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►Jazz Up Your Save-the-Date Cards!

 July 8, 2013 - Author: Jenelle Taylor, CAI BAS
Image of Save the Date card

Creative social media spin on a boring Save the Date card

Do you send a Save-the-Date card to your mailing list? Do you send it as soon as you sign the contract for your venue, or wait until 2-3 months before your big day?

Here’s a great, creative example with a hip nod to our obsession with social media, available on Etsy for $35 http://tinyurl.com/etsysavethedatecard

 

This sample was part of  the “10 Geeky Wedding Invitations” article http://tinyurl.com/geekyinvitations packed with fresh ways to get guests to save your special date on their social calendars.

Check it out, and this year, add some personality to your standard Save-the-Date card.

 

Comments are closed - Categories: Charity, Consulting, Event Logistics, Templates

►Planning Your Fund-a-Need Appeal

 July 1, 2013 - Author: Jenelle Taylor, CAI BAS
Photo of GALA GAL Jenelle Taylor

Fund a Need donation appeal, 5 steps to success

Structuring a Successful Appeal

 

Determine your Fund-a-Need goals. 

    
Do you envision presenting the audience with one group goal, such as building the playground or raising enough to buy the $250,000 piece of hospital equipment? This strategy has the advantage of helping everyone in the audience feel able to contribute, regardless of amount, and works well with handheld bidding technology. Alternatively, some appeals promote several specific levels for donations, and tie these to the mission by explaining what those dollars can provide. For instance, $2500 furnishes a room in our shelter; $1000 provides legal service to a battered woman; $500 provides transportation assistance; $250 funds clothing and necessities.

Prepare the presentation.                            

In order to inspire giving, you need to communicate on an emotional level. Some groups show a video of their programs in action, and others invite a recipient to speak. The most important part of your message, however, must be a compelling story. Statistics rarely motivate people to give, but genuine emotion can. Take note, however, that even the most tragic story must be delivered with a hopeful resolution; your supporters want to feel uplifted by the transformations your services provide.

 

Let people know you will be asking.        

In the weeks leading up to your appeal, ask for commitments from your best supporters. It helps your audience tremendously when a bid card goes up in the air as soon as the auctioneer asks for money. Having donors already identified and ready to start the giving encourages the rest of the audience to join in.

 

Use matching incentives to boost funds.

Ask your major sponsors to offer a challenge match if a goal for dollars raised or number of participants is reached (“ABC Company will donate $10,000 when we raise $10,000”).

Know how you will track the donations.

Will the auctioneer call out bid numbers? Is there an envelope on the table? Will volunteers be coming around?

Comments are closed - Categories: Consulting, Event Logistics, Other Money Makers

►Dine Around the World auction idea

 June 24, 2013 - Author: Jenelle Taylor, CAI BAS
image of the world

Image courtesy of tungphoto/freedigitalphotos.net

One of my favorite ideas is Dine Around the World! Have the Board members or committee gather donations for 12 different types of cuisine, typically gift certificates for $100 or more, and sell it as one delicious culinary adventure anyone will enjoy 🙂

Try any combination, starting with

French, Brazilian, German, Japanese, Mexican, Cuban, Greek, Italian, Thai, Chinese, Indian, African, British, Jamacian, Vietnamese, and many other yummy options!

Comments are closed - Categories: Charity, Consulting, Live Auctions, Silent auctions

►Selected as a Presenter, Summit 2013

 June 13, 2013 - Author: Jenelle Taylor, CAI BAS
Photo of Jenelle Taylor, CAI BAS

Selected as a presenter for the Benefit Auction Summit, National Auctioneers Association (NAA)

We’re celebrating!!

Just got word that the committee for the Benefit Auction Summit chose my session “62 Ways to Create More Prepared, Engaged Bidders”!

This is the only national conference specifically for fundraising auctioneers, and it is a BIG honor to present to such an accomplished group of professionals from across the country.

I’m excited to share the “62 Ways” 90-minute session because it’s all about helping my peers help YOU raise more money. We understand that you only have this 1 night, once a year to host your attendees, so we want to work with you to maximize every way to make it easy for people to spend money!

I’ll be covering

  • 20 ways to create the best Live Auction display tables
  • 22 things your auctioneer can do to help people get excited by the auctions and also
  •  20 things you can do as the non-profit to help your audience come prepared to both attend AND spend.

The best part for you?

All of my GALA GAL clients – the organizations I help with their events – you get all 62 Ways to Create Prepared Bidders included, everyday, as part of our consulting relationship. (If you want this for your event, shoot me an e-mail to check if your date is available here.) You’re the reason I do what I do, and why I’m excited to share these ideas with other high-profile auctioneers across America.

To learn more about what Benefit Auctioneers do when they get together each year, you can find content from the Summit in 2010 (my presentation here), and I’ve shared some takeaways  from the other presenters that year here and 2011 Summit here. Apparently I still have to post notes from last year!

Comments are closed - Categories: Auctioneers, Better Buyers, Board members, Charity, Consulting, Event Logistics, Live Auctions

►”America’s Worst Charities”

 June 10, 2013 - Author: Jenelle Taylor, CAI BAS
Tampa Bay Times

“America’s Worst Charities” June 9, 2013 3-part series

Back in the headlines, and not in a good way.

“America’s Worst Charities” is the result of a yearlong collaboration between the Tampa Bay Times and California-based The Center for Investigative Reporting, the nation’s largest and longest serving nonprofit newsroom dedicated to watchdog journalism. CNN joined the partnership in March.

I’m all for investigative journalism, and I agree that this story needs to be told. We all want any unscrupulous groups to be exposed, so that America’s donated dollars go instead to groups where they’ll do the most charitable good.

We’ve talked about this before, however, lamenting the possibility that today’s overwhelmed reader takes in the negative sound bite “worst charities” without putting the headlines in context. This year-long series focuses on 50 of  5,800 groups identified nationwide that spend the majority of funds raised on expenses rather than causes. It’s great information that’s important to expose…but there are 1.6 million nationally registered non-profits (and nearly 200,000 congregations), so those 5,800 offenders represent about 1/3 of 1% of America’s charities.

I wish there was such sensational press coverage about the more than 99.6% of known non-profits striving to do the right thing with donors’ dollars. The article says,

“several watchdog organizations say charities should spend no more than 35  percent of the money they raise on fundraising expenses”

Many of you have expenses much, much less than 35% of your intake.

All the more reason for you to tell your amazing story. Share where donated dollars go via your website, Facebook, Twitter, and annual reports. Take 10 minutes to get the Guidestar Valued Partner badge and issue a press release!

You’re out there killing yourself to raise money so you can feed more families, clothe more kids, finally find a cure. It’s okay – no, it’s imperative – that you take time to share your story. We can’t let the bad press be America’s soundbite.

Comments are closed - Categories: Board members, Charity, Consulting

►First-time Event Done Right, 12 Do’s

 May 22, 2013 - Author: Jenelle Taylor, CAI BAS

You may have heard that I got invited to Paradise Island, The Bahamas (made famous by the Atlantis mega-resort) to do an auction last month.

The Purple Paws Live Auction was a first-time event, and yet it was a smashing success, exceeding all expectations and likely to double in revenue generated next year.

Here are 12 of the many things the BAARK! all-volunteer team did so right:

  1. Awesome Chairperson.  Passionate about the cause, well connected, and tenacious.
  2. Get businesses to underwrite major costs and write sponsor checks. 
  3. Get help from an auction consultant on item descriptions, displays, order of sale, the evening’s timing, volunteer roles, etc. Sarah used the AUCTION! book I sent her, and we talked extensively in e-mails and phone conferences.
  4.  Venue with appeal.  Use committee and sponsor connections to get the place folks have heard about but never had the chance to see.
  5. Sold-out event. Start with a small venue so you can sell out, and use Facebook and social media to really push ticket sales. If you don’t have a mailing list or Facebook Fan Page with hundreds of folks yet, build THAT first. 
  6. Auction items matched to your guests. Nothing random. Each item specifically sought after because of its broad appeal to the attendees. Plan before you ask.
  7. 100% donations. For a first-time event especially, there’s no point in paying for auction items, as that takes your hard-won donor dollars and gives them away.
  8. Prepared Buyers! “Bodies aren’t bidders” we say. Sarah and I made sure that the guests were fully aware of the Live Auction Opportunities and How to Bid, using prior e-blasts, displays, handouts, Power Point, and microphone announcements. 
  9. Zippy Schedule. Keep your guests entertained and attentive, with food, games, Live Auction and Fund-a-Need donations all flowing nicely from one to the next.
  10. Mission Message. The 3-minute video they created was perfect before the Fund-a-Need, showing clearly the huge impact of more dollars and donations.
  11. Event Support. Well trained staff and volunteers add so much to a great guest experience. We all met in person prior to the event to answer questions and build a confident team.
  12. A Gala auctioneer. Truly, a fundraising event NEEDS to be equal parts entertainer, ambassador, and marketer. Not only was the audience laughing and smiling the whole time, but they were reminded to give generously to the cause, and 72% of the Live Auction items sold for more than they were worth.
Your Mission.
Accomplished.
I look forward to the chance to do it again. Maybe with you 🙂 Just shoot me a note.

Comments are closed - Categories: Auctioneers, Better Buyers, Charity, Consulting, Event Logistics, GALA GAL Case Study, Live Auctions, Sponsors

►Don’t Make This Critical Mistake With Your Schedule

 May 10, 2013 - Author: Jenelle Taylor, CAI BAS
Clock Face Microsoft Clipart

The Trick You MUST Know About Benefit Auction Timing

Today I got an e-mail from a client stating,

“we will be advertising the event as starting at 7pm and ending at 10pm”

“Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo,” my brain screams, as I scramble to hit the “Reply” button before I read even one word further.

This is one of the MOST important tidbits I share with Benefit Auction clients:  the 30-1 Rule.

 

Here’s my hastily typed plea:

Ooh, ooh, ooh, this is one of those things I must speak up about 🙂

 

If you want people to be engaged in the event between the hours of 7:00-10:00, then you must must must advertise as 6:30-11:00, because people never arrive right when doors open, but 15-20 minutes after, and then have to park, walk, register, etc., so the earliest folks are beginning to engage in the event just before 7, with the majority trickling in AFTER that.

 

And then at the end, people mentally check out of an event when they believe they have experienced all that was included in their ticket price. If we say it runs until 11:00 BUT we internally plan to have all money raised and everything wrapped up by 10:00, then they feel they are getting home “early” and leave with a good impression that we were efficient.

 

If you advertise that the event ends at 10:00, people will be looking to leave by 9:00-9:15, hoping to let the babysitter go early or perhaps to beat the line at valet, and those departures before our event goals are wrapped up can really create a bunch of problems for checkout and put a damper on the evening.

 

Please please please add the 30-minute cushion to the front and 1-hour cushion to the end 🙂 I promise you that doing this will allow us to have guests engaged and content to be in attendance during the “action” hours of 7:00 – 10:00 p.m.

 

Jenelle

Comments are closed - Categories: Auctioneers, Better Buyers, Charity, Consulting, Event Logistics, Other Money Makers

►Congrats to the Red Wagon Gala Committee

 April 22, 2013 - Author: Jenelle Taylor, CAI BAS
Red Wagon Gala Christ Child Society Naples

GALA GAL Jenelle Taylor conducts the 2013 Red Wagon Gala for Christ Child Society Naples

Here’s a quick example of great post-event press coverage, Red Wagon Gala in the Naples Daily News.

This nice summary and accompanying photos ran just days after the event, and serves multiple purposes:

  • appreciating those who just attended
  • publicly thanking major sponsors
  • recognizing the hard work of the committee and volunteers
  •  and raising visibility for the organization.

This kind of coverage has to be arranged in advance, so that a reporter and photographer are in attendance.

For your next event, take the time, no – make the time –  to reach out to local papers, TV stations, society magazines, or even area event website managers to get a commitment for coverage for this 1 Night, Once a Year event you’re pulling off!

After all, we all know that once it begins your event whirls by so fast that you’ll probably need  to read about how it all went too 🙂

Comments are closed - Categories: Charity, Event Logistics, Live Auctions, Sponsors

►Sponsor Recognition

 March 19, 2013 - Author: Jenelle Taylor, CAI BAS

What else can you do to thank your event sponsors and cost underwriters besides just listing them in the program?

It’s good to do more, since your guests may never open those programs you spent so many hours (and dollars) on. Since you want your sponsors to feel honored and appreciated, consider adding as many of these other recognition tactics as you can:

  • Offer a Patron Party with auction preview and menu tasting one month prior
  • VIP reception an hour before general admission
  • VIP post-auction reception with gelato, decaf cappuccino and swag bags
  • Give sponsor tables Auction Bucks (incentive bidder credits) for their guests
  • Provide champagne, a dedicated server for the dining table, premier seating
  • Make sponsor thank you foam core boards and place on easels at the entrance
  • Project sponsor logos on the wall
  • Make a Power Point slide show which loops during dinner of sponsor logos
  • Have a parting gift with a sponsor thank you card attached, such as:

Sponsor Thank You card tied with ribbon to some kind of parting gift, like a mini bag of chocolates. This recognition piece might say…

“Please join us in thanking these sponsors for their generosity. When you support them, ______________ benefits!”

or

“Tonight’s festivities made possible by these fine sponsors. Please consider supporting them with your business!”

or

“Thank you for supporting ___________this evening. Please consider patronizing these sponsors who made tonight possible”

 

What other sponsor recognition ideas have you seen? Please share in the comments!

Comments are closed - Categories: Charity, Consulting, Event Logistics, Sponsors

►Donation Card Designing

 March 15, 2013 - Author: Jenelle Taylor, CAI BAS
Photo of Jenelle Taylor GALA GAL

A benefit auctioneer should conduct your Donation Appeal

I was talking with a fundraising auctioneer pal yesterday about “donation cards” – the little cards that are either placed at each seat or peeking out of the program.

 

As your fundraising consultants, benefit auctioneers work with you to raise the most money for your cause. Donation cards are one option, but that approach lacks both urgency and peer encouragement. Your guests might never pick up that donation card, or may take it home with good intentions and no follow through.

Since auctioneers know how to handle a microphone and a stage, we are always going to recommend a traditional “direct appeal”, meaning a well planned part of your evening with an inspiring testimonial and the call to the “raise your paddle”.

In fact, a structured, auctioneer-led ask routinely raises $20,000, $60,000, $100,000 and up with professional auctioneers across the country. Whether you call it Fund a Need, Fund a Cure, Fund a Cause, Paddle Raise, Call for Donations, Cash Call, Donation Appeal, Direct Appeal, Planned Appeal, Bid to Give, or any other name, we believe that nothing connects your mission to your audience more than a straightforward but tactful conversation with your supporters, all working together toward a common financial goal. Then, when you add in Challenge Matches and similar giving incentives…the Paddle Raise concept is very hard to best.

However, if for whatever reason you still want to stick to donation cards on the table, I did a Google Image search of Donation Card and found tons of examples to help you plan and design! Check them out here: http://tinyurl.com/DonationCardSamples

Comments are closed - Categories: Auctioneers, Charity, Consulting, Live Auctions, Other Money Makers

►Voting with Dollars – Genius Quick Tip!

 March 14, 2013 - Author: Jenelle Taylor, CAI BAS

Image Credit depositphotos.com

Does your event have a contest component where guests “vote with dollars” such as a costume contest or dance contest?

 

Typically, guests purchase lengths or bundles of tickets, and then they “vote” by putting tickets into containers (paper bags, glass bowls) for their favorite contestants. As the night goes on, they can purchase tickets again and again to help a particular candidate win with the largest number of tickets.

(As a side note, the same process works for the Bucket Chance to Win, previously called Chinese Raffle.)

 

So, hundreds of people have been piling tickets into containers for hours, and now you have to quickly count them up to announce the winner. What if you have a bunch of contestants and tons of tickets? How can you count all that super fast, you ask?

 

Thanks to seasoned Orlando fundraiser and Femmes de Coeur President Judy Conrad for the solution:  Borrow a super-sensitive and perfectly calibrated gold measuring scale from a local jeweler…and simply compare ticket weights to find the winner, no counting necessary!

 

GENIUS! Thanks, Judy 🙂

Comments are closed - Categories: Consulting, Event Logistics, Grab Bag, Other Money Makers, Raffles/Chance Drawings

►Get the AUCTION! bible, 1 Week Sale!

 March 1, 2013 - Author: Jenelle Taylor, CAI BAS
Cover image of the 250-page Charity Auction Manual called AUCTION! The 98 Solutions to Every Charity Auction Challenge by GALA GAL Jenelle Taylor CAI BAS

Write-in workbook to plan your Benefit Auction, step-by-step, used by Professional Fundraising Auctioneers and their clients across the country

Save $100 off the regular online price! It’s the March Madness sale at GALA GAL, so snatch up your 250-page AUCTION! manual by March 7th, 2013. Get “The 98 Solutions to Every Charity Auction Challenge” at your fingertips.

Read a detailed and helpful “Questions to Ask” excerpt here, and just shoot me a message with your e-mail and I’ll send you our mailing address for a check, use a credit card via secure server with discount code Sale49 here.

                 This is the first sale since last July (8 months ago!) so get your copy now 🙂

Money-back guarantee of course.

Comments are closed - Categories: Board members, Charity, Consulting, Event Logistics, Live Auctions, Other Money Makers, Raffles/Chance Drawings, Silent auctions, Templates

►How’s Your Charity’s Reputation?

 February 27, 2013 - Author: Jenelle Taylor, CAI BAS
What Are They Saying About You?

Protect your charity’s reputation with the public

What’s the public perception about non-profit organizations, and, by extension, your non-profit?

Yesterday’s headline on Slate.com “Why America’s Charities Are So Uncharitable”  http://tinyurl.com/YourCharity immediately tightened my stomach. ‘Arrgh, bad press,’ I thought, worried before I’d even read a word. Arguably, that’s part of the problem. Is it possible, even likely, that thousands (or millions) of Americans will read only that headline?

How can you proactively address any negative press about charities and turn it to your advantage?

In the text, author Ken Stern (long-time nonprofit executive) comments on the number of nationwide charities (1.1 million, not counting congregations) and the sometimes questionable causes the IRS approves for 501(c)3 status. He sees problems with lost revenue, increased competition, and yes, damage to the public perception of non-profits in general. He provides several examples of nonprofit organizations which seem to be benefiting their profit margins more than the public good.

“When so much of the American charitable sector seems so uncharitable, it is perhaps time we remind ourselves what a charity is really supposed to be.”

So, what can you do to protect and enhance your charity’s reputation?

Show and tell your story:  the behind-the-scenes actions you are taking, impacts you are making, lives you are changing. Get photos onto your Facebook page (several times a week!), put 1-2 minute video clips up on YouTube, and write longer content on your web pages.

Want to earn the public trust? Show and tell your way to greater visibility and transparency. If you don’t, those supporter dollars could go to another organization.

Comments are closed - Categories: Consulting

►Google says ‘Content is King’

 February 19, 2013 - Author: Jenelle Taylor, CAI BAS

Your mission. Your good works. Your non-profit org.

Without a doubt, Google IS the key to getting found online, and it’s about to get easier for you! After years of SEO (Search Engine Optimization) tricks, industry buzz says Google ranking methods have changed.

According to Geekless Tech blogger Alex Clifford,

Google is ranking people by who has the best content. They’re trying to put the best content at the top. Now you’re in a battle with your competitors to create the best content! There are no more underhanded tricks (and if there were Google will soon eliminate them).

The 2 pillars of Content Marketing Optimization (CMO)?

  1. More “long form content” means adding longer, meaty, helpful and valuable text to your website
  2. More “rich media content” means photos and videos

Read a great resource of 11 content optimization tips from Jason Acidre.

Write something fresh (and in depth) about what amazing things your org is doing this month. And don’t forget to boost your visibility with VISUALS.

See you online!

Comments are closed - Categories: Consulting, Technology

►Black Tie Events…for Free? Auction Underwriting for the New Millennium

 February 14, 2013 - Author: Jenelle Taylor, CAI BAS

Have you seen this? http://www.dodgedartregistry.com/

Underwrite your Benefit Auction just like the new Dodge Dart Registry idea

Crowd-funding idea for your next auction?

The website reads, ”

NEW RULES FOR BUYING YOUR CAR. Pick out the features you want in your new Dart and then invite friends and family to sponsor individual parts of the car.

You can raise a portion of the cost of a new Dart or the full price. Then all you have to do is go to a dealership and pick it up.”

 

How clever! Not only does this speak to a hip, Millennial generation, it offers a solution to funding a major cost –  by crowd-sourcing.

What a great idea to change up how you offer sponsorships this year for your event. Sure, most events already ask for sponsors, but typically at generic dollar amounts not tied to anything specific. Anyone else bored with the “Sponsorships available at $25,000, $10,000, $5,000 and $2500” approach?

This year, be forward thinking and socially savvy. Post a great photo from last year and offer opportunities to underwrite parts of the event at all different price levels. Instead of funding the engine on a future Dodge Dart, your supporters can fund the venue, the food, the bar, the linens, the decorations, the invitations, the technology…even pay for your professional auctioneer!

Just like chipping in to buy a beloved and deserving person a new car, your benefactors will feel good about helping fund something concrete, and empowered by being given a real choice. Come to think of it, isn’t that exactly the feeling we want to give our non-profit supporters all the time?

Comments are closed - Categories: Auctioneers, Charity, Event Logistics, Other Money Makers

►It Pays – Awesome Live Auction Donated Experience!

 August 8, 2012 - Author: Jenelle Taylor, CAI BAS

How partnering with a true fundraising auctioneer pays

Image of Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

Macy’s Parade Tickets are an Awesome Auction Item!

So excited to find out that one of my groups scored Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade passes from a lead I shared with them during our consultation!

That’s right, on September 15th we’ll get to find out which lucky folks will be in the heart of iconic Manhattan for the chance-of-a-lifetime viewing of The Rockettes!! Oh, and the balloons, of course, and the celebrities, the excitement, the Instagram photos…

And as exciting as it will be to see who donates the most and ends up the high bidder, it’s JUST AS EXCITING to be the auctioneer who gets to deliver to good news, “SOLD! You did it! You’re the winner!”

I’m delighted for them, for all the attendees who will witness the excitement, and for the Alzheimer caregivers and their families who will benefit from the funds raised from this 100% pure donation.

Yep, it pays to partner with a professional. I love my job!

P.S. Want to place a reserve bid on these Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade passes? E-mail me at Info@GalaGal.com and I’ll get you the absentee bid form or online link 🙂

Comments are closed - Categories: Auctioneers, Charity, Consulting, Live Auctions

►Don’t Risk Your Revenue

 July 18, 2012 - Author: Jenelle Taylor, CAI BAS
Danger Symbol- choose an auctioneer wisely

Don’t Risk Your 1-Night, Once-a-Year Event with just any Auctioneer

Whether you’re the Development Director of a non-profit or a volunteer on the planning committee for a gala fundraiser, you’ve got hundreds of decisions hanging over you.

Buffet or sit-down dinner?

Cocktail or black tie?

Band for background, or dancing?

Online silent auction or traditional?

All of these decisions affect your event, it’s true. But if the money matters, then give at least as much weight to your choice to conduct the fundraising.

That’s a big choice. A weighty choice. A choice with ramifications, no doubt. So you’re not just asking someone. If it was that simple, it’d be no big deal. In fact, if your choice didn’t really matter, you might look to cut costs, perhaps even look for someone to do this for (gasp!) free.Since this particular event (this event you’ve worked on for months) only happens 1 Night, Once-a-Year…well, everything, EVERYTHING, is riding on that person, that night.

No, what you’re really doing is entrusting the financial outcome of your event to one individual. (more…)

Comments are closed - Categories: Auctioneers, Board members, Consulting, Event Logistics, Live Auctions, Other Money Makers

►Pique interest with Sneak Peek

 July 16, 2012 - Author: Jenelle Taylor, CAI BAS
Fundraising Consultant GALA GAL Jenelle Taylor Auctioneer

Send an e-blast Sneak Peek of best auction items a few days prior to event

Ever have one of those days?

(Hang with me for a moment, Sneak Peek Template link below!)

I was just typing an e-mail and used the phrase, “The Board’s interest was piqued,” and I KNEW “piqued” was the right usage, but then…

I’ve found that blogging makes me ultra self-conscious about what and how I write.

In case you’ve ever run across someone (incorrectly) trying to “peak” or “peek” someone’s interest, I’ll expose my Grammar Geek self for a moment.

Anyway, here’s the Auction Sneak Peek Template I mentioned. I share this with non-profits (in fact, I typically create, edit and format it for them) so that we can promote a sharp, 1-page PDF attachment showcasing the best auction items and getting everyone prepared to “attend and spend.” This can be used as an e-mail attachment,  added to the website, uploaded to a Facebook page, Tweeted, or even saved as a .jpg.

Using this template can

1) save you time, and

2) make you money.

Oh, and one more thing. Would you believe that the first time I named this template I wrote  Sneak PEAK Template?

(shaking my head) One of those days!

Comments are closed - Categories: Better Buyers, Consulting, Event Logistics, Templates

►Charity on “Cracked”

 July 13, 2012 - Author: Jenelle Taylor, CAI BAS

It’s Friday the 13th, a perfect day for a bit of controversy on a bed of comedy!

Controversy, you say?

I’m happy to pass along an opinion piece with nearly 900,000 views, “5 Popular Forms of Charity (That Aren’t Helping)” with the caveat that it’s a bit salty in tone. That’s likely because it’s featured on the most visited humor website in the world, with 300 million monthly page views.

Logo Cracked.com So, whether or not you agree that drinking “breast cancer vodka” makes people less likely to donate cash, at least by clicking over to read this Top 5 List, you’ll have a good excuse when you boss finds you’ve blown 3 hours reading “10 Baffling Romance Tips” and “Why Journalism is Obsessed with Dinosaur Sex.”

Happy Friday the 13th!

 

 

Comments are closed - Categories: Charity, Consulting, Grab Bag, Other Money Makers

►A Soundbite that Sizzles

 July 10, 2012 - Author: Jenelle Taylor, CAI BAS

Earlier I wrote a post about an article I’d read explaining how to introduce yourself or your organization to someone new:

  1. Explain how you provide a solution to a problem.
  2. Tell a brief anecdote that illustrates why you choose to do this or how you’re exceptional.
  3. Invite your listener to engage further with you by asking an open-ended question.
Here’s another approach to selling your sizzle that’s designed to attract the ideal match:

Comments are closed - Categories: Auctioneers, Board members, Consulting, Other Money Makers

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