It is with heavy hearts that we announce that David Reynolds, co-founder of Reynolds & Buckley, suffered a fatal heart attack in his London family home on Saturday, December 7, 2013. David spent the last 30 years helping non-profits around the country revolutionize their approach to fundraising auctions. He was a visionary and he was […]

Consortiums and Buy-ins Consortium and buy-in lots have been increasing in recent years. I had just assumed that this was a good trend. A group can presumably afford to out-bid an individual! This should lead to the event raising more money. Recently, though, I worked an auction where there were a large number of both […]

In the previous blog on fund-a-need I described how I first encountered the process in Seattle and then how we brought it south to California. In this blog we will discuss how to optimize your fund-a-need. Begin with the basic definition: A fund-a-need is where the auctioneer asks for a cash donation from the audience. […]

Culturally, we love surprises. The surprise birthday party is considered the greatest of celebrations. A surprise ending to a novel or movie is heralded as excellent fiction. A larger-than-expected return from the IRS is like manna from heaven. So it makes sense that donors and event planners often try to use surprise to their advantage […]

When the economy took a nose-dive in 2008 it made fundraising an even greater challenge. In 2009, it was clear that message that was king. As donors began making choices between potential events, cutting back on the number of auctions they attended, it was the events that effectively communicated their message in advance of the […]

Earlier this year at an East Bay Auction an interesting thing happened.  The event included about three hundred people at a beautiful Country Club.  Everybody was enthusiastic and came ready to spend and support and enjoy the evening. After doing my  normal “can everybody hear me clearly” announcement, I felt confident that everybody could. So I started the […]

The experience attendees have at your event is based upon each and every interaction they have.  From the moment they arrive until the moment they checkout, every volunteer and staff member at your fundraising event is helping set the tone for the evening and shaping your guests’ perceptions of how things went. And while it […]

The 2009 Spring Season, which we arbitrarily assign from February to the beginning of June was bookended by two events that were visibly and dramatically down.  With those two glaring exceptions, most events with which we are familiar equalled or surpassed previous years. The two events that tanked were the Naples Wine Auction and Auction […]

Like everywhere else, Sonoma charities are feeling the double pinch of an increase in demand at exactly the same time sources of funding are drying up.  Sonoma is being particularly hard hit because there are several major fundraising events that have taken a break in 2009.  Most of the cancellation or postponements were implemented before […]

After viewing one of the “Kitchen Sink Dramas” that ruled in the West End after WWII, Noel Coward was asked what he thought of an actor’s performance that was famed for it’s spontaneity and improvisation.  “The only improvisation I like”, Coward replied, “comes with three weeks of rehearsal.” I was reminded of this recently.  I […]