Client Testimonials

Sherry Truhlar / Red Apple Auctions has been a great asset to our gala for a number of years, in a number of ways:

First, she helps make our annual event both fun and festive. People have a great time attending the gala, and are more willing to return the following year, despite the fact that we do not have a specific community, such as a school, to call on.

Second, the energy and excitement she generates, as well as some great ideas on games to play, help people spend much more money than they had anticipated — helping considerably with the event’s net income.

Finally, she has worked with us in audience development, timing and other critical factors that have made our 25th anniversary event a huge success.

Once again, we are so grateful to you and your team for your partnership! You were AMAZING last Monday — both with the paddle raise and the live auction. That was our first ever $20,000 gift — and, as you know, that was not a plant!

You helped us raise $143,000 that evening, not including the $10,000 challenge gift or the $5,000 known gift. The raffle added an additional $9,900. Feedback from guests has been “this was the best Chef’s Best!”

There is no doubt there was great energy in the room. I was really pleased that people stayed as long as they did. You are so talented and such a professional. We always value your experience, knowledge and guidance, and this year it was appreciated even more as it was our first Chef’s Best since 2019 and with an entirely new team. You know I was way more in the weeds than normal, so thank you for being so responsive and helpful. You are truly partners and committed to helping us raise as much money as possible, while creating a fun, positive and engaging guest experience.

We feel so lucky to have Sherry on our team! When you book Red Apple Auctions, that is exactly what you get – an incredible bonus teammate in your fundraising efforts. She is an invaluable resource for us in both the actual event, as well as the planning and strategy leading up to the big day.

Sherry brings added value in every aspect of the event, not just in her skills on the auction floor, but also in the generosity of ideas, care, industry knowledge, time and energy she puts into helping you make your event as professional and successful as possible. She is so much fun to work with and to watch in action, and our team feels so much confidence having her with us every step of the way. Thank you for always helping us kick things up a notch!

Sherry Truhlar of Red Apple Auctions has been nothing short of AMAZING! I came in 3 months prior to the Gala Event with the task of overseeing the entire event…from invitations to auction. I had heard only great things from the Gala committee about how Sherry made the live auction so exciting AND successful. I contacted Sherry right away to introduce myself of course but to inquire of the organization’s past processes.

I was so impressed… 1st of all that she took time to speak with me without giving her the benefit of an appointment and 2ndly that she knew not only the past processes of our organization but the history of what worked and what didn’t as well as the little details of how the event flowed. She helped me to determine the correct number of silent & live auction items, gave solid advise on what would work well (according to our size audience and past giving patterns) in the Fund A Need appeal. Then she worked with me to determine the strategy, providing encouragement all along the way.

Sherry is very intuitive and was able to provide just the right connections for any consignment trips as well as resources to prep for the auction set up. Her seminars are spot on with instruction, logic and common sense. It was because of her professionalism and desire to see us be as successful as possible that the Gala turned out so well. She even assisted wherever she could the evening of. We will be using Red Apple Auctions for our annual Gala Events for a longtime to come! Sherry Truhlar is AMAZING!

Christian Central Academy has been utilizing Sherry’s consulting and auctioneer services for a number of years now. Our annual gala is largely what it is today due to her advice and guidance. This year’s gala on December 9th included a number of different elements, silent auction, raffles, elite bidders, live auction, paddle raise, and more. Sherry not only handled each of these, she shaped how each of these should be executed, with great success.

Sherry is both professional and fun, focused yet funny, poised but also engaging. At the end of our event, we had several attendees comment on how amazing Sherry was, and how they themselves recognized she was able to pull on participants to give more than they likely would have normally.

If you are considering a gala and/or auction for your organization for the first time, or to help an event you’ve been doing for years grow to the next level, you owe it to yourself and your organization to connect with Sherry.

HVA worked with Red Apple Auctions on our November 20th Auction for the Environment. Working with Red Apple Auctions was a great experience for both our team, and for our event guests. We had tremendous support beginning in planning, volunteer training, and donation tracking.

On the day of the event; Sherry’s ability to connect with our audience, was truly amazing. The room fell in love with her before the first paddle raise! Sherry engaged the audience, keeping the energy level high and built bidding momentum. The results were rave revues, a successful event, and an increase of overall revenue of 35%. We are already looking forward to continuing our partnership with Red Apple Auctions and our next auction!

We partnered with Red Apple Auctions for our recent fundraiser, and it was an outstanding experience from start to finish. Our PMOPA gala focused on raising money for our Safety Foundation, and Red Apple Auctions helped us create an event that was both memorable and effective. Their team brought remarkable energy and enthusiasm, which elevated the atmosphere and kept our guests engaged throughout the night.

The most valuable part of working with Red Apple Auctions was the seamless planning and expertise they provided. Their insight helped us refine our approach and made the event run smoothly, giving us more time to connect with our guests and build lasting relationships.

The results spoke volumes—we received numerous compliments from attendees, and the event’s financial success exceeded our expectations. I highly recommend Red Apple Auctions to any nonprofit looking to take their event to the next level!

Sherry’s guidance in producing and hosting our Centennial was simply critical to its success – and her energy, poise, and work the night of was absolutely astounding! Her ease with handling multiple goals and the largest audience we’ve hosted seemed effortless – but it was clear to our team the tremendous work she put in before stepping on stage.

Multiple people reached out to tell me how impressed they were with our Emcee – and were shocked to learn she hadn’t lived in our community for years! Even more than the record-breaking numbers, her attention to detail, language, and understanding who we really are was so meaningful. She was a true partner for us every step of the way.

In our 100 years we have experienced a handful of uniquely defining events. This was one of them, thanks to Sherry.

In my 30-year career in fundraising and development, which has included countless events with auctions, Sherry Truhlar is by far the best auctioneer I have ever worked with.

She is so professional; she knows how to read a room; and she can definitely think on her feet, giving her the ability to adapt her content and style almost seamlessly. She is also incredibly knowledgeable about her industry. I would never hesitate to use her or recommend her – she will always be my first choice.

Sherry was an incredible asset to our event. Because of her skills, we more than tripled the amount of money we raised at our previous auction.

In addition to making the auction a financial success, Sherry’s dynamic personality made it fun and added character to a piece of the event that can, at times, be uncomfortable for people. This was the first time we saw Sherry sell a live auction and it was something to behold – she had our donors eating out of the palm of her hands and knew exactly who to target. She is truly a master at her craft.