Earlier this week, I had the pleasure of speaking at the Rotary Club of Fairfax. With 93 members, this is one of the largest clubs in northern Virginia, although attendance was a down today due to the timing of my visit. (Note to self: Schedule speaking appointments during the school year to avoid vacation season.) As near as I can tell, Rotary is one of the most under-marketed organizations in the world. They do a tremendous amount of good work globally, but they are so busy eradicating ... Read On >
Blog Post
Charity auction idea: LAST Day to get Saturday Night Live tickets
If you are looking for a good charity auction idea, here's one that helps with procurement. Each year during the month of August, Saturday Night Live allows people to enter into a drawing for free tickets for the upcoming season. Here's text from the site (which still states 2007-2008 season): To enter the Saturday Night Live ticket lottery for the upcoming 2007-2008 season, send an email in the month of August only to snltickets@nbcuni.com. Please include all contact information and do not ... Read On >
School auction themes: “Bullish” in the Wild West
I'd not seen this entertainment activity at any of our other galas. This private school auction had a western-themed fundraiser. To add to the ambiance, they brought in a mechanical bull for guests to ride during the silent auction portion of the evening. Although guests were wary at first, they eventually warmed to the idea to try it. The bull was positioned in the middle of an inflatable ring. It reminded me of an inflatable swimming pool for children. When the guest was thrown off the bull ... Read On >
Speaking at Rotary Club of Columbia Patuxent about benefit auctions
If you're living in the Columbia, MD area and looking for a way to give back to the community in a fun, witty atmosphere, let me recommend the Rotary Club of Columbia Patuxent. I spoke to about 30 members there yesterday. You couldn't ask for a livelier bunch, even at 7:30 AM. Over the past six months I've been speaking to a number of Rotary Clubs about benefit auctions and -- dang it -- I've no idea why I haven't been blogging about it. It never occurred to me before, despite having met some ... Read On >
Social media-related contest: Use it to promote benefit auction
Social media is growing at exponential rates. My favorite video on the subject (the short version is below) is produced by Erik Qualman, an online marketer and author. The statistics he shares are compelling (e.g. 1 out of 8 American couples married last year met online... social media has surpassed porn as the #1 activity on the Internet), and the music ... well, the music is by Fat Boy Slim, one of my favorite musicians, and my preferred music to play while cleaning the ... Read On >