, raffles, and goody bags. As a prelude to that call, here's a more unusual acquisitions tool most people don't even know exists. HARO. It stands for Help A Reporter Out. It started out as a simple, free listserve reporters would use to let subscribers ... Read On >