Earlier this month one of my school auction clients returned to a non-traditional space that fits their event well. The venue is an atrium at the nearby botanical gardens. Their school auction themes have run the gamut, and this year, the committee opted for colorful Mumbai. In the video you'll see the elements the Auction Chair incorporated into the evening. Even without decorations, the atrium is beautiful (and the snow outside made it even more so, I think), but this is a school ... Read On >
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What’s the BEST number of auction items? (Silent auction)
Enjoy this series on determining the best number of auction items for your event. This post, on how many silent auction items are best. How many live auction items are ideal. How many online auction items are good. The influence of mobile bidding on terminology ============================= On February 7, my company is working multiple school auctions. That means that last week I was visiting with several of them about which items should be live auction and which should be ... Read On >
Marketing *after* your benefit auction: 5 reasons to create an auction gala highlights reel
Have you ever pulled together a video of your gala to use as a marketing tool for your auction the following year? If not, here's a typical example of a video you might wish to model. A couple of months ago (November 2014), one of my first-year clients was St. Marcus School, a private school in Milwaukee, WI. The school has been widely touted as a national model for inner city education. (You can read newspaper articles about the school's approach and philosophy. Most students attend ... Read On >
My favorite #Unselfie #GivingTuesday campaign
This past #GivingTuesday, I received a number of email blasts from nonprofits. I thought this one from one of my clients, the Alexandria, VA homeless shelter Carpenter's Shelter, was the most catchy. If you're unfamiliar with pop culture and current songs, you likely wouldn't "get" this. Let me bring you up to speed. By now, you've probably heard of "selfies." It's when you take a photo of yourself, typically with your mobile phone. These photos are often used for posting on social media ... Read On >
How to personalize a benefit auction catalog so guests take it home and use it
I suspect many auction planners consider their auction catalog to be a necessary evil. It might be viewed as a "must do" because allowing advertising in the piece is one of the few sponsorship benefits a company or individual receives for investing in the fundraiser. Others see it as a vehicle for sharing information about the nonprofit, describing the auction items, or even as a place to hold less interesting content, such as benefit auction rules or checkout procedures. But catalogs (or ... Read On >