Would you like to create social media buzz at your next charity event? Take a page from major sporting event playbooks and invite people to post photos of themselves at your event. They can share the photo via Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to show everyone else why they should be at your event next year.
Read more Our daughter needed basic transportation this summer for two months, so we bought her a 15 year-old car...where else but at an auction! “Doris the Taurus” (as the car was dubbed) served her purpose of providing safe, reliable transportation for our daughter while she was home from Spain. However, just two days before we planned to sell the car back to the same auction house, we returned home to find that the car was involved in a hit and run with significant damage to the driver’s side.
Read more You know that shopping spree you went on? The one where you went in search of new tennis shoes and instead came home with a sack full of items you hadn’t planned on? Sometimes those moments are fun; sometimes filled with regret. Well, trust me on this, the same can be said in reverse when you let a great opportunity go by.
Read more An event in an airport hangar? How will that work? What could be awesome? What could go wrong? I recently sat with a client who shared that her next event was going to take place in an airport hangar. This was her nonprofit’s first time working in an airport hangar; it was our company’s fifth time!
Read more What is more important, a room filled with guests attending your event to eat dinner or a room brimming with guests passionate about your cause and there to support it? I think the answer is obvious. Many organizations lose this focus when compiling their guest list and it is the first step in getting the right people to your event.
Read more Can you remember how you felt in those late summer days just prior to going back to school? …You know, that unique mix of anticipation, excitement and maybe even a little bit of angst?
Read more Many of the nonprofits I work with feel a local celebrity is a must when conducting their fundraising event. While celebrities can help garner attendance by curious attendees, these celebrities need to be utilized in the best way possible to maximize fundraising for the nonprofit. Let’s explore a few of the ways they can help.
Read more Can $20 of wine make you $200 during a live auction? Can a six pack of beer make you $150 or more? How about a stuffed toy? Can it make you an extra $1,500? …The answer each time is yes!
Read more Happy New Year! 2015 is a wrap and we now look forward to 2016 and all the great things it will offer. At the Benefit Auction Institute, we are researching topics and planning additional classes for the new year.
Read more Eight years ago my husband planted a Honeycrisp apple tree in our front yard. And being Minnesotans we are very biased that all Honeycrisp apples—if not the ones from our very own front tree— are the best on the planet. Of course, we place a premium on the fruit that the tree produces because there is some amount of work in getting to the point of harvest. Between the watering, the tiny amount of spraying, and the occasional pruning of the branches, there is something very satisfying about getting to the place where we can pick our prized apples.
Read more I participated in a Halloween costume party last night for the Humane Society Pet Rescue and Adoption Center. Everyone went overboard with their costumes and everyone had a fun time. I dressed as “Death” and wore a black robe with my face totally covered with a non-transparent mask.
Read more Considering dropping your Silent Auction? Read here first!
Read more While I’m not going to debate chickens, I am going to help you explore your fundraising gala. During my consulting over the past seven years with non-profits, there has been a lot of discussion regarding when the live auction should be conducted during the evening. Many groups want to “set the tone” with keynote speeches, awards and videos, all in tune with the mission. While these things do set the tone and ensures the guests know the non-profit’s mission, I would like to offer a more profitable suggestion.
Read more First impressions matter! How often did you hear that growing up? “You never get a second chance to make a first impression,” I was always told. Your event is no different.
Read more Thinking about your personal attendance at a fundraising event, why are you there? Is it to have fun, see friends, and eat a nice meal? Hopefully you also attend to support the non-profit. More than likely, the guests at your event also have this same “agenda”.
Read more It is better to have 200 informed, engaged and committed attendees at an event who are ready to spend money, than 400 people who are learning about your organization for the first time. Informed. Engaged. Committed. You get your guests to that place with a communications plan that interacts with them throughout the entire year. Once you have an informed and engaged audience, you can implement the following five cost-effective tips for event promotion:
Read more You’ve prepared everything for your gala/auction event including invitations, item procurement, forms and the venue. You’re all set for the big night, right? Not necessarily. What have you done to inform your guests of the big ticket items that will be offered during your event?
Read more Changes can be exhilarating, exhausting, frightening—and life-boosting. Some are long in coming; others can happen in the blink of an eye without warning. How you handle a transition may depend on your circumstances, your demeanor, or both.
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