Auctions

The wave of destructive tornadoes throughout the United States this spring has resulted in an outpouring of charitable donations. PGA Charities auctioned a broken Charles Barkley golf club on eBay to raise money for tornado relief. Ellen DeGeneres is auctioning sports memorabilia. Bruno Mars auctioned signed items.

While all donations help the cause, raising funds through eBay auctions can be particularly effective, both for consumers and sellers, according to research by a strategy professor at Olin Business School, Washington University in St. Louis.

The online component of the second annual Bid to Save the Earth auction was launched Thursday and runs through April 7. A live companion sale is scheduled for March 29 at Christie's auction house.

The event will benefit the Central Park Conservancy, Conservation International, the Natural Resources Defense Council and Oceana. It raised $2.4 million for the four organizations last year.

After the dot-com bubble burst and took down his online grocery store, Webvan Group Inc., Coppy Holzman got back in the game by auctioning unique experiences for charities, like a backstage meeting with Paul McCartney. Then he took it global on the Web.

With his Charitybuzz.com, Holzman serves as a broker who finds the celebrity and runs the online auction. Instead of an upfront fee, he gets 20 percent of the sale proceeds. He doubled Charitybuzz’s business to $25 million this year over 2009.

In their presentation held on July 28 at the 2010 Bridge Conference in National Harbor, Md., "Marketing and Fundraising for Campaigns, Special Initiatives and Anniversary Celebrations," Jeanne G. Jacob, executive director of Goodwin House Foundation, and Barbara Ciconte, senior vice president of Donor Strategies, offered some great tips for successful fundraising. Here are some highlights.

Much as iTunes is making the traditional music store obsolete, the Internet and e-commerce wave is a catalyst for the death of the silent fundraising auction and its inevitable migration to the Web.

Cambridge, Ma, August 17, 2009 — cMarket/BiddingForGood, the leading online auction platform solely for organizations engaged in fundraising for nonprofit causes, will soon launch their new national online auction in conjunction with the 44th Annual Jerry Lewis MDA Labor Day Telethon. The auction, powered by cMarket, features an array of celebrity packed items and more, with all proceeds benefiting the Muscular Dystrophy Association.  The auction will run from Sept. 1-15th and surrounds the Telethon to be broadcasted live from Las Vegas, on Sunday, Sept. 6th and Sept. 7th.

LOS ANGELES, August 6, 2009, Associated Press — Want to lounge in a wicker chair from Barbra Streisand's sunroom? Perhaps wear one of her designer dresses or tinkle the keys of her baby grand piano?

Nonprofit organizations inherently champion “community” in their work -- communities organized around fighting diseases, regional issues, oppressed groups, third-world needs, politics, education, faith and more. Yet, community is conspicuously absent in one critical area: operations. To date, nonprofits have not been able to leverage, in any significant way, their collective wealth of knowledge, experience and technology pertaining to fundraising, IT and internal processes Granted, groups such as the Direct Marketing Association Nonprofit Federation, Association of Fundraising Professionals, Nonprofit Technology Network and others facilitate community through publications, conferences, Web sites and other vehicles for education, networking and knowledge share. But the ability to do this

Nonprofit organizations inherently champion “community” in their work -- communities organized around fighting diseases, regional issues, oppressed groups, third-world needs, politics, education, faith and more. Yet, community is conspicuously absent in one critical area: operations. To date, nonprofits have not been able to leverage, in any significant way, their collective wealth of knowledge, experience and technology pertaining to fundraising, IT and internal processes Granted, groups such as the Direct Marketing Association Nonprofit Federation, Association of Fundraising Professionals, Nonprofit Technology Network and others facilitate community through publications, conferences, Web sites and other vehicles for education, networking and knowledge share. But the ability to do this

Spring — which, believe it or not, really is coming soon — is an exciting time. People emerge from hibernation, outdoor activities are on the rise, and nonprofits tap into the renewed energy of their staff, donors, and volunteers. And for those organizations that rely on special events for funding, it’s either the final countdown or full-blown planning for fall. Online components to special events are becoming the norm. From managing an auction online and encouraging personal fundraising pages, to joining the virtual community of Second Life and posting video highlights from your cow patty bingo fundraiser on your organization’s Web site (or