Silent Auction Help! Best Charity Fund Raising Help Tips & Ideas

This year’s 2009 annual black-tie Whitney Museum’s benefit held at the Whitney Museum in New York Monday October 19th, 2009 was sponsored by Versace and hosted by Museum Chairman Adam Weinberg, Donatella Versace, and Liz Swig. Honoring Leonard A. Lauder, the evening began with cocktails in Robert J. Hurst Family Gallery followed by dinner in the 3rd Floor Gallery and a special musical performance by singer Jennifer Hudson.

The annual Whitney Gala supports the Museum’s ongoing exhibition and educational programming. The Gala is the most prominent of the Museum’s fundraising efforts, providing the essential funds needed to support the latest achievements of emerging artists as well as American Masters.

The following  Studio Party began at 9pm in the Lower Gallery, with cocktails, dancing and music.

Celebrity and noted special guests for the evening  included:  Jet Li (actor and founder of the One Foundation), Jennifer Hudson,  Gerard Butler (handsome), Shakira, Mischa Barton ,
Taylor Momsen, Lake Bell, Lindsey Lohan, Hana Soukopova, Chanel Iman, Alexandra Richards,
Alexa Chung, Brydie Bell, Amanda Hearst, Charlotte Ronson, Ellen Harvey, Jason Pomerac, Ben Wilson and Nina Garcia.

In addition to sponsoring the Gala, Donatella Versace collaborated with the Whitney’s Education Department to create Art Unites, a global initiative aimed at providing needy children in the United States  and China with the incomparable spirit, creativity, inspiration and solace that visual arts bestow.

The program, officially launched on July 1st, benefits the Starlight Children’s Foundation, an organization dedicated to brightening the lives of seriously ill children and their families in the US, and the Versace One Foundation (founded by Jet Li)  in China, an organization committed to the long-term recovery of the areas devastated by last year’s earthquakes in the Sichuan province.

As part of the Art Unites program Versace provided canvas and art supplies to 500 children from Starlight and 900 children from the Versace One Foundation to create original drawings using the theme of “friendship”.  Each child’s work of art has been fashioned into a one-of-a-kind Versace canvas tote bag which are being sold worldwide now at Versace boutiques. 100% percent of the proceeds from the sale of the bags will be donated equally to Starlight and to the Versace One Foundation.

ref: http://www.sfilate.com/fashion/article.cfm?id_articolo=19062

See the handsome Gerard Butler at The Whitney Museum Gala in NYC and more celebrities though not as handsome as Gerard Butler at Vogue's photo gallery

The Biddery Blog: How to get a celebrity sponsor for your charity

Keep your cause relevant by sending out seasonal promotional fundraising. People will more likely be interested in correspondence that compliments the atmosphere of the moment. With 2010 just a few months away, create a program to promote your cause every three months based on the season, holiday or other significant event. Your program can be simple: an email blast, social media communications, website advertising and press releases. Work with other organizations or businesses to increase visibility.

Here are ways Non Profits are furthering their cause during October 2009.

Selena & Friends Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF

Hey everyone! Want to change the world? Join me in support of Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF and help kids all over the world get the basics they need to survive and thrive... food, clean water, education and so much more.

Going to a Halloween Party or trick-or-treating door to door? Bring a Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF collection box with you. You can order one at www.unicefusa.org/totorder! When you get home, be sure to add funds raised to your personal page. Join me today and make Halloween count!


http://youth.unicefusa.org/trickortreat/

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Halloween costume drop & treat!

Drop off your old, gently used, Halloween costumes at one of the participating partners through Oct. 31 and receive a coupon good for 25 percent off your next purchase at Roy Maas’ Youth Alternatives’ (RMYA) Thrift Shop. By donating your costumes, you will keep the costumes out of the landfills, provide costumes for the children at RMYA to use and provide revenue for the nonprofit when costumes are sold at the RMYA Thrift Shop.

Roy Maas’ Youth Alternatives is a nonprofit that helps abused and neglected children who have been removed from their homes. They also offer a transitional living program for teens aging out of the state foster care system and free family counseling for families in the community with children in crisis.


http://www.blewgreen.org/

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2nd annual Halloween Fashion Show and Auction

Ripple Repeats Thriftique of Prescott College is hosting the second annual Halloween Fashion Show and Auction. The fashion show will feature designs by students of Prescott College and employees of local non-profit organizations. Organizers will auction off the designs in support of the Ripple Project. Fashion Show designers take donated and recycled treasures from the Thriftique and turns the treasures into one-of-a-kind, hand made Halloween costumes for auction.

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Halloween Fun Helps Kids In Need

A newly opened west Toledo haunted house is giving its profits to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. The two people in charge of building, designing, and marketing the haunted house are 32 years old, combined. Nick Francis, 17, and his cousin Max Simon, 15, are the puppet masters behind the project. With help from about 60 friends and family members, Max and Nick sawed their way through 13 months of planning in time to open.

The boys are paying just $10 a month to rent the old Foodtown. And when it comes time to make a profit, the boys will donate to charity.


http://www.hellsgatehaunt.com/
http://www.northwestohio.wish.org/

Best Portable Office Ideas for Charity Event Professionals!


Micro Office Tool Kit with Blue Highlighter (click on image)

This very useful and compact kit is great to have around the office or home. The Micro Office Tool Box by NPW is small enough to keep in a desk drawer, briefcase, backpack, purse and even the glove box of your car. So whether you are a business executive always on the go or a student that needs last minute supplies, this handy little kit will have what you are looking for every time. Equipped with a mini stapler and staples, blue highlighter, scissors, mini tape on dispenser plus four strips of mini sticky notes, the kit takes up a minimal amount of space and is packed in a handy case. This kit gives the word ?toolbox? a new meaning.



  Auto Exec File Tote by Go Office (click on image)

With the Auto Exec File Tote by Go Office, you will stay on the cutting edge of business even on the road. This compact tote is lightweight and easy to use. With 4 adjustable divided sections, this organizer is a must-have for mobile workers who need a great deal of filing space to keep papers neat and efficient. The dividers feature double-sided Velcro to keep them in place. Made of durable 600 denier luggage material, this tote was built to last. The puncture-proof walls and bottom provide stability and long lasting durability.

Tweed Storage Tote - Large by Richard's Homewares (click on image)

Store your essentials in this stylish Large Tweed Storage Tote. Constructed of heavy tweed fabric for durability the gear tote basket is versatile.

Rolling Office with Large Pocket (click on image)

Affectionately known as "The Mother of All Totes", the XXL holds it ALL! Includes clear PVC pockets for easy visibility, adjustable and removable interior dividers, 1 large pocket, with zipper closure, on the front, and one pocket on each side, with zipper closure. This tote also has fixed ball bearing wheels, and a pull-up handle for effortless travel, and can even be checked onto a plane.


Snappin' Mini Boxes Organizer Purple Ultra Suede

Craft Mates Snappin' Organizer comes with the ultimate organizer boxes that won't accidentally open! This organizer is the perfect way to store all your small objects for your event.

Crop In Style Paper Taker 12"x 12" Navy and Black

Crop In Style Paper Taker is just what you need to keep all your paper safe and organized. Comes with 9 dividers, each having a clear, half -pocket for smaller stuff. Includes a convenient back loop to slip over any rolling tote handle, for easy transportation.

It’s a not-so formal event! What a fun idea from March of Dimes in Idaho. Sometimes you want the glitz and glamour of a black tie event, but other times all you want to do is put on some jeans and kick back. Well, the March of Dimes Blue Jean Ball may be just your ticket to a fun and elegant evening.

It's jeans and barbecue meets diamonds and black tie. Who knew they would get along so well?

The Blue Jean Ball takes all the best parts of your typical formal gala and mixes it with a backyard barbeque - hot wings, a steak and potato dinner, sports on big screens and, of course, beer. Attire is jeans and a jacket for men (hats and boots welcome) and denim and diamonds for women.

Plus, there’ll be plenty to do. Bid on sports memorabilia, golf trips, scotch and more in the silent or live auctions, listen to the live band or shake hands with Royals catcher John Buck and his family, this year’s Blue Jean Ball Ambassadors.

Most importantly, all the proceeds for the night go to the March of Dimes to champion the needs of newborns everywhere.

• Use of image and name for promotions
• Honoree at your gala event or fundraiser
• Written statement and image for donation solicitation materials
• Autographed memorabilia for auction
  

Companies like Hollywood Knights International  have a stable of pro athletes and celebrities who work with non profits, but may be expensive. I've never worked with them, but have attended several of their events and found them to be professional and knowledgeable in leveraging their clients for publicity.

There are many choices when deciding what items to sell at a charity auction for silent and live items. Many auctions use items that are donated by volunteers and members of the nonprofit organization and hopefully, items are also donated from local businesses. However, some charities choose to offer high-valued consignment items to sell at their benefit auction. You should understand the positive and negative outcomes this may have.

These consignment companies supply large items such as a flight on a MiG jet or an African safari. It may seem like a much better item than can be obtained from donors. Usually, there are more negatives that outweigh the positives.

There will be a very high reserve amount that must be reached in order for the charity to cover the cost of the item. If the bidding does go high enough, the consignment company will generally keep about 80% of the money. For example, if a consigned item is sold for $1000, the for-profit consignment company receives $800 and only $200 goes to the charity. Besides the fact that your guest brought $1000 with the intention to give it to your charity and you only really received $200, the buyers may feel somewhat misled into thinking that all their money went to the nonprofit. Sometimes the term "donations" does not mean what your guests think it does.

With strictly donated items, the nonprofit can publicize that "100% of the proceeds go to the charity". Unfortunately, with consignment items, your promotional material may read, "a portion of the proceeds" go to the charity. Now which sounds better to you?
Kevin Rutter, president of Hot Auctioneering

Services like DirectRequest provide lists of business donors who historically donate to nonprofit causes.

References:
http://charity-fundraiser-silentauction-help.blogspot.com
http://hotauctioneering.com/