tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-124283272011-07-07T16:10:52.345-07:00As a charity and benefit auctioneer and consultant, I have the pleasure every week of helping non-profit organizations raise money with their fund raising auctions. This journal will be my way of offering my thoughts on how events can get the most out of their effort. I will be providing tips along the way which can be converted in to more revenue for the cause. Your questions and observations are appreciated.The Auction Maestrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09790310095570551899noreply@blogger.comBlogger61100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12428327.post-1123810257936266762005-08-11T17:47:00.000-07:002005-08-11T18:30:57.953-07:00

I often get asked about what a minimum bid amount should be, or what a normal "raise" is for a silent auction item. Recently, I got asked the following on my "Ask the Maestro" page on my web site (www.auctionhelp.com):We are going to hold a silent auction that will have a mix of consignment items and donated items. What are your suggestions as to setting minimum bids for the items (particularly

The Auction Maestrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09790310095570551899noreply@blogger.com50tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12428327.post-1116307947246669902005-05-16T22:08:00.000-07:002005-05-16T22:40:54.696-07:00

I recently received an email at my "Ask the Maestro" spot on my website that asked when the Live auction should be conducted (early, middle of the evening program or at the end?) Also asked was if it is a good idea to keep a Silent auction "open" until after the Live auction closes. The "myth" circulating around is that if a Silent auction is kept open late, bidders who were outbid in the Live

The Auction Maestrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09790310095570551899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12428327.post-1114665270417297112005-04-27T22:13:00.000-07:002005-05-02T21:44:02.280-07:00

Over the years I have had the pleasure (and sometimes NOT the pleasure) of working with hundreds of “celebrities” at my auctions. Most often their intentions are good, but their celebrity can get in the way of actually helping the client make more money at the event. A celebrity can be a real asset for your event on a number of levels. Certainly having a celebrity announcer or guest of honor adds

The Auction Maestrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09790310095570551899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12428327.post-1114665181615441102005-04-27T17:12:00.000-07:002005-04-27T22:21:31.133-07:00

I am often asked for a way to get rid of the small, not real popular gift certificates that are easy to get donated, but are not big revenue generators. You know the certificates, the $50 book of car washes, the chiropractic exam, the haircuts, dry cleaning, pizza coupons and so on. Auction committees always end up with too many of these, they don’t display well in the silent auction, are not

The Auction Maestrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09790310095570551899noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12428327.post-1114454607642657722005-04-25T11:37:00.000-07:002005-04-26T11:44:31.636-07:00

At a recent school auction in Palm Desert, California, we had the pleasure of selling not one, not two, but three puppies! Generally selling more than one puppy in an auction is not a good idea because the audience becomes "bonded" with the puppy being shown and the second high bidder is reluctant to take the "other" puppy. However, in this case it worked because we had two identical golden

The Auction Maestrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09790310095570551899noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12428327.post-1114452057019242632005-04-25T10:57:00.000-07:002005-04-25T11:00:57.020-07:00

Hi! This is "The Auction Maestro" Jay Fiske. In this new forum, I will be sharing with you my experiences as a charity auctioneer. I will pay particular attention to providing tips on how to get more money out of your event, and also how to reduce the stress on your committee.Check back often, and be sure to register so you can make comments and add questions for me directly.

The Auction Maestrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09790310095570551899noreply@blogger.com2