Female Fundraising Charity Auctioneers
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Inside My Business: Secrets to Sealing the Deal

2/17/2020

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I won’t lie. 

I’m a good auctioneer.

I’m a rockstar at Fund-A-Need auctions.

I’m a fundraising ace.

I’m also a top-notch sales woman.

Did you just get the heebie jeebies? 

Many people hate sales, but not me. Today, I want to share my secrets for a successful initial client call. Over the years I have developed a method for conducting these calls that helps me land the jobs I want, ninety percent of the time. 

This initial call is part informational and 100% a sales call. These forty-five minutes are how we make the choice to work together.

People get in touch with me in all sorts of ways, but most often they reach out through a form on my website. Each time this form is filled out, I get an email with the person’s contact information.

As soon as I can, I take some time to look up the organization. I’m looking for a couple things here: who they are, what they do, and whether I can get behind their message. I only proceed with nonprofits whose mission I can get behind. If the nonprofit’s mission is something I cannot connect with, I politely decline.

I also spend some time researching the nonprofit’s past events. I’ll look at pictures and read over any information available about the event. I’m looking for details here. Seating arrangements, how people are dressed, major philanthropists in attendance, the timing of the event. But most importantly, I’m looking to see if people are paying attention. All these seemingly minor details can give me a ton of information about an event before we even hop on the phone. 

At this point, my trusty assistant emails the organization with links to schedule a call and download a worksheet. The worksheet asks questions about the nonprofit’s most recent Fund-A-Need event so that I can better gauge how much room for growth the event has.

When it’s time for our chat, here’s how it typically goes
We hop on the call and jump right into a discussion of the upcoming event. Because I do my research ahead of time, there’s no need to spend time explaining the story of the nonprofit, their mission, and their past events. I’m maximizing time here by getting straight to the stuff that counts. Also, I’m beginning the process of building trust, based on the fact that I took the time to do my research.

I’ll ask for information on the upcoming event, typically based on data from previous years.
  • How many people?
  • How many revenue streams?
  • What kind of revenue streams?
  • Have you used a professional auctioneer before? If so, who?

These questions help me understand a few things:
  1. Does the nonprofit know what it needs and what it wants from this event? Hint: Often, these are two different things.
  2. Are they clear on why they haven’t been reaching their fundraising goals?

Then, we go over the worksheet and talk about what can be expected from the event, in terms of REAL fundraising growth.

My secret to winning all the clients I want is honestly.

I am always honest when giving advice on how to increase fundraising at events. If there is money left in the room, as oftentimes there is, I’ll say so. But, if the nonprofit in question is already achieving 70-80% participation during the Fund-A-Need, then I’m very honest about how we need to set realistic expectations in terms of fundraising. There’s just not a ton of money left in a room with that kind of participation.

At this point of the call, the client usually asks a ton of questions about how I work, how much I cost, what’s included, etc. 

But what I think is most important is how I end the call. I talk a lot about feelings. 

The nonprofit world is filled with women. As a woman, as a mom, as a former nonprofit employee, I talk about how I want to feel about the working relationship. Fundraising is a touchy-feely business. Donors give because of how we make them feel. How people feel is important. 

Coming off of that first call I want my clients to feel like they can trust me, more than any other auctioneer, to do what’s best for them. To achieve this, I always tell potential clients exactly what I think. If they have a question, I give them the answer for free. I won’t give them step-by-step instructions, but I’ll tell them the solution to their problem and make a few recommendations. 

Many auctioneers guard their secrets, but I don’t. I know a very well-known auctioneer who starts all of his calls by asking his clients to tell him about their organization. When you’re on the phone with me, the entire call is spent on your event. I want to take the time to really dig deep and see if I can help, because sometimes I can’t. Some people advertise a free consultation, but what that really means is you’ll explain your organization and event and the auctioneer will give you a sales pitch. 

I really do provide a free consultation because my main goal is not to sell you on my service, I want to help you raise more money. I want to help you make the world a better place. For me, it’s about helping the organization first.

My business model is based on transparency. I want all nonprofits to succeed, even if they can’t afford me. You can find all of my secrets online for free, if you look. I am often on the phone answering questions and talking about fundraising longer with nonprofits who can’t afford to hire me, because I believe in the work.

I recently spoke to a client who was looking to increase their fundraising at their yearly gala. The way this event is structured, it functions more as a very expensive promotional event than a fundraiser. 

They have a handful of speakers, a couple of honorees, auctions, and a Fund-A-Need to round out the evening. Their event is in NYC, on a Tuesday night. Most of their donors have to get up for work in the morning, so there’s no guaranteeing they’re going to stay long enough to even see the Fund-A-Need. 

I suggested very plainly that they move the Fund-A-Need up in the program, placing it right after their opening speaker. This way, I’ve got the money early and it doesn’t matter what time people leave.

The event is a couple months away (at the time of writing) and I think they’ll be pleasantly surprised by what we’re able to accomplish with this single change.
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A Day in the Life of a Charity Auctioneer: Auction Edition

2/3/2020

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A while ago, I showed you what a typical work day is like for me. If I’m working an auction, my day looks quite a bit different.

Most fundraising events take place in the evening, so I typically start my auction days at noon.
As a female auctioneer, I need more prep time than the men in my field. Sad, but true. So, I start early to make sure there’s time to get everything done properly.

I start with a shower, then I settle in to blow dry my hair. And I mean settle in. I like to blow dry my hair while sitting on the floor and reading a book. This means it takes me a bit longer to blow dry my hair than the average person, but it’s worth it. 

Next, I consult my trusty charity auctioneer outfit spreadsheet. That’s right, I keep track of the outfits I wear to each event, each year. I only see most of the people at these events once a year, and the sad fact is that if I show up in the same outfit twice in a row, I will get comments.

Once I have chosen an outfit for the event, I pack it away in my garment bag and pack my auction bag.

Makeup comes next, but I don’t do it all before I leave the house. I do my skincare routine and put on foundation, everything else waits until I’m at the venue. My foundation looks best if it has time to sink into my skin before I do anything else. So, while it does that, I drive over to the venue. 

Depending on how far I’m driving, I’m in the car between 2:00 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. I always stop for an energy drink on the way. I sip on it slowly on my way to the venue, usually only getting through a quarter of the can before I throw it away. 

The first thing I do when I get to the venue is find my contact. If I can’t find them, I go straight to the sound booth to introduce myself. The sound crew is my backbone. If I don’t have good audio, the auction will sink like a rock. I get a sound check as soon as I possibly can. 

Once the sound check is over, I head to the green room or whatever behind the scenes space they have set aside for the event. I get changed into my auction outfit and do the rest of my makeup.

At about 5:00 p.m. I have a final meeting with the Development Director. Ostensibly this is so they can make sure I have everything I need, but usually it’s the other way around. Then I wait for the auction to begin.

Some of my clients want me out on the floor schmoozing with the guests during the cocktail hour, some of them want me to rehearse with their Fund-A-Need speaker. I fill this pre-auction time with whatever small tasks the nonprofit needs me to do. 

Sometime between 8:00 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. I take to the stage to do the Fund-A-Need and live auction. Afterwards, I meet with the auction recorders and go through my post-auction routine. Sometimes I will hang around to observe the rest of the event, especially if the crowd is particularly energized. Otherwise, I slip into my sweatpants and walk out the door. The funny thing about dressing the way I do for auctions is that as soon as I take my bright, shimmery outfits off, I become invisible. No one remembers what I look like and I can slip out of the building undetected, and before the valet station gets busy. 

Then I drive home, probably stopping at McDonald's on the way. And that’s it, that’s a day in my life if I have an auction in the evening. 

Are you a charity auctioneer or nonprofit professional? What does your event day look like? Let me know in the comments.   
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Inside My Business: Events Aren’t Always What They Seem

1/20/2020

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There’s a surprising amount of jealousy in the nonprofit world, especially when it comes to events. 

Fundraising events and galas can be flashy, star-studded affairs. The coverage of which can make it seem like every nonprofit around is more successful than yours. But, that’s just not true.

People almost always exaggerate. If you read a press release stating that the local animal shelter raised a staggering $1.6 million at their latest event, pay attention to the information that isn’t included in that press release. 

You don’t know where that revenue came from. Was it strictly donations, or are they factoring in ticket sales, sponsorships, underwriting, etc? 

You don’t know what their goal was. Yes, $1.6 million is absolutely an impressive, staggering amount of money. But if their goal for the evening was $3 million, it wasn’t a fundraising success. They did not meet their goal and will now have to rethink their budgetary priorities.

In American culture we are trained to look up at the wealthier, more successful, more beautiful people around us. We see this everywhere online. Social media has certainly exacerbated the issue, but celebrity culture has always existed.

What we forget to do is look around us at the people doing the work. We overlook the small nonprofits doing amazing work on a shoestring budget with two full-time employees. We overlook the nonprofits who would love to be able to host a fundraising event or throw a party.

Always be grateful for the donors who support your nonprofit, no matter what. They believe in you and the work you are doing enough to give you some of their hard-earned dollars. It doesn’t matter what the nonprofit down the street is working on or how much they raised last quarter. What matters is the work you are doing today.  
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A Day in the Life of a Charity Auctioneer

1/6/2020

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I’m always curious to hear how other people run their businesses; what a typical day looks like and how they stay on top of everything. I find the different ways of doing things endlessly fascinating and sometimes I learn new strategies that I can incorporate into my life. 

I hope I’m not the only one who finds this interesting because today I’m going to give you a look at my typical day when I don’t have an auction in the evening.

My day starts bright and early at 6:30 a.m. I get the baby up and then go wake my two older kids. Our mornings are pretty busy, so I try to make breakfast the night before when I can. 

As an aside: I LOVE MAKING BREAKFAST FOOD. My love for breakfast food is deep and unyielding. Pancakes, waffles, banana bread, fancy breakfast pastries. I make it all. 

At 7:45 a.m. I do the morning school run. That’s the latest we can leave if there’s any hope of being at school on time.

At 9:00 a.m. the nanny arrives and I am free to start my work day. From 9:00 a.m. to noon you’ll find me in my home office, sitting in front of the computer with headphones on. I slog through emails and notifications, put work together for clients, and sometimes have a client call or two.

At noon I try to exercise for at least 45 minutes. I hate cardio, so I don’t do it. Instead you’ll find me doing a combination of weight training, pilates, and yoga.

1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. is reserved for new client calls, working with my assistant, writing contracts, doing billing, etc. By 3:00 p.m. I am out the door to pick the kids up from school.

3:00 p.m to 6:00 p.m. is family time. I don’t look at my phone, check email, or do anything for my business. Instead I’m helping with homework and playing with my kids. I’m lucky to have the privilege of arranging my life this way. I am able to run my business and be with my kids every day. That’s not something I take for granted. 

At 6:00 p.m. we do kid dinner and then the kids get ready for bed. I would love nothing more than to sit down with my kids and enjoy a meal, but they are not enjoyable to eat with. They are three tiny, tyrannical customers and I am their short order cook.

Sometime after the kids are in bed I’ll eat dinner. I do intermittent fasting. It’s something I’ve done since my early twenties, before I knew it had a name. Most days I only eat one meal in the evening, though I do consume coffee and tea throughout the day. 

From 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. I’m back in front of my computer tying up any loose ends from the day. There are some days where I don’t have any work left to do, when that happens I’m cleaning the kitchen, listening to a podcast or watching a YouTube video, and making breakfast for the next day. These podcasts and videos are never work related. If I’m listening to a nonprofit podcast, I’m driving in the car to an event. My favorite podcasts to listen to for pleasure are story-based podcasts. Two of my current favorites are Ear Hustle and Armchair Expert. As you know if you’ve read Ten Things You Don’t Know About Me, I’m obsessed with skincare. If I’m watching YouTube videos, they’re probably about skincare.

After all that is done, I’ll sit down to watch some TV. And I love me some TV. My current favorite show, my guilty pleasure, is Alone. I watch Glow, The Handmaid’s Tale, and all that popular stuff too, but my absolute favorite right now is Alone.

Then, I go to bed. 

And that’s it, that’s my day if I don’t have an auction to go to in the evening. It’s busy, but I’m grateful that I’m able to do what I love while taking care of my family.
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What’s in My Auction Bag

12/16/2019

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I remember showing up to my very first charity gala. I had one rollaboard suitcase and a garment bag with three different outfits and pairs of shoes inside. 

I no longer use a suitcase, instead I use a large tote which I call my auction bag. Inside are all the items that I need, or might need, for the event I’m working that day. I just grab my auction bag and I’m ready to go. 

Are you a newer auctioneer overwhelmed by all the stuff to haul back and forth to events? If so, this list is for you. Here are the eighteen essential items in my auction bag. 

  1. An extra pair of auction shoes. You will always break a heel or lose a sole at the worst possible time. Unless you carry a spare pair of shoes, in which case you will almost never need them.
  2. Business cards. Everyone who sees me on stage is a potential client, and I’m always prepared.
  3. Six fine-tipped black sharpies.
  4. Two silver sharpies and two gold sharpies. Sometimes you need to write on dark objects.
  5. Elnett hairspray. Smells horrible. Works wonders. 
  6. A hair brush.
  7. A hair straightener. Doubles as an improvised iron. 
  8. Scissors. Useful for cutting auction notes, raffle tickets, and extra long fake eyelashes. 
  9. Blister bandaids. 
  10. Gum or mints. Wintergreen or peppermint only.
  11. A clipboard with a compartment on top to store my notes and pens.
  12. A set of makeup brushes from bh cosmetics.
  13. A makeup bag with all my auction makeup.
  14. Extra pairs of eyelashes because I go through them like nobody’s business. My eyelashes of choice are Bluelans.
  15. Deodorant.
  16. A phone charger.
  17. My camera and a tripod. I often film myself so that I can show the videos to potential clients, review my skills, and ensure there is an accurate record of the live auction and Fund-A-Need. I use a Canon G7 X.
  18. My hand-held, wireless microphone and receiver. I use a Sennheiser EW 100. 

That’s it. That’s everything I carry with me in my auction bag. What are your auction must-haves? Let me know what you don’t leave home without in the comments below.
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My Auction Makeup

12/2/2019

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Today, I thought it could be interesting to give you a rundown of what I keep in my auction makeup bag. My makeup bag used to be enormous. I never knew what would work well and what I would need for the evening. Over the years I have whittled my makeup bag down to thirteen essential products that meet my exacting criteria.

To be in my makeup bag, a product must:


  • Be long-lasting. It must hold up to long hours, hot lights, and sweat. I can’t have makeup melting off my face while I’m on stage.
  • Read well from the back of the room. If you have ever been on stage before, you know stage makeup is a different beast. It’s bold and exaggerated because people in the back of the room must be able to see what’s happening on stage.
  • Look good on camera. I use footage from my auctions in my business materials and on YouTube.
  • Look natural up close. I know, I know. I just said stage makeup is bold and exaggerated, and it is! But I also want to look good when talking to people face-to-face. It’s all about balance.
  • Affordable or amazing. I go through a lot of makeup, so what I buy can’t break the bank. If I’m going to splurge on a product, it better be amazing.

As you can see, I have strict criteria for what goes in my makeup bag. These products all meet my criteria.

  1. A brush set from bh cosmetics. I’m obsessed with bh cosmetics brushes because they are soft, they blend like a dream, and they are well-priced. They wash and dry easily too. If you are scared about buying makeup brushes this is a great introductory set. They have a ton of different set options, but my favorite are the Studio Pro brushes. 
  2. MAC Cosmetics blush in peony petal. Is it bad that I’ve been using the same blush I started with in high school? I seriously can’t get enough of this color. It’s matte, long-wearing and gives me a youthful glow on stage. 
  3. Maybelline Brow Drama in deep brown. Although brows are all the rage now, I’m not so into them. Perhaps this is because I’ve always had full brows, I don’t understand why I need to fill them in. This is easy to use, looks natural, and doesn’t run when I’m sweating from calling bid numbers. 
  4. Maybelline Volum’ Express the Mega Plush Mascara. Lashes for me are a PROCESS! If I am doing a big event, meaning I will be onstage or seen on a live cam, I’m always wearing false lashes (see #12 below for my favorite super cheap, compliment generating lashes). If I have an intimate auction with 200 people or less, I go with my natural lashes but I need three different layers to get the look I want. This is the first step in my natural lashes routine. 
  5. L’Oreal Voluminous Mascara. This is my go-to mascara off stage. When I’m on stage, this is step two in my natural lashes routine.
  6. L’Oreal Voluminous Million Lashes Waterproof Mascara. This mascara is step three in my natural lashes routine because it  locks EVERYTHING in place and it doesn’t move all night. I’ve used this for the past eight years and, in my opinion, this is the best choice for performance makeup. 
  7. Physicians Formula Bronze Booster Highlight and Contour Palette. This palette has great shades and great blendability at a great price. What more do you need from a contour palette?
  8. Giorgio Armani Power Fabric Foundation. I have been around the block with foundations. This is my current foundation holy grail. It looks natural on the skin while giving me medium full coverage. It easily lasts ten hours. It doesn’t crack or look weird on textured, acne prone skin and it looks great on camera. 
  9. Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Eraser. Great coverage from a drugstore product. If you haven’t tried this yet, you need to. 
  10. Marc Jacobs’ eyeliner. I have tried over 120 different eyeliners. No joke. This is the best by far. It does not move even one centimeter from my waterline. For a zero budge eyeliner, this is a performer’s dream. 
  11. Kat Von D Tattoo Liner. When I am wearing false lashes, this tattoo liner cannot be beat. It’s the perfect formula and worth every penny.
  12. Bluelans eyelashes. I used to purchase expensive eyelashes. I’m talking $10 per set, which is not cheap when you’re going through two or three sets a week. So, I went looking on amazon and gave these $4 lashes a try. They are my new go-to lashes. They look amazing onstage and I can wear fresh ones every time. These are not your natural but better lashes, they are made for the stage thick, fake lashes. 
  13. Various Makeup Geek and MAC eyeshadow in browns, purples, and blues. I use mostly matte eyeshadow so that I don’t have to deal with any rogue glitter on my face, which can often read as sweat from far away. Makeup Geek and MAC both make great, long lasting eyeshadow that don’t budge.

That’s it, that’s what’s in my auction makeup bag. Did I leave out any of your favorite products? Let me know in the comments. And let me know if you want to see an auction makeup tutorial from me over on my YouTube channel.
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My Post-Auction Routine

11/18/2019

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Several years ago now, I received a call from a client one week after their event. They needed to know who won their raffle because they couldn’t remember. In the week since their event I had worked four more. I did not remember who won their raffle. 

My post-auction routine grew out of that experience. I follow these steps exactly with each of my clients immediately after their event ends.


The first thing I do when I am done with an auction is meet with the Fund-A-Need recorders
. Usually there are between three and five people tasked with manually recording the donations during the Fund-A-Need. We sit in a room and go over each donation and donor number, line by line. We reconcile the numbers and create one master sheet with all the Fund-A-Need donations. Then, I take a photo of each page of the master list with my phone. Photos have become essential because it’s not uncommon for one page of the master list to get messed up or lost. Next, I ask each recorder to write their name on the top of each page of their recorded Fund-A-Need donations in case we need to check their handwriting or have any questions for them. I then have each recorder take a picture of every single page they filled out, exactly like I did with the master list. I have them email these photos to themselves and to the Development Director. 


I repeat the same process for the live auction, silent auction, any raffles that happen, etc. I create a master list of all the auction lots, who won the item, and what their bid was.


Once I have my master sheets, I meet with the Development Director, Executive Director, Party Planner, whoever is on site and available. I give them all the information.
I physically hand over the master lists to this person. I also give them a list of any issues that occurred. For example, if I was supposed to sell two trips to Mexico but I only had one bidder, I will make a note of that and let them know that only one of the trips sold.


This is where we iron out any issues from the auctions. If an item sold and the buyer decided they didn’t want it after all, I’ll point out the second-highest bidder. I can remember these details up until the moment I leave the building, after that my attention is focused on the next event I’m doing and I probably won’t remember who else bid on that fabulous trip for four to Iceland.
We get all the discrepancies and issues ironed-out that we possibly can before I leave.


Then I leave.


I make sure to pay for my parking.


I listen to a podcast on my drive home.


If it’s Saturday, I stop at McDonalds and get a number nine. But only if it’s Saturday.


I get home, take off all my makeup, and settle in to watch a nature documentary or something else that calms and soothes me.


Then, I go to bed.


That’s it. That’s my post-auction routine. Following this procedure before leaving events has been life-changing. I no longer have to worry about discrepancies or forgotten winners. Everything is squared away before I leave and I’m able to turn my attention to my next event, guilt free.


What is your post-event routine? I’d love to hear what works for you down in the comments.

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Ten Things You Don’t Know About Me

10/25/2019

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1. I am very self-conscious about my voice 
My voice has been one of my greatest assets in the auction world, but in my non-work life it is something that I’ve always been self-conscious about. I have always had a deep voice, and it’s only gotten deeper as I’ve gotten older. I don’t have the same range as most women. I can’t sing the same parts at synagogue. When I call to make reservations at restaurants, people often don’t know if I’m a man or a woman. I attribute part of this confusion to my uncommon name, but part of it is definitely my voice.

2. I spent three years working on a cruise ship
It was a blast, but this non-traditional work experience set me back when it came time to find a real career. I came home after three years on a cruise ship and could not get a job. No one would hire me because they didn’t see any of the skills I had as transferable. To make matters worse, while I was gone all my friends found real jobs and gotten settled in their lives.  It was really tough on me, I felt like garbage and my self-worth took a huge hit. I felt like the odd one out.

Today, I think I appreciate my success even more than I would have without the experience of being unemployed and unemployable.

3. I read often 
My favorite genres are Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Young Adult Fiction. If there’s a map at the front of the book, I know it’s the book for me.
 
I love books so much, I volunteer at my kids’ school library a few hours a week and all the kids know I’m the one to come to for book recommendations.

4. I am really self-conscious about my skin 
I have had acne since I was thirteen. It’s still there, though it has tapered off in recent years. It has taken me a long time, but I have come to accept bad skin as a part of my life. I have spent a lot of money, time, and energy on fixing my skin. And I get everything: Botox, fillers, laser treatments. If it’s available, I’ll try it and I’m not embarrassed to talk about it. Some people just have bad skin and I’m one of them.

5. I don’t have a ton of close friends, and I’m okay with that 
I don’t have a lot of close friends, and most of the friends I do have live across the country so I rarely get to see them. Despite this, I don’t feel the need to make more friends. I am a social loner type; I am very social but I really really enjoy being alone. 

However, I’m married to someone who hates being alone. I mean absolutely hates it. He’d be perfectly happy to never spend another moment alone, but I need my alone time. It helps me recharge and prepare to face the world once again.

6. I consciously limit my social media time 
Social media is great for a lot of reasons, feeding jealous tendencies is not one of them. I get very jealous and competitive when I see everyone’s perfect lives on social media. I don’t need to see your newest million dollar purchase or your clean, well-behaved kids. 

Everyone is always skinnier, prettier, and wealthier than me and when I am subject to a constant barrage of this, I can’t help but compare myself. Constant comparison is not healthy. So I limit my time. I don’t really use my personal social media accounts at all anymore. I hardly ever post anything myself, and I don’t look at anyone else’s accounts if I can avoid it. 

7. I take medication every day to stay alive 
This has been my life since I was fifteen. I’m not going to talk much about it because it’s personal, but I had multiple brain surgeries when I was younger. 

Everything is fine now, I’m totally healthy. But I do have to take medication every day for the rest of my life.

8. My office is a mess 
It's a disaster all the time. But it’s an organized mess. I know where the things I need are. Every once in a while I will develop the urge to clean my space. It stays that way for about a week before it begins slowly dissolving into chaos.

I currently have over 400 unread emails, twenty texts, and eight unread notifications. I will get to most of them eventually. Except the notifications. I don’t know how to clear my notifications. This does not bother me.

9. I’m handy 
I can fix a lot of things. I know how to use power tools. I can take a door off a wall. I can build furniture. I love being self-sufficient and having the power to do tasks around the house.

10. I have three children 
I don’t talk about them very often. They are six, three, and one. I never wanted to be a mom, but here I am and I love it. Philanthropy is very important to our family and it’s something I teach my kids about even at such young ages. I hope to bring them with me to an auction one day.
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Deeper Donor Relationships Through Note-Taking

9/30/2019

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About four or five months into my first fundraising job I went to a conference. It was my first ever professional conference and I was meeting so many people who I knew would be in and around my career for the foreseeable future. 

I wanted, and needed, to remember each and every one of them. 


At my previous job working on a cruise ship, I didn’t need to remember everyone’s name because once they got off the boat I was unlikely to ever see them again. But in a field like fundraising, which is centered on people and relationships, remembering people is important.


I started taking notes at the end of every day on every new person I met who had a chance of being in my life professionally. And I still do. I do all of this on the notes app on my phone so I can take notes anytime, anywhere, but you should use whatever device works best for you. 


The first thing I do is write down each person’s name, full name if I have it. I also record anything that comes up in conversation: their interests, where they live, what their job is, etc. 


Then, before I see each person again, I check my notes. This makes conversation less awkward because I don’t have to rely on generic small talk. I can ask specific questions about their job, hobbies, or interests because I made a note about what I learned from previous interactions. 


It makes a world of difference. 


People genuinely appreciate it when you take the time to remember something specific about them.

I can’t take all the credit for this practice, I learned it from my dad. He would write down everything he learned about people so that he wouldn’t forget them before the next time he spoke to them.


I encourage everyone to adapt this practice to your needs. Take notes on anything that seems useful, but don’t pressure yourself to record everything. This practice isn’t supposed to add hours of work to your day, just a few minutes here and there. Keep this information in a place where you and your employees can access it easily before talking with donors and beneficiaries. 


Taking notes will help your conversations go more smoothly because it removes any nervousness surrounding what to say. It will also remind you and your employees to see your donors as people, not as wallets.

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The ABCs of Fundraising Events

9/9/2019

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Fundraising events are like theatrical productions. A lot of people put in a lot of work to make sure these events go off without a hitch. Those of you who have a background in performance will recognize many of these terms but if you don’t, don’t worry! I’m going to walk you through it, step by step. 

You can even print this list out and carry it with you as you attend meetings and plan events so you always sound professional and experienced.


A
ir Wall Partitions: Movable walls that allow you to create smaller rooms within a larger space.

B
anquet Captain: The person in charge of your servers and running the service.

B
reakdown: The act of cleaning up after the event. Returning the venue to the state in which you found it.

C
heck In/Out: A table near the entrance of the venue where your guests check in and pick up any forms as they arrive.

C
orkage: The price hotels and other venues charge for serving wine brought in by the customer.

Cue to Cue: A document that lays out every cue in the program. 

D
ance Floor: A movable floor that designates a space for dancing.

E
ntertainment: The evening’s entertainment offerings. Comedians, dancers, musicians, etc.  

F
&B: Short for Food and Beverage. The department at a hotel or venue responsible for catering and service.

F
amily Style: A method of serving food on large plates placed in the center of the table. A faster way of doing service.

F
loorplan: The layout of the room including the stage and all tables and chairs.

G
oBo: Metal plates that slide over the front of lights to project images onto the floor or wall. Must be custom made.

G
reen Room: The room your special guests or honorees wait in until they are needed on stage.

H
andlers: People who make sure your award winner, guests, and honorees are where they are supposed to be when they are supposed to be there.

H
onorarium: Includes any fees, travel expenses, and accommodations provided to your special guests or speakers.

H
onoree: A member of the community chosen to be honored at your event for the work they do in the community.

I
nstallation: The act of setting the event up prior to the day. 

K
eynote: A speech given at the beginning of the event. Generally focuses on a unifying theme and major accomplishments.

L
ivestream: Live video of the event, available to watch online both during and after the event. 

M
ic Check: A point, before the event begins, when everyone checks that their mics are working and set to the correct volume.

N
o-Show: A guest who RSVP’d but does not show up for the event.

O
verhead Projector: Suspended above the room. Used to project images and presentations on to walls and screens.

P
rojection Screens: Either front or rear projection. Used to display presentations. I prefer rear projection because it is neater and you don’t need to worry about people walking in front of the screen.

R
un of Show/Show Flow: A minute-by-minute schedule that includes all elements of the event, including cues and volunteer duties. 

S
ervice: The time during which food or drinks are served at an event.

S
ite Visit: The visit you and your team make to look at the venue before your event.

S
taff Meal: The meal your staff is served at the event. This meal is separate from your event and served in a different room.

S
tage Manager: The person who calls the show.

S
tage Monitor: A speaker that points at the stage so the person speaking can hear themselves.

T
ech Run: A practice run of the event with all technical elements working.

T
eleprompter: The device that displays text for the person on stage to read.

F
Und-A-Need: An auction that invites everyone to make a donation without expectation of something tangible in return.

V
enue: The location of your event.

V
irtual Attendees: Attendees who watch your event live, or after the fact, over the internet and participate by making a donation.

V
olunteers: Unpaid workers who donate their time to help organize, execute, and clean up after your event.

W
aitlist: A list of guests who have RSVP’d but cannot fit inside the venue unless another guest no-shows.

X
-Stands: Also called Service Stands or Jack Stands. These are for meal service at a large venue. Waiters use these to support their tray when serving a large number of entrees.

Charit
Y Auctioneer: A professional auctioneer hired to plan and call auction and run the Fund-A-Need.

Z
oom Lens: Allows your videographer to vary the focal length of recorded video.

This list is far from comprehensive. As you continue to improve your fundraising skills and plan new events, you will naturally become familiar with the terminology.


Did I leave your favorite nonprofit fundraising event word off the list? Comment below and let me know.

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Sexual Harassment at Charity Events

8/26/2019

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Sexual harassment at charity events is something we don’t talk about enough in this field. It happens all the time.

It’s a horrible situation especially because, when I’m mic'd up for an event, I can’t chew out the human scum lobbing these inappropriate comments at me.


Unfortunately, older men are the worst exhibitors of this behavior.


They put their arm around you and pull you into a hold like you are their wife or girlfriend. It’s deeply intimate and incredibly inappropriate. And there’s nothing you can do. You are representing the nonprofit in that moment, you can’t pull away or tell them off. You have no recourse.


Men have interrupted my auctions, not to bid on items, but to ask me to sell them my panties.


People have gotten up to interrupt me, mid-auction, and explain to me how they think I should be doing my job.


I spent a good portion of last auction season pregnant. I’m small, so when I’m pregnant I get really big. Each time I have come back to work after having a baby, I receive gross comments about my body and how thin and attractive I am now that I’m not pregnant. It’s gross, it’s rude, and it’s inappropriate. I wish they noticed the auction items as much as my post-pregnancy weight loss. 


I’m already preparing myself for all the comments I’m going to get when I show up to auctions this year looking like my normal, non-pregnant self. Also, thank you for remembering how good I am at my job, instead of just what I look like. I love this job and I’m damn good at it, it would be nice if people remembered that for a change.


I’m not sure if male auctioneers suffer similar mistreatment at events. I would not be surprised to learn that they do.


I have thought about asking the nonprofits I work with to do something to combat sexual harassment at events. If it’s happening to me, it’s definitely happening to other people. But, I’m not sure what they could, or would, do about it. Will they risk losing a major donor who just happens to also be a creep? Or will they let that behavior slide because they can’t function without those major donations? Unfortunately, I think I know the answer. 


Comment below and let me know what you think nonprofits can/should do if a donor behaves inappropriately at a fundraising event.

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My Time as a Miller Girl Made Me a Kick-Ass Fundraiser

8/16/2019

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When I moved back to Minnesota in 2006, after three years of working on board a Carnival cruise lines ship, I was young and inexperienced. I had a difficult time finding a job because I couldn’t figure out how to spin my experience into something appropriate for a resume. When I did manage to land an interview most people wanted me to get them a deal on their next cruise. I was constantly asked about all the crazy things people imagined we got up to on board the ship.

A few months into my job hunt, I saw an ad in the paper for a promotional company. I sent in my headshot and resume, and within two hours I got a response. The email invited me to a group interview at my local Buffalo Wild Wings restaurant. It sounded odd, but I had nothing else to do, so I went.


It turns out I was interviewing to be a Miller Girl. I had graduated from Northwestern University four years earlier and I never pictured myself promoting beer as a job. But, it paid $30 an hour and I was broke. Little did I know, my time as a Miller Girl would help me build skills that I use everyday as a fundraising auctioneer.


I learned how to approach people without it being awkward and uncomfortable. Sure, I had a lot of experience doing this on the cruise ship, but this scenario was totally different. In a bar I couldn't be sure what mood people were going to be in when I approached them, and I had the very tricky goal of convincing people to stop drinking the beer of their choice and switch to Miller Lite in order to improve company sales. 


Approaching people you don't know is awkward enough. Approaching people you don't know in an dark bar is super awkward. Approaching people you don't know in a dark bar while wearing skimpy clothes requires a fearless attitude. 


Through trial and error I perfected my method of walking up to complete strangers and initiating conversation. What worked best for me, and what still works today, is opening up the conversation in a natural honest way. When I'm meeting a donor I don't know I simply walk in, introduce myself, and ask them how their day is going. I share a story about myself, something which is true and fairly mundane. This puts people at ease and gets them to talk about themselves. Once the first four minutes of conversation are out of the way, the rest flows naturally.


I learned how to be a good listener. Chatting with tipsy/drunk people usually leads to lots of listening. Most people just want to be heard. When they find a good listener who asks open-ended questions, their stories just come pouring out. 


As a Miller Girl, I heard a lot about people's relationships, their jobs, their cars, their problems, and the Vikings. As a fundraiser, I hear about people's passions, visions, and dreams of making the world a better place. I ask questions about why they give to particular nonprofits, how they got involved with philanthropy, and why they're interested in making a difference in their community. Listening has resulted in more relationship-building conversations with donors than it ever did Miller Lite sales.


I got comfortable doing whatever it took to get the job done. Miller had tons of promotions going on each month. Sometimes these promotions were games or giveaways. Oftentimes, they required asking people to do things they might not be comfortable doing: taking a survey, playing a trivia game, singing a song, or doing a dance. I had no idea how useful this skill would be to me. 


When I started working at my first nonprofit, I quickly put this skill to work. When I needed to call someone, I did. When I needed to have a conversation with a donor or board member, I did. When I was asked to run icebreaker games and board meetings, I did. I never said no. These days it takes a lot to make me uncomfortable.


I learned how to motivate others. Convincing brawny Minnesotan men to switch from drinking their beer of choice to Miller Lite is no easy task. It requires lots of excitement, energy, and enthusiasm, characteristics that are important whether the aim is getting people to try a new drink, attend a fundraising event, join a board, or make their first donation. The ability to motivate others is of paramount importance in the world of fundraising. It's the skill that I am hired for most often, my energy and ability to motivate groups to give is second to none.


I learned how to keep an open mind. I usually worked at big, chain restaurants like Buffalo Wild Wings, Champs, Dave & Buster's, etc. Only rarely would we work at small, local bars. I remember one particularly cold night when our last stop was a small bar called The Nook, in Saint Paul, Minnesota. I was tired, I was cold, and my feet hurt. The last thing I wanted to do was go to some dive bar. We pulled up and the bar was literally the size of the kitchen at my parents house. I dreaded walking through the door. 


It was one of the most enjoyable evenings of my short-lived Miller Girl career. The people were friendly and fun. Instead of treating us like pieces of meat, they invited us to sit down, share their baskets of fries, and watch the hockey game. As a fundraiser, keeping an open mind about donors, corporations, and your coworkers is super important. 


Never in a million years would I have thought that my time as a Miller Girl would translate so well to my career as a charity fundraiser. It just goes to show that every job is an opportunity to hone your skills. Even something as seemingly unrelated as product promotion can give you ample experience working with the public and dealing with awkward situations, two things that are necessary for all professional fundraisers.

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Bombing On Stage: It Was My Ego’s Fault

8/5/2019

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When I bomb on stage, typically the audience can’t tell. It’s only my ego that is bruised.

I work with my fair share of celebrities. I try to be humble and not brag about them or post photos about them on social media. It’s a perk of my job - which I love. I do not take jobs simply because of the celebrities involved. I take auctions because I believe in the organization and their work. 

Except one time. I let my personal desire to interact with a group of high-net worth people and gain exposure get in the way. I made the poor decision to take a job I knew was a mistake. I let my ego take control. 

I’ll tell you what happened. 

The Client
Last year I was approached by a very popular, fancy magazine focused on high-end products for wealthy people. This magazine features 20-million-dollar yachts the way Target features t-shirts. Its pages are filled with ads for $100,000 dollar watches, cognac, horses and all the other toys that the wealthy spend their millions on. Their target audience is the 1%. The magazine had its heyday in the 80’s and recently rebranded to become more appealing to younger audiences. 

This magazine contacted me about raising money for a third party nonprofit organization, a practice that is more common than many people realize. It’s the upper-class equivalent of Safeway asking you at checkout if you’d like to donate a dollar to help the homeless.

The Promise
I was told that if I helped them meet their fundraising goal of $200,000, I would be given a feature in their magazine in addition to my fee. 

This had the potential to be HUGE for my business. The exposure alone was worth its weight in gold. Not only that, I was going to have the opportunity to meet several of the biggest names in the culinary world at this fundraiser.

I couldn’t say no.


What followed was an experience so overflowing with red flags and flashing neon warning signs that any sane person would have walked away. But I couldn’t say no to my ego. I’m great at my job and I wanted that exposure.

Red Flags
The first thing that should have sent me running the other direction was the nonprofit itself. I have a hard and fast rule when deciding which nonprofits to work with: If I learn about an organization and I am not moved to make a donation myself, I will not take on the client or the special event. I need to have the capacity to care for the nonprofit’s mission. If I don’t, I can’t speak in an authentic voice to help others understand the importance of the organization as well as tug at their wallets. 

This nonprofit is run by two prominent chefs. It’s mission is to help younger chefs rise through the ranks and achieve Michelin star ratings. I’m not much of a foodie, give me a good burger and fries at the local greasy spoon and I am happy. This organization wasn’t one that I would personally donate to, nor could I see a real benefit to the community.  

Furthermore, this fancy magazine had no connection to the nonprofit they were holding the event for. Rather, they were connected to the nonprofit only for access to the high-end chefs that they could provide. Another warning sign that I completely ignored. Their relationship was purely a business deal where the nonprofit provides the chefs and the magazine pays for them with a six-figure donation. And rather than donate the $200,000 themselves, they held an auction to pass along the cost to fine dining aficionados and wealthy subscribers. 

The Details
Invitations for the event were posted on a ticket site and sold to whomever wanted to buy them for $1,500 a pop. Another red flag! The room that night was filled with people who purchased tickets to enjoy a ten-course tasting menu prepared by some of the best chefs in the country. They weren’t buying tickets to donate to a charity. No one in that room had any emotional connection to the cause of helping young chefs attain Michelin stars. They were buying a high end experience, not coming to a fundraising event for their favorite organization. 

The event had a 100 person, or 50 couple, limit and a goal of raising $200,000. This means each couple needed to donate a minimum of $4,000 on top of the $1,500 paid for each ticket. The guest list was not curated at all. Rather they assumed that if couples could afford a $3000 meal, they could afford to spend $10-20k on a high-end auction package. What they didn’t know is that most major donors, don’t just donate because they have the capacity to give, they give big gifts because they have a multi-year relationship with an organization and know the inner workings of the nonprofit (how it is run, board members, transparency, etc).

The Auction
Another rule, which I bent for this occasion, is that I never begin an auction after 9 p.m. People are just too tired, too drunk, or too ready to go home to bid with any sort of enthusiasm. They scheduled the auction portion of the evening to begin at 10 p.m., after the ten-course tasting menu and the many, many glasses of wine that experience entailed. I’m sure you can see where I’m going with this. I remember very clearly one guest who, by the time I took to the stage, had fallen asleep on top of her table using her Chanel purse as a pillow and her fur wrap as a blanket. 

This was also a rare occasion when I agreed to an auction with more than eight items. This auction had twelve. All twelve were amazing. Some of the best things I have ever had the opportunity to sell. These were private dinners prepared by famous chefs. Chefs you see on TV. Chefs who have year long wait lists for their restaurants. Under normal conditions these babies would more than exceed the evening’s fundraising goal. 

But these were not normal conditions. 

The icing on this particularly under-baked cake was that the magazine refused to let me set my own starting bids. Instead, they set every opening bid at $10,000. $10,000! With an audience who was first introduced to the nonprofit that evening and who possessed an overwhelming urge to pass out on table tops, this was never going to work. 

On this night, at this auction, with this group in attendance they barely made half of their fundraising goal. I was up on stage, doing my thing, grasping for any tendril of enthusiasm that I could get my hands on and all I got was crickets. 

No one was bidding. 

It was mortifying. 

At several points, the chef whose dinner was being auctioned at the time grabbed the microphone out of my hand and lowered the price. Because, oh yes, did I fail to mention that the chefs were on stage with me while I was calling the auction for, what essentially amounted to, a private evening with them? They lowered the price on all items to ensure they sold, while also making me look like the worst auctioneer in the world who didn’t even know how to set starting bids. 

The Aftermath
After the event, the fancy magazine blamed everything on me and said I “didn’t bring enough energy,” despite the fact that I advised them to make different decisions regarding crowd size, auction timing, starting bids, and the like through the entire consulting process. It was decided that I hadn’t tried hard enough to get people excited and convince them to spend $10,000 on another fancy dinner.

They asked me to donate my fee to the nonprofit because I failed to meet the fundraising goal and, of course, I would not be getting that feature. 

When I travel for events, as I did for this one, my fee covers my travel expenses. Without it, I have to pay for my travel out of pocket. But I agreed to make the donation, despite the fact that the evening’s failures could have been avoided if they were open to my advice, because I needed the experience to be over.

Lessons Learned
I wish I had trusted my gut. I wish I didn’t let my ego get in the way. I wish I had said no when I saw all these red flags. And more than anything, I am disappointed in myself for taking an auction that I knew had no chance of being successful.

After this experience my advice to nonprofits is:


  • Make sure all the guests in the room have a connection to your organization 
  • Be wary of third party fundraisers 
  • Don’t start your auction after 9 p.m. 
  • Have a connection with your donors 
  • Trust your auctioneer to set opening bids

Have you ever bombed spectacularly at an auction? What did you learn from the experience?
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