Description
Need a charismatic auctioneer for your next auction fundraiser?
Red Apple Auctions offers a team of professional auctioneers, ready to inspire and engage your crowd.
After you and I visit (more on that below), I’ll send you links of videos to watch. You’ll get a feel for your auctioneer’s style before meeting in person.
Securing our services involves more than a single click from this shopping cart.
First, we must talk. Click to schedule a phone appointment with me
I want to understand your event and ensure we’re the best fit for you. We’ll spend about an hour visiting about your past auctions and new goals. Along the way, I’ll share how my onsite/virtual auction program works.
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Learn more about me on this page. Upon setting up an appointment, you’ll be directed to a collection of videos.
Sandy Habina –
We had the pleasure of working with Sherry for the first time at the Step VA 2nd annual fundraising gala. We learned so much from our consultations with her as well as from the digital resources included. Since the gala we have had so much positive feedback from the guests and donors about Sherry’s professionalism and stage presence. Everyone was so impressed and that definitely translated into more enthusiastic giving! We look forward to working with Sherry again in the future.
Heather Cannon –
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!
Keith Stava –
This was the third year we had the great benefit of Sherry serving as the auctioneer at our annual Gala. While our event helps raise awareness for our provided charitable transportation services to critical medical care for those in need, its primary goal is to raise funds to support the mission. And raise funds is what Sherry is GREAT at doing! With Sherry’s work and guidance on our live auctions and Mission Moments, combined with her input on our silent auctions, we have seen a 30% increase in donated funds for these parts of our Gala from three years ago. And while our guests were donating at greater levels every year, they always walk away raving about the good time they had at the Galas. Talk about a win-win!
Edith Glassey –
As our only fundraising event every year, our Sunshine Gala was another smashing success this year. I salute Sherry for the crucial role she played from our planning and strategy meetings until the night of the event. Sherry gives you her total focus when she is working with you, making you feel exceptional like you are the only client she has.
At the event, she is there 110% to engage with the donors and guests; she provides a valuable day of event training for our auction volunteers and assimilates herself with our theme year after. Sherry is so much fun and a joy to work with. It’s hard to imagine our event without Sherry. She has become very beloved by our donors, and we garner new supporters each year because of how entertaining she is with her wit, yet extremely professional and very serious regarding her role. She is top-notch as our auctioneer raising critical funds exceeding our goal year after year.
Emily –
We have worked with Sherry now for four years, and have seen immense growth in our auction year-over-year. As a small nonprofit, we didn’t really know where to start with auction fundraising, but Sherry has been an inspirational guide while we build our capacity each year. We have now gotten to a point where our event is dialed and we feel lots of potential for continued growth. While my favorite part of working with Sherry is the insight she provides behind-the-scenes, her outward performance is SUCH a huge component of the success of our events! Guests have continuously commented on her presence, humor, and ability to work a crowd as one of the biggest highlights of the event. I can’t imagine ever doing an auction without Sherry. She saves us time, helps us earn more money, takes the stress off by providing expert guidance, and most of all, she’s a lot of fun to work with. Looking forward to many more years of successful fundraising with Red Apple Auctions!
Tricia Sanborn –
Our gala is about community outreach AND fundraising. In the past, we’ve done well on the outreach side – PAINT THE TOWN showcased local artists, and everyone had a great time. However, it’s always been a lackluster effort in terms of generating revenue. Sherry helped us to reengineer the event. From the start, she focused our donor acquisition efforts on high demand items that would bring new buyers to the event. She helped to move us from a tepid Live Auction to one that had great items and competitive bidding. She also tightened up the flow of our program, which helped to keep guests in their chairs through the live auction and paddle raise.
Sherry provides a great show, and the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. Comments included “so entertaining,” “best gala ever,” and “loved the auctioneer.” And the best part is that our event was up more than 20% over last year! We’re thrilled with the results, and using Sherry’s feedback from our wrap up meeting, we’re ready to start planning our event for 2025!
Julie Todd –
Sherry and the resources she provided were a HUGE help to me as I planned our school’s first auction since Covid. I loved having access to the “digital lounge” to watch different videos when it worked for my schedule, then getting my questions answered during our one-on-one meetings. At the actual event, Sherry brought an awesome energy and humor to our live auction. The guests loved her and I know we made WAY more money than we would have without her. Thank you, Sherry!
Ricki Marion –
Thanks for another fantastic year Sherry! It’s amazing to see our auction continue to grow and the excitement and energy that you draw out of the crowd. Thank you for being such a dedicated partner, sharing great new ideas, and helping us to continually elevate our fundraising!
Edith Glassey –
Our only signature fundraising event, Sunshine Gala, was elevated to new heights when we engaged Sherry to work with us. For the past four years, our gross and net income for this event has exceeded our budgeted goal. Sherry has raised the tide and she is definitely a game changer. She researches the auction items, the audience and most importantly the issues relevant to our mission. Her pre-event planning meetings pushes us to think strategically and day of the event training with volunteers have also been invaluable. On the night of the gala event, she is one of our best advocates and ambassadors as she speaks eloquently about the impact of our mission with our guests. This year, we raised the most ever in our live auction and fund a need/raise the paddle – two critical fundraising aspects of our gala. Further, our net income was over $100K of our goal. We credit Sherry’s expertise, engaging personality and professionalism as our secret ingredient! The best bonus is that she is truly a joy to work with.
Susan Matejka –
When we made the decision to hire Sherry for Centennial Gala, she assured us that we would have all of the details and program worked out well in advance of the event. She was right…we had several scheduled calls in the months leading up to the Gala. She asked very specific and great questions to ensure that she had all of the information needed to ensure success. In addition, she shared a number of great suggestions to help increase our fundraising efforts. That night, she arrived early and had a list of guests with whom she wanted to connect; these guests had donated items to the live auction. She not only thanked them for their donation, she collected additional information about the item for auction, which she used to help increase the price. At the end of the program, the CEO leaned over and said, “Sherry was worth every penny!”
Guest, Loaves & Fishes 2023 gala –
We had a great time. Everything was so nice! The food was delicious, and I loved watching your auctioneer in action. She’s pretty amazing!
Guest, Loaves & Fishes 2023 gala –
Just wanted to let you know what a great time we had on Saturday. The auctioneer was amazing. She really got the audience engaged in the bidding. Hope it was a very successful event.
Carrie Stoltzfus, Executive Director, Food & Friends –
Sherry, I just wanted to say THANK YOU for such an amazing auction at Chef’s Best this year. You impress me every time, but I really think this year was something special. You bring something to this auction that we wouldn’t have without you, and it elevates the entire event. We are very fortunate to get to work with you and your team.
You always do a lot of pre-event communication to ensure that everything is a success. During the gala, you keep people engaged even if they don’t plan to bid — You are really funny; you had people in stitches! One guest at my table said “Whatever you paid for her, she’s worth twice.
Carolyn Schmidt, Chief Development Officer, Food & Friends –
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.
Sheri Lamoreaux, Hospice & Palliative Care of Martha’s Vineyard –
This is the third Soirée that Sherry has done for us. She really understands our community and how to “handle” our audience now. We’re very different from Possible Dreams (which is another community gala, but much larger and well-known) because we don’t have the “Hollywood” crowd. Our event is much more low key. But Sherry gets right in there and energizes everyone and, as a result, we always do well with the auction packages. She’ll even be clever and recognize past year’s auction winners, to play off them during the live portion (which I think they like!). And, she always weaves something about Hospice into her pitch for each auction package, which helps to remind the audience why they’re there to support us.
Mary McLean, Adirondack Health Foundation –
We owe a significant part of our 2023 Diamonds and Denim gala’s extraordinary success to Red Apple Auctions. They played a crucial role from the early stages, assisting us in strategizing the entire auction process. Not only did they expertly engage and entertain our guests, but they also helped us raise record breaking dollars. We are incredibly grateful for Red Apple Auctions!
A first-year client in Georgia –
Director of Advancement: “Just a quick note to offer my sincerest thanks for bringing your talents to this event. We had way more success than I anticipated, and I have no doubt it was because you made the auction an entertaining show rather than a solicitation. People raved about you and we would love to have you back again next year. I think we can really grow this into something big after such a fun and successful night.”
Director of Annual Giving: “I wanted to thank you so much for Saturday night! The auction exceeded our expectations, and we so appreciate your talents! I cannot begin to tell you how many shared with us how much they enjoyed you! It was such a pleasure to work with you and thank you again for a super successful evening!”
Jeffrey Shipley –
Sherry’s excitement, charisma, and skill enabled us to exceed the expectations for our charitable auction nearly 5 fold beyond what we expected. I was very impressed with the environment she so easily produced! I would highly recommend her and look forward to working with her in the future.
Michael O’Hara –
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.
Gina Scherbner –
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!
Lauren Nisenson –
Sherry’s guidance in producing and hosting our Centennial was simply critical to it’s 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 were 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 was one of them–thanks to Sherry.
Michele Kitson –
Sherry is truly remarkable, and her talent, personality, and genuine enthusiasm are all huge parts of the success of our event each year. She makes an effort to personally connect with the people in the room and the organization’s mission. She works with us before the event and challenges us to focus on unique ideas that will engage our audience. She cares about our success and acts as a true partner, an advocate and a cheerleader. I give her the highest and most sincere recommendation.
Amy Quiring –
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!
Nancy Wiersum, Executive Vice President Advancement, Loaves & Fishes Community Services –
Sherry is simply the best. In fact, we secure our Gala date based on her availability. In addition to sharing a significant amount of pre-event expertise, she brings a very entertaining and engaging presence to the Gala. I have seen her “resurrect” items that didn’t seem to be going very high which end up being some of the most lucrative items. I had used Sherry when I worked for another organization and then was so happy to bring her to Loaves & Fishes 5 years ago. She never disappoints and can always be counted on to elevate our event. If you want professional results, hire the professional and that is Sherry Truhlar!
Jane Powell –
Our silent auction was a success because Sherry taught me the keys I needed to procure. Anyone can ask for items but how many? Which items did well last time? How to classify and organize the items? Sherry’s online seminars answered all these questions and more. I feel more confident procuring with a plan. Before, procuring was more taking directions from others who do not have the time to help me with my job or worse, wandering around blindfolded hoping I’m doing the right thing. Taking the guess work out, lowers my stress, makes me a more confident organizer and leader which all leads to better results and makes me happy – that’s the goal correct?!?! LOL To help our non-profit is the best result of all. Thank you Sherry!
Edith Glassey –
Sunshine Gala 2022
I’ve been following Sherry for more than 10 years – and finally had the good fortune of bringing her expertise to our organization in 2020, when we did our very first virtual event – at the height of the pandemic. We are so lucky, blessed and thankful to have Sherry’s expertise. You just feel confident that you are in good hands with Sherry – her depth and breadth of expertise, her engaging and friendly personality and wow, the research that she does to prepare for your auction – these are just a few standout qualities that make Sherry a joy to work with. And she has raised record numbers for our gala in a short period of time. Our Sunshine Gala 2022 was another remarkable event – and our secret sauce for success is Sherry Truhlar!
Barbara Bellissimo –
Possible Dreams 2022 marked the fourth year I’ve worked with Sherry. In that time, we went from a traditional live and silent auction event to a fully virtual event and then to a permanent hybrid event. During that time, Sherry helped us increase our fundraising totals by over 40%. Ours is a true partnership–we learn a ton from Sherry’s regular video postings, she’s always available to bounce ideas around and share experiences from other events, and she is incredibly prepared and professional on the day of the event.
We are fortunate to have a celebrity host who has worked with Sherry for the last three years. In an article about our most recent event he referred to himself as a sidekick to her superhero: “This sort of Robin to her Batman is a role I take very seriously. You can’t step on the Bat rope, you’ve got to make sure you leave room for the auctioneer to do their thing.”
I can’t say enough good things about Sherry and the critical role she plays in our annual fundraising. I very much look forward to continuing our partnership!
Crystal Booker –
Our Gala on April 15th, 2022 included a silent auction, live auction, paddle raise, and lots of dancing! The focus was donor cultivation with a specific focus on new donor acquisition. This was our 6th Annual Gala, which was themed Second Chance Prom. In previous years, the live auction had a mild level of interest and the paddle raise resulted in a few higher level gifts from current donors.
Bringing in Red Apple Auctions this year was a complete game changer. Our guests said both in person and in surveys that they enjoyed the energy and excitement that Sherry brought to the event. Her ability to encourage giving and adapt to the room is truly amazing. From the initial planning meetings, to the event day and the wrap up meeting, Sherry brought in tons of new ideas, ways to increase giving, shared current trends with us, and helped us elevate our event from making $45,000 to $105,000! Her live auction and fund-a-need guidance were essential to our success. Red Apple Auctions brought our event to an entirely new level, and we are so grateful! We certainly want Sherry again next year!
Cindy vandenBeemt –
Sherry took our Gala event to an entirely new level of fantastic. With a group of parents already well primed to enjoy an evening together (after 2 years of not together!) Sherry took this level of enthusiasm and made it work for our school in terms of esprit de corps and fundraising. The result was a high level of engagement, happy, happy parents and a gala that outperformed all past events. It was without a doubt an all around win for the school and for our parents. Thank you Sherry! We look forward to raising our paddle with you for years to come!
Kathryn, Gala Chair 2022 –
Sherry, you truly put our event over the top! Not only did you bring an incredible energy and enthusiasm on the night-of, but your expertise in advising us during the planning stages was truly invaluable. You brought so many new ideas to the table that made our event experience unique, and it showed in having record attendance and fundraising. It was a true pleasure working together and hopefully we will do it again!
Pathways for Children –
We’ve had the pleasure of working with Sherry twice now – once as we celebrated the agency’s 50th anniversary, and recently during our first gala since 2019! Her passion and commitment to working with non-profits is remarkable. Starting several months before our gala, she worked with us regularly to review key aspects of a successful live auction and raise-the-paddle. Sherry made personalized recommendations based on both her prior work with us, as well as examples of success stories from other experiences – what worked, what didn’t, and why.
On the day of our gala, we had the added bonus of an auctioneer friend of hers joining in on the action. Our guests loved the energy and fun they brought to the auction process. Her stage presence and command of her audience was impressive, and paddles were up in the air and waving in record time.
If you are looking for an auctioneer that brings professionalism, knowledge, experience, energy and passion to your fundraiser, Sherry is the gal to call!
Amma Felix –
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!
Jane Ross –
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.
Denise Neary –
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.
AlesaWeiss –
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!
Lynn Werner, Executive Director (Housatonic Valley Association) –
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!
Monica Caldwell –
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!
Christine –
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!!
Gala Co-Chair 2021 –
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!!
Stefanie Lee –
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 definitely be it!
Edith Glassey –
I’ve followed Sherry’s blogs and presentations for many years and this year, I finally had the good fortune of working directly with Sherry when we hired her as our auctioneer and emcee for our first ever virtual fundraising event. It was a success beyond what we dreamed of! We had barely 2 months to plan the event and Sherry was there to guide and support us. Her pre-event trainings and consultations were valuable to my team and we were prepared when the day of event came. She never rushed you during the consultations – and she was ever “present” and there for us during our meetings.
Sherry is a consummate professional in her field of expertise. During the event, she was warm, welcoming, genuine, and very engaging. She studied our organization and when she did the Raise the Paddle she communicated the need with such passion and urgency – as if she had been a part of our “family” for years. Our post event survey results validated how pleased and happy we were with Sherry. Our guests gave her high scores, and credited the success of our event to Sherry as the glue that kept us all together. Sherry has truly made a difference and has elevated our fundraising event.
Sherry Truhlar –
**Below is from an email from a virtual gala guest. She forwarded this to the Executive Director of a Foundation, who forwarded it to me.**
“Sherri is amazing. I have seen some ZOOM events that have fallen flat and hard to watch. That girl couldn’t mess up if she tried. So smooth, still entertaining, I don’t know how she does it without an audience to feed off of, but she does. Timing was good on everything too – there was enough variety to not lose attention.”
Renata Stewart –
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 the hurdles that stood 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!
Kathie Williams, Executive Director, A Vintage Affair benefiting Children’s National Hospital ~ March 7, 2020 –
I have had the opportunity to lead four major fundraising events and worked with a number of auctioneers, but Sherry Truhlar is clearly the best in the business.
Sherry took the time to do her homework and was completely prepared. She made sure she understood the purpose and the mission of the event and the vibe that we were trying to create. Sherry knew every item in our auction and was able to speak to them eloquently on the night of the event, never having to pause and look down at cards. Sherry was ‘on her game’ on the night of the event
She was masterful at engaging the crowd and keeping everyone energized, excited, and most importantly, bidding! Throughout our Live Auction, she never lost sight of our financial goals and ensured that we were securing the best bids possible to exceed our goal, which we did!
Sherry is a true professional!!
Holly Lee –
Wow! We have never had more money raised at our auction as well as such well trained volunteers. Sherry was very professional and knowledgable. She taught our staff and volunteers what to do to be a success. She cared about big and small details and the evening was great! Thank you Sherry!!
Hannah Hanford –
Sherry is simply terrific!
We began our relationship with Red Apple Auctions 6 years ago when our team participated in one of her Silent Auction webinars which helped us become more organized and introduced us to Greater Giving software. The following year we hired Sherry to be our auctioneer and Live Auction proceeds more than doubled. She has helped us streamline the registration process, enhance our Silent Auction, improve bidding on Live Auction items and helped make our check-out more smooth and efficient.
She is a wealth of information and has her finger on the pulse of new developments in non-profit fundraising events – plus she makes our event more fun! To those considering using Sherry, you won’t be disappointed.
Renata Stewart –
Our school auction had become somewhat predictable over the past 25 years.
The first thing I did when starting out on our auction team was start researching, and I quickly found Sherry’s website. I spent hours pouring through Sherry’s blog posts and free resources trying to glean as much information as I could. This led to several changes that allowed us to both streamline our event and raise significantly more for our school than we had in years.
I also had proof for what I already knew by then: that Sherry’s advice and methods were top-notch. It was easy to convince our leadership that we needed to hire Sherry for the following year’s event.
She and her team impressed us with their expertise, professionalism, and warmth. Sherry served as an invaluable sounding board and stress-reliever, providing direction and advice that filled in the gaps in our knowledge and allowed us to keep moving forward with confidence.
Her clients-only resources were also extremely valuable.
Our event was a great success, in large part because of what we learned from Sherry. I wouldn’t want to run this event without Red Apple Auctions – hiring them was worth every penny!
Ryan Donlon –
I saw Sherry this week at the Chef’s Best auction, which has the critical mission to raise money to fight hunger among the most vulnerable families in our community. Now, I’ve read all the other reviews here, and they are all entirely accurate. Sherry is professional. She is energetic. She is entertaining. It is all completely true.
But, one thing about Sherry that really stood out to me was the sheer finesse she demonstrated the entire time she was on stage. Sherry managed to be funny and charming, all while being uncompromisingly professional, at the same time. It simply blew me away how she balanced these little reminders of the evening’s mission, with this laugh-out-loud banter with the audience.
At one point during the night, I remember saying to my wife about Sherry, “She is like a magician. She just touched his heart, and out comes his wallet!” Sherry’s the perfect balance of entertainer and auctioneer. I know I opened my wallet deeper than I had expected and my friends and I are still taking about how much fun we had. And, it was all for a good cause!
Thank you Sherry, for a memorable evening.
Shannon Ryan –
We have been working with Sherry for several years now, and I cannot imagine having an event without her. She gets results! This year she helped us to double what we typically raise in our live auction – in past years, she has successfully coached us on how to triple our appeal and raise additional funds through revenue enhancers. Sherry is professional, engaging and can captivate a crowd.
Our event is a challenging one – 300 chatty people in a cocktail style setting. Somehow, she can command that room. When it comes to the pre and post event consulting, Sherry is incredibly helpful. She is well informed about current trends in fundraising events and offers valuable, insightful, data-driven feedback after the auction. It’s always such a pleasure working with her!
Michele Sagarino –
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.
Yvonne Terry –
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!
Vicki M. Tracy –
Sherry is a top-notch auctioneer and Gala/Fundraising Consultant. I personally have learned so much from her.
But even more than that, she took our small little school auction, served by parents and held in our gym, and helped us turn it into a true Gala.
Not only has it tripled the amount of money we are making, and filled every seat, it has become an event that our supporters want to attend, rather than feeling obligated to do so. Our school auction, with the help of Red Apple Auctions, has elevated the standard for events in our city.
Nancy Nadolny –
Hiring Sherry for our auctioneer/consultant insured that we received the highest value possible for our Live Auction items and raised as much as possible during the Fund-A-Need portion of our event. She does not let up! She became a very valuable member of our auction committee and shared her expertise every step of the way.
Over the years we have worked with many different auctioneers. None of the others provided as much coaching and support as Sherry has.
Samaria Sherman – STEM for Her –
Prior to hiring Red Apple Auctions/Sherry Truhlar to help plan and manage our live auction at our annual fundraiser, we were in need to pull this together in a short timeframe, requiring streamlined creativity to meet/exceed our fundraiser goals. As a result, our guests were excited and engaged to participate and we exceeded our goals. STEM for Her was very pleased with our results and our investment in hiring Sherry and her team.
Katie Jensen – The LAM Foundation –
We’ve worked with Sherry in the past on our Fund a Cure activity and always know we can count on her to be great.
What blew us away this year was when Sherry drove 5 hours through a blizzard to make it to our event, and proceeded to command a room of high-wealth donors to give, give, give!
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.
Tara Oliver –
Sherry is,without a doubt, the most energetic, professional auctioneer that has graced our events. Her positive personality coupled with her effervescent stage presence makes you fully engaged in whatever she is leading. In the six years that our company has used her services we have received, time and time again, rave reviews from our attendees. Her auction expertise has provided us with new ideas, creative fundraising strategies as well as increased growth in our auction revenue.
Laurie Strongin –
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. I have already heard from numerous guests who are interested in hiring her for their own events. Hopefully she’ll still be available for us next year! I couldn’t recommend her more highly. She sparkles and is totally effective.
Kim Paratore –
Sherry was amazing. She does her research and takes command of the crowd.
We’ve had events in the past where we hired professional auctioneers and they didn’t perform to the standards we were hoping for, so we were nervous. As soon as Sherry walked on that stage you saw such poise and confidence, she was everything and more than what we wanted and because of her we were able to reach our fundraising goal.
After the event we had multiple people come up to us and tell us how amazing Sherry was. Next auction event and every auction event after that she’ll be our go to girl!
Tamzen Trieshmann, Guest at the Boys & Girls Club of the Virginia Peninsula (Newport News, VA) –
You know that quote about Ginger Rogers? The one saying that she did everything Fred Astaire did, except backwards and in high heels? Well, that’s you running an auction.
Sara Hamilton –
I have been following Sherry for years. With our 10 year anniversary coming up next year, I wanted to start putting practices into place now to build up our Gala. The Gala had been successful every year, but I felt that it was becoming stale, especially with the live auction and fund-a-need. Sherry was exactly what we needed to add energy and new ideas.
I was a little nervous about hiring her because we were only 5 weeks from our event! With the time constraint we had to prioritize our focus to a few key areas. But, Sherry was an excellent resource and her online training videos gave me everything I needed to pull together several vital changes that made a huge difference.
We were able to more than triple our live auction revenue, with well over 100% ROI! In addition, our silent auction ROI increased by over 10%! Plus, I received tons of compliments about the great auctioneer/MC.
I’m so glad we worked with Sherry, and I’m hoping to get things scheduled for next year, so we have an even greater ten year anniversary event!
Donna Rich – Baltimore Outreach Services Emergency Shelter for Women and Children –
We are a small nonprofit that developed from the social ministry of a church. Before hiring Sherry and Red Apple Auctions to plan and work at our fundraiser, we held our annual spring Gala in the fellowship hall of the church. It was a good event, but we had outgrown the space and the event had become stagnant. Sherry introduced our Committee to new ways of thinking about the functions of our event, i.e. what was working and giving us the most return on our investment, and where there was room for change and improvement.
The year we hired Red Apple Auctions, we moved the event to a local hotel and had a record breaking year in attendance and revenue. With Sherry’s advice, we changed our silent auction, our raffle and the timeline of activities for the event. As a result the staff and volunteers spent less time trying to check in guests and sell raffle tickets and more time ensuring that the guests were having a great time spending their money for our cause!
The Red Apple Team is personable, professional and definitely knows how to get the most bang for the buck from an event! My advice for those thinking of hiring Sherry and her team is: Just Do It!
Carol Hammons, One Fine Day Chair, Eugene, Oregon –
Wow! Working with Sherry was so helpful in planning this year’s auction. Although we did not hire her until 11 weeks out, the information that she shared with us in our training sessions via phone was invaluable. We were preparing for our 14th year and our auction had grown tired. It was time for a fresh approach. Our only regret was that we did not hire her sooner. We would have done things differently as she definitely showed us an easier, more efficient and profitable way to get things done.
Although everyone was excited about our theme, the quality of our auction items and the increase in the audience size (by 25%), we still felt that we were lacking that oomph to make this auction the one that you did not want to miss. This is where Sherry really shines! She engages and interacts with the audience in such a way that, of course, they want to play the game. She added some fun new elements that kept the audience in suspense about what was going to happen.
After a very successful year, what to do about next year. We are so excited that Sherry is already booked and that we can start working with her much earlier. Imagine what we can do if we have her onboard for more than 11 weeks!
Diane M. Albano –
I would like to thank you for the many suggestions you made in order to improve our outcomes and the changes you recommended – I received so many positive comments about the new layout of the room – it does makes sense to have all the Silent Auction items located in the one segment of the room! I had been anxious about closing all of Silent Auction before the Live Auction because I had never done it in my 17 prior Auctions – but I followed your advice and the results amazed me: the percentage of value received for all items sold was 84.57%, compared to 2017: 57.04% and 2016: 79.32%!
The 21st Annual SJA Spectacular Auction certainly had some very interesting twists and turns with the many changes we had introduced, especially the Best of Live Raffle! I am so grateful for your rock-solid support that assisted me throughout the evening and your experience and expertise that helped our guests navigate new waters and enjoy the ride!
Thank you for leading and guiding our crowd through the Silent Auction closings in a fun and exciting way, for speaking up for the cause and letting the audience know how important their participation is and how much the Annual Auction benefits our students. Thank you for entertaining our guests and strongly encouraging higher bids with humor and your dynamic presence and personality.
Our Raise Your Paddle was well received and raised $17,400 this year – a 102% yield if you don’t count the 2 large donations made in order for us to reach our goal in 2017. We did not declare a goal this year – a lesson to be learned there for sure!
You have transformed our Annual Auction into an event that is anticipated with great excitement and thoroughly enjoyed by all our patrons. As I mentioned last year, if Sr. Suzan is impressed with someone, you have the golden seal of approval for all time. Her first comment to me after this year’s Auction was: “I love that Auctioneer!” You have officially arrived Sherry!!
My heartfelt gratitude for a job executed with care, finesse, polish and poise and your genuine passion for the cause.
Sincerely,
Diane M. Albano
Director of Development
Joyce Lewis-Andrews –
In 2017, our organization’s auction celebrated its 25th Anniversary. While steeped in strong tradition, the committee agreed that we needed a fresh approach to breathing some life into the 2018 event, but we each had different opinions of what should occur. Our silent auction was strong, but the performances of our live auction, appeal, and raffles were spiraling downward. We decided to utilize the professional services of Red Apple Auctions to help us identify new opportunities and address the challenges we faced related to our financial goals. Sherry provided consulting services to the committee by proposing a host of new ideas, helping to dispel some myths and bring focus to what was needed to positively impact our bottom line. With Richard Craney as our auctioneer on event night to implement our new ideas, we enjoyed the highest levels of guest participation and satisfaction with an impressive revenue increase of 59%! Sherry and Richard were the perfect additions to our team!
Diane Cruz, Fundraising and Events Manager, Cape Henry Collegiate –
Sherry Truhlar and her team have been an invaluable resource to us in planning our auction. Our revenue was decent before bringing them on board but now the numbers are better than we could have imagined. I really appreciate the detail in which Sherry reviews our plan and our items to ensure that we are doing everything we can to bring in the highest possible revenue for our event. And I appreciate that she is always quick to respond to our questions and will take the time to really explain the nuances of the auction world and how it may apply to our audience and specific event. We couldn’t do it without her.
Bob Treseler, Director of Development, Christ Episcopal School –
Red Apple Auctions’ founder Sherry Truhlar has taught us more than we ever knew we needed to know about auctions, live and silent. There’s more information on the Red Apple Auctions website and in their newsletters than we could ever remember. At the end of the day, or more accurately in our case — (auction) night — we care about how much we raise. And, to that end, since we began working with Sherry in 2015 our auction night proceeds have increased 30%. If your organization is not using Red Apple Auctions you’re leaving money on the table.
Jim Evans –
I first visited with Sherry in my role as president of Fund Raising Executives of Metro Louisville (FREML), about bringing her to Louisville for a half day conference on Auctions. We did so and it was a tremendous success to the benefit of more than fifty fundraising professionals. After that, in my position as Vice President of Development & Marketing for a local nonprofit, I brought Sherry in as our Auction Consultant for our annual Gala. Not only did the auction numbers go up, but she raised the level of professionalism and ambiance of the event that made people want to come every year. She was our consultant for the four years after that, and has continued to fill that role even after I left that position. I recommend Sherry wholeheartedly and without reservation for her skills, personality, creative thinking and the spirit she brings to her events.
Emily Wheet –
2017 was our second year having Sherry be our Auctioneer! We have had 15 auctions and the last two auctions have been the best. Not only are they more organized, feature amazing items, well attended and fun, we have received a sizable increase in net proceeds.
All of this is due to Sherry! From start to finish Sherry focused on our organization and event like it was her only one. She was well prepared for each auction item, professional, and made every guest laugh!
My advice for those thinking of hiring Sherry and her team is DO IT! You will not regret it! Thank you, Sherry we can’t want to work with you in 2018!
Karen Walsh –
Due to some unfortunate circumstances, we found ourselves in need of an auctioneer, just 4 months prior to our event. After rearranging her schedule, Sherry agreed to assist us and we will never look back!
Even with a compressed planning calendar, Sherry took the time to access our silent offerings, offered valued suggestions for Live and Fund a Need and gave us some solid ideas to drive event attendance. The real impact, however, was felt on event night. Sherry came prepared and ready to engage, entertain and energize our guests. During cocktails, she spent time socializing with our donors and highlighting some wonderful silent auction items.
During the Live & Fund a Need she absolutely shined and put our organization on a trajectory to have the most successful fundraising event in our history. She did research on our Live Auction items, she familiarized herself with our mission and work and it paid off. She was prepared, professional, energetic and extremely entertaining. Simply put, she was the best auctioneer we have seen in action and can’t wait to begin working with Red Apple on our 2018 event.
Iany McDonald-Schneider –
We often have difficulty coming up with new ideas for our live and silent auctions. Sherry has saved us many times with great suggestions, that have been major hits at our gala!
We can not thank her enough for her 4 p’s: professionalism, patience, practicality, and positive attitude!
Iany Schneider, Gala Chair
Christ Episcopal School, Rockville
Erin Banda –
To say that Sherry has helped our auction run more smoothly and feel more professional is an understatement. She has literally taken our auction to a level over and above where we ever thought it could go.
Yes, she offers great training and ideas to generate more interesting items; guidance on choosing what should go in live vs. silent, running the raffle, flow of the evening, etc. This is her ‘how.’ I suspect we would get similar service from any auction company, though.
The unique quality that Sherry brings is her ‘who.’
Who she is when she is auctioneering is so much more powerful than the how. What makes her different and far superior, in my opinion, is her poise, energy, and confidence. Sherry comes alive when she’s on stage.
She auctioneers like her hair is on fire! Everyone in the room can easily sense that she cares as deeply for the mission as we do. I don’t think there’s any quality that can benefit a non-profit gala more.
If your auction needs to upgrade, call any auctioneer you find on Google. But if you want your auction to be impressive, meaningful, and profitable, you need to call Sherry.
Erin Banda
2016 NYUMBANI Board member
Pete Goldlust –
I was very fortunate to have Red Apple on board for my first auction. Working with Sherry was invaluable. She provided guidance at every phase of planning, from procurement on forward – and she challenged us to make our event more ambitious and more successful at every stage. Thank you, Sherry!
Pete Goldlust, Director of Development
Oak Hill School (Eugene, OR)
Kevin Allexon –
You make it so easy to spend money.
Kevin Allexon, Parent
2017 Congressional School gala
Charly Ryan –
Our Benefit Auction had become painfully boring.
Although volunteers worked hard soliciting donations and setting up beautiful displays, our parents were looking for an excuse not to spend money – and this was our major school fundraiser!
We changed venues several times, then decided it wasn’t the venue – it was our auctioneer. We went through a few well-known auctioneers but simply couldn’t find “one with the spark.”
Several years ago, I met Sherry and watched her command a chatty, challenging crowd and turn them into a smiling paddle-raising group who were actually enjoying the bidding competition. Totally impressed, I quickly invited her to take a chance on us. She did and it’s turned our ho-hum event into the “gotta be there” party!
The difference – she is a professional in every sense of the word and can handle any situation with ease.
She gets immersed into the event, connects with the audience and keeps them engaged. She makes them feel great about what they are bidding on and is truly excited when she announces “It’s sold!” Our parents look forward to seeing her back each year!
Sherry is “on board” from day one of auction planning, works closely with our steering committee and is only just a phone call away. The night of the auction, we toss her the keys and let her drive the event! We are never disappointed!
Charly Ryan, Director of Institutional Advancement
The Academy of the Holy Cross (Kensington, MD)
Beckie Middendorf –
We began following Sherry’s seminars in 2012. After implementing some of her suggestions that first year, we saw an immediate increase in revenue. We then began working with Sherry directly (seminars, webinars, online marketing materials, etc.). And in 2016 we contracted with Red Apple Auctions to MC our Live Auction.
Sherry and her team also helped us implement several new and innovative ideas.
Sherry is flexible and easy to work with. She gives honest feedback and advice throughout the planning and implementation process. Without a doubt, Sherry and Red Apple Auctions has helped take our annual fundraising event to the next level.”
Beckie Middendorf, Development Director and Janet Gulla, Development Coordinator
St. Henry District High School (Erlanger, KY)
Diane Albano –
Thank you so much for the outstanding job you did for us on April 1! I have received so much positive feedback from so many who attended. You even earned Sister Suzan’s (our Vice-Principal) seal of approval!
I am so thrilled with the whole event, the outcome, you, your professionalism, and command of the audience, the way you closed the silent auction tables, the Raise Your Paddle … can’t thank you enough.
I’m also really glad I persuaded our Principal to try something new and someone new – one of the best decisions I have made in quite some time!
Safe travels to all your many events and thank you for making our biggest fundraiser of the year our best ever!
Diane Albano, Director of Development
St. Joseph Academy Catholic High School (St. Augustine, FL)
Krystal Fenwick –
Sherry, oh, Sherry! You were an invaluable asset to this year’s gala. With your assistance we were able to add so many new elements that truly made a difference in taking our event to another level. This year was the most successful yet! Everyone loved you and the amazing energy that you brought to the event. We look forward to having you again in 2018!