Strategy

by Daryl McCarl, Director of Business Development at Smartwaiver

Whether you’re a parent of a student or a faculty or staff member, you’ve likely faced the stress that comes with running a successful school...

The COVID-19 pandemic gave nonprofits an opportunity to explore new ways of engaging donors—most notably, through virtual events such as galas. And now that the...

Every auction generates data. You probably already review your sales data to gauge the success of your events. But delving even deeper into your data...

You’re on a roll, now. Your SchoolAuction.net website is set up, your social media pages are ready to go, and you have hashtags that are...

A social media campaign isn’t complete without a catchy hashtag. Hashtags have shown to increase engagement across Instagram by 12.6%, and a tweet with a...

Before we get into the fun content and marketing posts, let’s start by getting comfortable with our auction’s social media accounts. SchoolAuction.net has made it...

We know what you’re thinking: “Do I really need a social media strategy for a school auction? Isn’t that a little overkill?”

When you decide to hold a gala auction fundraiser, you know you have to have to have auction items, and you have to have guests...

One of the really great things about this business is working with all of you. Really - think about it. By definition, our customers are...

Happy New Year’s, everyone.

Yay for checklists! They are oh so helpful especially on event night. This supply checklist gives you one less thing to worry about while you...

We’ve been asked often by the schools who use our software how to set it up for online scrip ordering. We used to discourage this,...

See if this scenario sounds familiar: your school community holds an annual gala auction, at which the classroom projects produced by the students are always...

Frequently, school auction chairs talk to me about the pressure they face to make their fundraisers inclusive - to lower ticket prices, load up the...

Setting a School Fundraising Auction Budget: A Novice Guide

First of all, my apologies - this is long for a blog post. But I want to put it here, so we can engage in...

Finding silent auction items is one of those tasks that many auction teams ask for help with. If that includes you, listen up.

True facts: I was an English major in college (Trinity University, class of 1988), and after graduating, I moved to New York City to work...

If you are going to hold a Live Auction, you really should hire a professional auctioneer. You may think that there’s not much to it...

I talked a bit the other day about how in high schools, the auction-team is often a coalition of volunteers supporting specific clubs or teams,...

My son (my only child) is a High-School Freshman this year. Which means that this is the first year that I was On The Team...

I talk to auction chairs just about every day. And although we do talk a lot about the SchoolAuction.net software, we also talk about general...

Over the next 20 months or so, most merchants in the United States who accept credit-card transactions will be upgrading their card-reading equipment, to enable...

Silent auction tables can get crowded. One solution is to put your description sheets on the table in a standing position. There are many ways...

Online auctions may appear to be an easy, convenient way to raise money for your school or organization. But the truth is that online auctions,...

From the moment you purchase our software, we’ll offer you opportunities to learn how to use it. However, we know that regardless of how much...

We are big fans of Sherry Truhlar of Red Apple Auctions; she always has worthwhile nuggets to share for the greater good.

“Come join our team, we’re really making things happen for our kid’s school!”

Auctions are fun – at least, they should be fun. Buying stuff can be fun as well (there’s a reason we have more of it...

It’s a new year and for many of you it’s the time when your benefit auction planning and implementation strategies really start ramping up! In...

This week my son started high school. And naturally, the school that he is going to uses our software to run their auction, and has...

So… about that person or people you have up on stage, recording live auction bids and paddle raise pledges? You should think about who they...

UPDATE: Fall 2014

This, the last post in our Dream Team series, focuses on a key role which supports the efforts of every other team member: Software Lead....

Today’s post picks up where we left off a few weeks ago in the_Building Your School Auction Dream Team_ series, in which we are outlining...

Our one-of-a-kind fundraising software is designed to make guests happier and results better for hard-working volunteer teams. To that end, we are excited to announce...

Who doesn’t love a good party?

Auction items are procured, decorations are up, the band is at the ready… but without people in those seats, all this preparation is for naught....

If you’ve been following this blog series, by now you’ve filled several sections in your teambuilding binder with job descriptions for key positions in the...

It’s our 5th in the Building Your (School Auction) Dream Team blog series, and today we’ll focus on filling the position of_Sign-up Party Procurement Chair._...

This series – Building Your School Auction Dream Team- is intended to help you identify WHO are the people in your community who have the...

Auction season is winding down. Rather than packing away those event notebooks prematurely; however, remember that next year’s momentum is built upon this year’s organizational...

Today’s post, the third in our series titled Building Your School Auction Dream Team, will outline a key position in your overall Auction Committee Organization...

If you are reading this blog, chances are you are already one of the 20% who makes 80% of the action happen. If you’re in...

For many of you auction night has come and gone… and you’re already looking ahead to next year.

In our last blog we talked about the most important pieces of information to have with you on Auction night. In today’s post, we’re adding...

The Auction is over… but what about the leftover items?

It’s event night.

Chairing an auction is a huge commitment and an even bigger job - you are a hero for stepping up!

How much time is typically spent by new auction volunteers calling, emailing and digging through binders and notes to find important contacts and information?

Remember what it was like, the first time you got involved in the auction planning process? If you recall the process being easy and seamless,...

“Come join our team, we’re really making things happen for our kid’s school!”

If you’re like many of us, you attend at least one benefit auction – in addition to the one you are helping to plan –...

Because school auctions are generally run by volunteers, record keeping systems are often makeshift and handed down through loose leaf binders and sticky notes. Sound...

Let’s face it, there’s a lot to do to make your fundraising event a success. Chances are, right now you’re up to your armpits in...

I’m a big fan of Sherry Truhlar of Red Apple Auctions, and today the Nonprofit Spark podcast featured this interview with her. It is really...

It’s a fresh year, and for many of you, this is the time when your plans and strategies for organizing and executing a successful benefit...

As a profession, auctioneering has long had performance tied to compensation. Auctioneers have based their worth, literally, on their ability to market and sell assets...

Most people reading this blog are helping with the planning of an auction.

Holding an auction is an effective and fun way to raise money. For colleges and universities, it can be a great way to get the...

This one may be something everyone other than me figured out long ago, but I’m still pretty excited to have discovered it.

It’s THE perennial topic - getting items for your silent auction. People who have done it a few times have a list, a letter that...

More ideas from our incredibly creative, fun, customers. Have any Nights of your own to add? Add a comment below…

Many of our customers are either gung-ho about doing an online auction, or curious about it. It’s one of the reasons they like our software...

“Procuring auction items” is often seen as the biggest challenge for a school auction team. Here are three tips that can reduce the stress of...