Last year, a lunch with the well-known investor Warren Buffett helped to raise $620,000 for charity. Buffett is once more auctioning a lunch to benefit the Glide Foundation. The Glide Foundation is a social services charity that provides assistance to the poor and homeless that live in San Francisco. Bidding for the lunch begins on […]

The third annual Wichita Falls (TX) Youth Symphony Orchestra Play-a-Thon event was a great success, with the majority of funds being raised by the silent auction. I’ve been to many silent auctions and this one had one of the best presentations I’d ever seen. All of the auction items were attractively packaged in wicker baskets […]

What is it the commercials say? You can find “it” on eBay. “It” can be just about anything – from collectables, the latest fashions, comic books and even cars and homes. Many charities are now diving into the world of online auctions at eBay, using them as a tool in their fund-raising toolbox with great […]

For many non-profit organizations, a dinner and silent auction is the most significant fundraiser of the year. The opportunity to generate substantial revenue is great, if the event is well-planned and well-executed. While the items your team has procured for bid at the auction are sure to bring in buckets-full of cash, it is also […]

Tonight is the night. After months of planning, months of meeting, and months of detailing, it’s auction time! Everything has come together: the volunteers, the items, and the guests. Now all that’s left to do is start the bidding and collect the money. You are finally dressed for the evening, everyone’s in place, people are […]

As the mechanics of on-line auctions are refined and streamlined, they have become increasingly attractive options for non-profits. Putting an auction on-line can extend its life, remove the uncertainty of a live event and vastly expand the audience of potential buyers. Moreover, there are groups such as cMarket and Missionfish who will offer not only […]

After four years of casting their lines into uncharted waters, Missionfish founders Sean Milliken and Clam Lorenz landed a whopper in 2003. Or maybe it landed them.

Either way, the “Giving Works” partnership between Missionfish and eBay has transformed both organizations. […]