I love fundraising events and have been lucky enough to do hundreds of them over the last ten years. 

Most of them I remember for the right reasons. And then there's the other kind.

Years ago I was a guest…

Fundraising is a lot like building a house. Nobody gets excited about the foundation. It doesn't make anyone's vision board. But rush it or worse, skip it altogether and everything built on top of it is on borrowed time. That's…

Is Your Live Auction Strategy Built on Assumption or Action?

Are you planning to include a live auction in your next fundraising event? If so, strategy—not assumption—should be your guiding principle from day one.

Too often, organizations include a live…

If you've ever been to a fundraising event and watched someone walk to the front of the room with a microphone, announce a series of dollar amounts, and then watched as guests raise numbered paddles in the air, you've witnessed…

Have you ever attended a fundraising gala that felt longer than your kid's third grade recorder recital? Nobody was having fun. Nobody asked for an encore. And by the time the paddle raise/fund a need came around half the room…

Most organizations treat the paddle raise like a transaction. It's not. It's the most connective and community-based moment of your entire evening — and when it's done right, it feels like one.

Here's what actually makes a paddle raise work.

The Power of Storytelling: Why Your Donor's Brain Craves Connection Over Statistics

Your donor's brain doesn't care about your statistics. At least, not in the way you think it does.

After more than a decade as a professional emcee and…

Here's something I've learned after raising millions of dollars for nonprofits: the most powerful fundraising tool at your gala isn't the live auction, the entertainment, or the four foot tall centerpiece that required a ladder to assemble — yes, I've…

Here's a question worth sitting with: Who isn't in your room?

Not because they didn't want to be there. Not because they don't care about your mission. But because something about your event, the venue, the seating, the food, the…

Ticket sales are moving slowly. The event date is getting closer. The budget has a number in it that depends on those tickets selling. So you do what feels logical — you offer a discount. Maybe even free tickets. Fill…

Here's a question most nonprofits never ask: Does our event actually need a live auction?

They just have one. Because they've always had one. Because they saw one at another gala that crushed it. Because someone on the board said…

Let me paint you a picture.

A speaker takes the stage for what should be a four minute time slot. They have bullet points. They feel prepared. And then  things go sideways. They veer off course, find their groove rambling…

**As a charity auctioneer and consultant, I am often asked about the relationship between alcohol consumption and increased donations at nonprofit fundraising galas. Many organizations believe that an open bar will increase donations. Serving alcohol at a fundraising event isn’t…

You wouldn't ask your auto mechanic to perform dental surgery. So why are you letting someone who isn't a trained auctioneer ask your guests for money?

I get it. Professional auctioneers cost money and budgets are tight. But what happens…