Virtual & Hybrid Auction Services

Sherry was wonderful to work with—not only the night of the event but also throughout those hectic weeks leading up to it. I interviewed 12 auctioneers and Sherry was light years ahead in knowledge, clarity, and professionalism. We couldn’t be happier with both the partnership and the results.

We started working with Sherry for our 11th Annual Gala, but it was canceled due to COVID, so we started working with her on our first-ever virtual gala!

We used to use an auctioneer that would call us a few days before the event, discuss our live auction with us, and then show up for the event. I thought that was cool. BUT THEN, we met Sherry and boy was I wrong!

Sherry provides so much education and information in the months leading up to your event, as well as giving you advice on other events she’s seen and how they have handled aspects of their event. What works well, what doesn’t, etc.

The day of the auction, she surprised us by being even greater! She took the little info I gave her about our school, did her research, and prepared a FANTASTIC program for us. Our first Red Apple Auctions and virtual event was successful and fun, and we have had so many compliments!! Thank you, Sherry!

Our organization used Sherry for our first ever virtual gala event, and it went amazing! She guided us from start to finish, which included helping us with the flow and schedule of our program. Without her guidance, there’s no way our event would’ve been as successful as it was. She kept our crowd engaged during the live auction and fund-a-need portions, which ultimately helped us raise more money than we ever raised at our in-person event.

Honestly, it was incredible to watch our group be so interactive and lively in a virtual setting, and it couldn’t have gone better. In addition to Sherry’s expertise, we had the help of Pete who graciously helped us pull our videos together and seamlessly streamed them into our event for all to watch.

We received so many positive comments from our attendees regarding how great our Zoom event was – and that was solely because of Pete’s behind the scenes work. If I had to recommend anyone to host another virtual event for us, Sherry and Pete would be it!

Covid hit less than two weeks before our 25th annual auction / 70th anniversary event. Sherry was an answer to prayers! Her energy and excitement gave us the motivation we needed to clear hurdles standing in our way.

Sherry’s knowledge and experience, combined with her ability to accurately read and keep a pulse on national fundraising trends and developments means that you are getting the very best.

She is a true professional and goes the extra mile to help her clients succeed! Because of Sherry, we were able to pull off an extremely successful virtual event that surpassed all expectations! In fact, the fund-a-need portion of our event brought in twice what it did last year at our in-person event. Just hire Sherry, you will thank yourself later!

The consensus is that you did a FANTASTIC job for the Senior Friendship centers last Wednesday evening.

Some of the comments I heard were she’s warm, authentic, enthusiastic, informed, great sense of humor, effective fundraiser. In short, A WINNER!!

Sherry Truhlar is the secret sauce to turn a great gala recipe to a WOW gala recipe.

Friends of the Library Montgomery County held our second virtual gala in April 2021. Each featured Sherry as auctioneer. Sherry’s good-natured and clear command of the event garnered great reviews. She is smart, funny and inspirational. She helped us raise lots of money AND introduced two new features for us for our virtual event: live auction items and a fund-a-need request.

It is hard to accurately describe how fun it is to watch Sherry wrestle money out of people’s wallets. I’ve seen her do it live, I’ve seen her do it where she almost jumped through the screen. Just because I’ve seen it happen before doesn’t leave me any less impressed each time she does it.

While her on-screen presence dazzles, she is also a gift to those planning an event.

She provides equal doses of inspiration, great ideas, and cheerleading. She gave us such great tips on putting together a package of videos showcasing our cause that we joked we should just buy her lots of wigs and costumes so she could star in our mission videos.

She’s a star, and we were very lucky have her shine at our gala.

Sherry was a joy to work with for our virtual gala in May 2021. Our annual event for a non-profit organization brings together people who frequently don’t know one another, making it tough to create a feeling of shared excitement during an online gala. In addition to a live auction and fund-a-need, the event also included two adult honorees, plus a group of young people from around the country who are presented with awards for outstanding achievement.

Sherry played a vital role in planning and executing an event that was fun, and that exceeded our expectations in raising funds, and creating excitement for our cause. We received great feedback from guests as well as from our board of directors, some of whom had been skeptical that an online event conducted via Zoom Live could be entertaining. Her tremendous energy, knowledge, responsiveness to our questions and concerns, and her incomparable performance as an auctioneer were a joy to behold.

At the debriefing session following the event, Sherry provided insights that will be a tremendous help in planning for the future.

Thank you times a million for your efforts and work on Friday. You have been such a key piece of the Fund gala team in recent years and we are incredibly grateful for your presence and partnership. I was truly skeptical about the virtual event, but after your reassurances I knew that we could execute.

Your expertise was critical, and I know that it probably didn’t come easily as you pivoted your own business during this time. Your energy is absolutely unmatched and it engaged our supporters in a way I don’t think we could have without you.

Because of you, we busted through what was a lofty goal for our small group, in a city that has plenty of much larger, better-connected non-profits. I’m so excited to see us do some good with all of the money we raised (and are STILL raising, we still have donations coming in). So much thanks to all you did for us!!

After skipping our 2020 gala, we opted for a virtual gala in 2021. But I knew we needed assistance in pulling it off. Our event is special in that it’s hosted by a committed celebrity who does a wonderful job of involving others in our event.

Our auction has always been led by various professional fundraising auctioneers. Each one seemed to receive mixed approval from our guests, so I started seeking options.

After enrolling in one of Sherry’s courses, we contracted with her to lead us through the planning and production of our virtual gala. The learning curve was steep, but Sherry provided us strategic advice to talk us through our unique challenges.

The results made it worthwhile – we raised 27% above our projections, and we had nothing but compliments about the event itself. Not only was our virtual event highly interactive and just a lot of fun (I scrolled through to watch laughing faces), but I received a LOT of written kudos for the event and for Sherry, specifically.

One donor made a special note, giving us rave reviews for the event in that, “it was efficient and fun, and Sherry was delightful, organized and energetic.”

Though it wasn’t the year we expected, WOW, Sherry rocks!

Wow – I can’t say enough great things about Sherry! Like most nonprofits, Senior Friendship Centers was faced with the dilemma this year…how to raise funds like we do every year, but without our two big in-person Galas. I must admit, we were apprehensive about holding our first ever Virtual Gala, but Sherry immediately put our team at ease.

Her professionalism, knowledge, and true passion for helping nonprofits came through right away.

We wanted our guests to have fun, and I wondered how we would pull it off virtually, but Sherry coached me every step of the way with practical advice and a kind listening ear.

The auction and virtual paddle raise were phenomenal, and so much fun! Our guests, without exception, told us how engaging Sherry was and how much fun they had that night. One comment I heard repeatedly from guests was that they thought Sherry knew all the guests personally! That’s how well she engages with the audience.

The end result? We exceeded our revenue goal by $70,000 and gained many new donors in the process!

We will definitely hire Sherry for our next Virtual Gala!

Sherry facilitated our open appeal, managed our event production team & facilitated our event fundraising software platform. She was extremely knowledgeable about all aspects of making our virtual event a success. Her energy & enthusiasm to inspire giving among our donor base was amazing! Sherry’s results-orientation, sound counsel & can-do spirit made her an enormous value-add for our team. She’s a superb professional. I highly recommend her!