In late July 2009, you might remember reading my blog post about some benefit auction item ideas I had -- like learning to drive a bulldozer and operate other heavy equipment such as dump trucks or excavators. I envisioned the donation could become a fun birthday party for boys ... or even a memorable party for grown men who might like to test their skills at operating some heavy equipment. I suggested procuring a 2-hour donation from your nearby Heavy Equipment Training Academy. Then in ... Read On >
Benefit Auctions Blog
Great charity auction items come from those “doing it anyway.”
You can get some excellent charity auction items when you ask people to donate something that he or she was going to do anyway. Call it a hobby or skill, they are activities that the donor would be engaged in, regardless of your auction. Meet imaginary Helen. Helen is one of the Mom's at your child's school. The woman's skin is so tan you swear she's at the pool every day. Nope. She's in her garden. Her husband and she bought a modest-sized house with a large yard. She's done unbelievable ... Read On >
Chicago benefit auctions – Submissions due for BizBash awards
If you've incorporated some fresh benefit auction ideas into your gala, perhaps you should be recognized for your work? Here's one way to get a feather in your Auction Chair (or event management) cap. Submit your event to BizBash Chicago. Though there doesn't seem to be any specific award for benefit auctions specifically, you can still submit your gala into almost 20 different categories differentiated by budget, concept, and other elements. I have had two auction clients in 2008 and one ... Read On >
Benefit Auctions v. Online Nonprofit Contests: Where’s the payoff?
Recently a number of my benefit auction clients have been participating in online contests for nonprofits. Most of them are not feeling "warm and fuzzy" when the contest ends. "Don't even mention the word "Pepsi" to me," said one, who was exhausted after coming *that* close to winning thousands in the Pepsi Refresh challenge, only to lose by a handful of last-minute online votes to a competing nonprofit. Then she said something I've also heard from others: "With so much time having been ... Read On >
Here’s an easy charity auction tip – Use surveys
Charity auction tips don't get much simpler than this ... survey your guests after your gala. I was reminded of this recently while listening to the radio. On a recent morning show, the DJ was asking his co-hosts and callers about their preferred superhero power. "If you could have one superhuman power," he'd ask, "What would it be?" Flying and invisibility were popular, but so was the ability to read minds. The ability to read minds would be handy at your auction, wouldn't it? You could ... Read On >