The most valuable live auction lots in a fundraising auction are the unique, exclusive, impossible to find elsewhere packages that make a crowd bid with wild abandon. So far this year I have sold over 1,000 lots at fundraisers across the country, and these are the 10 charity auction lots that stand out strongest in […]

One of the most common questions I get asked when working with auction committees is what items should be included to raise maximum funds for the organization. The answer? It depends on your audience. A luxury golf package may be worth thousands of dollars, but it will only sell well in your auction if you […]

Some of our national clients who have offices in major cities across the country often have regional Gala’s with live auctions at each one. Each event has it’s own local connections and donors who offer wonderful access lots for the auction, but after offering them year after year the luster has worn off and the […]

At a recent planning meeting where we were discussing repeat auction lots for an event, it came out that one of the donors felt seriously slighted because their lot was never redeemed. A buyer had paid top-dollar for the lot at the auction, and had yet to cash it in with the expiration date looming. […]

At more than one recent event, I have been handed a catalog with inflated values on the live auction packages. There is an inherent danger in this, as it stretches the boundaries of trust with bidders. The desire to establish a high value for the auction packages one works incredibly hard to obtain is understandable, […]

Reynolds & Buckley will be conducting a workshop entitled Fundraising Auctions in Hard Times on Tuesday, February 24th at the Volunteer Center of Sonoma County. Company founder and nationally recognized fundraising expert David Reynolds will be on hand to discuss the challenges facing anyone conducting a fundraising auction today, along with associates Greg Quiroga and […]

As a result of the downturn in the economy, many events are finding it more difficult to get auction donations. In many cases the number of donations has declined, or the quality of some of the donations has declined. Still wanting to fill their auction with good lots, many events turn to consigned auction items […]

This shift in the economy really began impacting events as far back as March of this year. That’s when we started seeing bidders start to become increasingly hesitant. It’s also when we discovered that many events were having a harder time obtaining donations. When it suddenly becomes harder to obtain lots for your live auction […]