Ep 30: Teresa Stivers - The CEO Perspective on Fundraising Events

Today's special guest is Ben Farrell, Founder of Custom Benefit Auctions based in North Carolina. In this session, Farrell draws upon decades of experience in the auction industry to share tips to create a fun, exciting, and dynamic auction experience. Topics covered include:

• What sets fundraising auctioneers apart from other types of auctioneers
• New ideas and games to extract extra money out of the room
• Major success stories in the Fund-a-Need
• Strategies to maximize mobile bidding (like utilizing social media), and much more!

To check out Farrell's latest online training on creating the ultimate Fund-A-Need, plus learn more about the services of Custom Benefit Auctions, visit www.custombenefitauctions.com.

Today's special guest is Jill McCarville, VP of Marketing at iWave. In this session, McCarville shares the basic principles of fundraising intelligence plus the 3 keys to creating a holistic view of a prospective donor. Topics include:

• Fundraising Intelligence 101: How business intelligence works in the nonprofit industry
• The 3 Keys to uncovering a profile of donor prospects
• Tips to calculate a potential donor's giving capacity
• Real-life examples of fundraising intelligence

...and much more! To learn how iWave can help your organization conduct donor research, visit https://www.iwave.com/products/iwave/book-demo-iwave/ and request a demo.

Today's special guest is Bradley Martin, Senior Director of Customer Acquisition at donor management software provider Kindful. Bradley shares practical tips and best practices for nurturing donor relationships in an effective and sustainable manner. In this session, learn:

• The donor lifecycle: Retention, Acquisition and Upgrades
• How to set goals for donor acquisition
• Bolster fundraising efforts with donor segmentation
• Top fundraising mistakes development pros make, and more!

To learn how you can make donor management easier for your organization(s), head to www.kindful.com and request a personalized demo.

Today's special guest is Kurt Wilson, President at Effect X. Effect X helps nonprofits move from concept to implementation with facilitation, planning, and grant writing. WIlson's background in professional philanthropy sheds light on interests of donors, and significant experience in fundraising and marketing gives him insider knowledge of non-profit organizational needs.

In this session, learn:

• How charities can "think like a business" when creating a project plan
• Tips for new nonprofits to move from good intentions to implementation
• The importance of donor communication
• The top 3 most common challenges Wilson observes in charity clients

To learn more about the services of EffectX and plan a consultation regarding the feedback systems of your organization, contact Kurt at kurt[at]effectx.com

Today's special guest is Lynn Page, National Director of Signature Events at JDRF, the leading global organization funding type 1 diabetes research. In this special session, Page draws upon her expertise in fundraising events, board development, volunteer recruitment and management, strategic planning, and metrics and training to share the proven best practices that allow JDRF to raise over $70 Million annually.

Topics include:

• How to improve the volunteer experience, and why
• Maximizing event sponsorship packages
• Planning the auction timeline
• Tips for post-event follow up

...and more! Learn proven fundraising gala best practices from one of the most successful nonprofits in the world.

Type 1 Diabetes affects 1.25M Americans, and it can be cured. It is not just a childhood disease, with over 85% of individuals with T1D now being adults, and the incident rate continues to rise. For more information on the work of JDRF or to get involved, visit https://www.jdrf.org

Today's special guest is Tracey Lorts, Senior Marketing Events Manager at fundraising event technology provider Greater Giving. Lorts draws upon 8 years of nonprofit fundraising experience to share top auction fundraising tips, including:

• Top 3 procurement tips (and missteps)
• Promoting your event and auction items
• Setting auction item values
• The sequence of live auction items

...and much more! For more information on Greater Giving's services, visit www.greatergiving.com or email sales[at]greatergiving.com

Today's special guest is Guy Mersereau, Senior Vice President at Vallen Canada and Vallen Distribution Inc. (US). In this session, Mersereau shares how he runs a $1 million golf tournament annually, encourages team members across the country to engage with philanthropy, how they decide where funds go, and how nonprofits can access money raised through corporate golf tournaments.

Topics covered include:

• How the Cross Cancer Institute Charity Classic raises over $1 million in a single day
• Guy's work as a philanthropist, both personally and through the corporation
• Different revenue streams he's employed to raise money (like a parking spot auction and 50/50 draws)
• How Vallen encourages its branches to engage in philanthropy, and more!

For more information on anything discussed in this session, Guy invites listeners to email him at guy.mersereau[at]vallen.ca

Today's special guest is Dean Crownover, a Benefit Auctioneer Specialist based in Atlanta. In this episode, Dean draws from more than 20 years of experience to share practical tips for more lucrative fundraising events, particularly in the direct appeal, a.k.a. Fund-a-Need. Topics include:

• 3 Tips to overcome the fear of asking for donations
• Best practices for special appeals / Fund-a-Needs
• Bestselling live auction items of 2018
• How to sell multiples of donated items

....and more! To request a FREE one hour auction consultation with Dean, visit mybenefitauctioneer.com or email dcrownover[at]comcast.net. As a special thank you to podcast listeners, the first 5 listeners to ask Dean for Danny Hooper’s best-selling fundraising book, Easy Money, will receive a FREE copy!

Today's special guest is TiWanna Kenney, President & Principal Auctioneer at Astounding Auctions and Fundraising Strategies based in Austin, TX. A rising star in the industry, Kenney shares specific auction fundraising strategies and best practices such as:

• What to consider in the planning process
• Her favorite auction revenue enhancers (like the wildcard auction)
• Tips to ratchet up event excitement (like music and confetti cannons)
• Procurement tips
• Managing the flow of the event, and much more!

To inquire about Kenney's services, visit https://www.astoundingauctions.com. If you’re a fundraiser not already using an auctioneer, schedule a video call with TiWanna to talk over your biggest challenges and get a free consultation.

Today's special guest is Nick Arquette, Founder & CEO of Walk With Sally. Walk With Sally provides hope to children experiencing trauma through a parent, guardian or sibling’s cancer journey through individualized mentoring and community support services. In this episode, Arquette discusses:

• How Walk with Sally attracts corporate and individual donors
• Insight into their annual "White Light White Night" fundraiser, which brings in $500,000 each year
• Tips for maximizing the silent auction, mobile technology and volunteers
• Creative live auction item ideas
• How to tell the right story that supercharges the special appeal, and more!

For more on Walk with Sally, visit www.walkwithsally.org If you or someone you know would make a great mentor for a child whose family has been impacted by cancer, please reach out - they'd love to chat with you! Email info[at]walkwithsally.org