Hey Nonprofits!

Thank Them or Lose Them

If a guest came to your gala two or three years in a row and skipped this one, your silence is the real problem.Benefit auctioneer Keith Jones of Sayre & Jones Fundraisin

Live Auction Trick That Lets the Entire Room Win

Most gala guests check out of the live auction the moment the opening bid hits $5,000. The sweep pulls them right back in.Benefit auctioneers Chad Carvey and Erin Kienzle

Your Live Auction Is Backwards

Same items, different order, different night, and a completely different result. World-class benefit auctioneer Chris Hensley sits down with Trevor for a masterclass on b

Stop Asking Donors for Money. Start Offering

The best fundraisers don’t ask for money. They make an offer. Benefit auctioneer, event fundraising consultant, and PledgePal founder Emily Quinn sits down with Trevor to

Corporate Partners Give You More Than a Check

Your corporate partners can give you far more than a check. After 35 years in corporate B2B sales and marketing leadership, Dan Drucker (founder of Philanthropy Fuel) sit

Stop Stewarding Your Donors. Do This Instead

Trevor Nelson and benefit auctioneer George Franco make the case for replacing stewardship with partnership. Calling a donor a steward puts the weight of your mission on

Live Auction Doesn't Steal From Your Fund a Need

Your live auction is not stealing from your fund a need. Benefit auctioneer, coach, and game show host Seth Weiner (Your Rocktioneer, out of Atlanta) sits down with Trevo

Mo Knows Event Software

Most nonprofits treat auction software as a checkout tool. Mo treats it as a donor intelligence system. She covers why mobile bidding isn't too hard for older donors, the

Your Bid Paddle Lost You Money

The bid paddle has exactly one job: let the auctioneer identify the bidder number quickly and correctly. Get that right and it worked. Get it wrong, with cursive letterin

Live Auction Dollars Pay For What Grants Can't

Most nonprofit revenue arrives restricted. Grants, endowments, and foundation gifts usually come earmarked for a specific use. Live auction income is the exception: it's

This Question Turns a $20K Gala Into $1M Gala

Fundraising events don't plateau because the market got harder. They plateau because the organization goes quiet for twelve months and then asks for a table. In this epis

Celebrities Aren't the Problem...Your Ask Is Terrible

Most nonprofits chase a celebrity two months before their gala, email an agent, ask about money, and wonder why they get ghosted.Afam Onyema has spent 19 years doing the

Getting Donors to Give Again

Most nonprofits lose donors after the first gift and blame it on competition or a tight economy. It's usually neither. It's follow-up.Trevor Nelson sits down with philant

The 85-Asset Rule: How Top Nonprofits Actually Market Their Galas | Laurie Hochman

Most nonprofits think they're over-marketing their gala. They're not even close.Laurie from Auctria joins Trevor to break down what she calls the 85-Asset Rule — the numb

The Silent Auction Playbook | Claire Murad

Every year it's the same fire drill - cold-calling local businesses, guessing at starting bids, and crossing your fingers that this year's silent auction table looks bett

The Auctioneer Mistake That's Killing Your Fundraiser | Jordan Agolli

Four nonprofits in a row told Jordan Agolli the same thing about their previous auctioneer: they felt like the person with the microphone cared more about themselves than

Why Your Check-In Line Is Costing You Donors | Chris O'Shea & Livia Christensen

Most fundraisers think of check-in as a hospitality problem. Livia Christensen and Chris O'Shea of C2 Auctions think it's a fundraising problem and they have the data to

Hollywood Playbook for Fundraising Galas | Rick Toone

Most fundraising events are planned like logistics problems. Rick Toone plans them like Hollywood shoots them. Rick spent 20 years in Los Angeles as an art director and

A 10-Year CEO, a $1.2M Gala, and a Board With 100% Give | Christy Casey-Moore

Most CEOs of nonprofits have opinions about boards. Christy Casey-Moore has a 100% give rate and a $1.2M gala to back hers up. Christy is the CEO of Heart Gift, a global

What Two Auctioneers Wish Every Nonprofit Knew Before Their Gala | Chris Hensley & Brett Higgins

Most fundraising galas leave money on the table for reasons the people running them never see. Chris Hensley and Brett Higgins, two of the most in-demand fundraising auc