Attention readers. Though I'm usually writing about being a benefit auctioneer Virginia, today's blog is personal. (Click to another blog to read auction tips.) Once a year, my brother Scott makes the trek from Iowa to D.C. to attend a work conference. It's always in May. It's always in the city. And it always means he and I get some enjoy some cool sibling time at a fun restaurant. Today is my brother's birthday. Like many people with December birthdays, I think he's gotten the shaft ... Read On >
Benefit Auctions Blog
Silent auction basket ideas: use wrap
With regards to silent auction basket ideas, a book could be written about how to make a nice display. Here's my take on one idea regarding wrapping. At smaller benefit auctions, you can be a bit loosey-goosey in how you present a silent auction basket. At larger fundraisers, you need to step up your game. Covering your baskets in a clear plastic shrink-wrap or a bag is smart. Here are the advantages of wrapping a silent auction basket in clear plastic or cellophane. 1) Contents don't ... Read On >
How many live auction items should you sell?
"Sherry, how many live auction items do you recommend we sell in our charity auction?" I hear this question regularly and contemplate it in the same way I'd think about prunes: "Will three get the job done? ... Is eight too many?" ;) Here's what I've learned: If the gala's timeline has already been determined, my recommendation doesn't matter. A specific amount of time ... 20 minutes ... 45 minutes ... 70 minutes ... has been allotted. Now I need to work with the client to choose the items ... Read On >
Promoting holiday sale on modeling client’s website
Note to readers: Occasionally I make a post like this one, which is not related to my work as a benefit auctioneer Virginia. (Skip to another post to get auction tips.) +++++ A friend alerted me to this. Catherine's is one of my plus-size modeling clients. I'm featured on their Website home page this week. Fun! Here's a screenshot. ... Read On >
About last night… Proof these auction ideas work!
UPDATE 12/5/09 After I posted the original blog (scroll down), Maria wrote me this email: On behalf of our auction team, I wanted to thank you for meeting with us last night. We enjoyed your talk on procurement and we are fired up and ready to go after your ideas. This morning we got the PTA Chairs to approve the software agreement. I believe we can pay the full cost of the software with sponsorships. Well, as of this morning we have two more sponsors for our auction webpage. I didn’t even ... Read On >