July 24, 2017

Fundraising Fundamentals - Where Do You Start?

July 24, 2017/ Jim Miller

What your nonprofit does--your programs--is the highest priority for any nonprofit manager. Fundraising is the second. New fundraising techniques and methods come into existence every year, but the basic ones should be the backbone of your fundraising efforts.

April 07, 2016

Fair Market vs Donor Value on Donations

April 07, 2016/ Jim Miller

When working out the details on your silent auction item, it's imperative that we accept that many donors exaggerate the value of their donation. Just because a donor tells you something is worth $3000.00, does not necessarily make it so. Our job is to recognize that fact, before we start calculating opening bids and bid increments...not to mention fundraising expectations.

March 09, 2016

Keep Auction Item Descriptions Simple

March 09, 2016/ Jim Miller

Don't know where it started, but somewhere along the way, auction committees started writing really long and detailed descriptions of items being offered in Live/Silent auctions. Most are taking a stab at being creative or cute in an effort to convince folks to bid. Sometimes we get too carried away.

November 09, 2015

Online (Silent) Auctions: Wheat vs Chaff

November 09, 2015/ Jim Miller

Regardless of how hard you try, the average silent auction bidder is only interested in about 5 of the items you offer in your Silent Auction. That's it. It's not a big number, and that's fine. We just need to stop pretending like every bidder is trying to win 30 things at your auction. They don't.

December 16, 2014

Record Your Charity Auction!

December 16, 2014/ Jim Miller

Digital Video recorders are cheap. They are a great tool we can use to evaluate our auctions. It doesn't have to be professional grade. Just set a tripod with a camera next to the stage and let it run while your auction takes place. The camera lens will not blink. Good chance you will learn something.

December 30, 2013

What Nonprofits Should Stop Doing: Advice From Experts

December 30, 2013/ Jim Miller

Here's a great article on some things many non-proftis could certainly benefit from considering. A couple of highlights include: - Ignoring people who make medium-size gifts - Using social media indiscriminately - Shying away from risks