Getting your charity auction volunteers to buy-in and work

Got problems getting event volunteers energized to do what is needed to be done?

Here’s one tip: Give volunteers something new and creative to learn which simultaneously solves a problem your charity auction is experiencing.

Volunteers will remain engaged if they believe the solution you are sharing is 1) fun and 2) will solve the problem. When it’s fun to solve the problem, your volunteers will do it.

Watch my video to hear four tips I have for getting volunteers fired up.

About the Author
Benefit auctioneer Sherry Truhlar’s entertaining stories and advice is often picked up by publications (e.g. Town & Country, The Washington Post Magazine, AUCTIONEER, The Eleusis, The Virginia Auctioneer) and television (e.g. E! Style, TLC) where she inspires and teaches volunteers how to hit new fundraising records in their auction galas. Enjoy her FREE Auction Item Guide(listing the 100 best-selling items to sell in your benefit auction) at www.RedAppleAuctions.com

Awareness bracelets first started gaining popularity in 2004 through the Lance Armstrong Foundation. The bracelet they used was a yellow silicone wristband meant to raise support for cancer research. Soon after, the silicone wristbands had become popular with many other charities, from the ‘Make Poverty History’ campaign to the BBC’s ‘Beat Bullying’ campaign.

Nowadays, you can find many different groups selling silicone bracelets ranging from national causes and organizations to local groups and clubs.

View the video below to see exactly how they’re made!

Have you ever wondered where your donations and support goes?

The website, “GoodGoes.org” allows you to meet local health workers and the children they help to survive.

Each year, almost 9 million children in the developing world die of largely preventable and treatable illnesses before they reach the age of five – that equates to approximately 24,000 child deaths a day. However, every 4 seconds a child survives thanks to the basic health care provided by local health workers.

Save the Children and the Ad Council are working together to mobilize citizen action in the U.S. to help local health workers save more children worldwide.

If you think all nonprofit communications have to be serious, think again. Kudos to the San Francisco SPCA for creatively jumping on a hot topic while promoting their mission.

Warning: watching this video may cause abrupt laughter, inability to stop singing this song and warm fuzzies.

This year The Today Show Lend a Hand program helped five great causes.  Al Roker went on the road to help organizations around the country:

• A Chance for Children Foundation, Los Angeles, California
• Portland Parks Foundation, Portland, Oregon
• Help4Galveston, Galveston, Texas
• Arkansas Rice Depot, Little Rock, Arkansas
• Community School of the Arts, Charlotte, North Carolina

On Day 3 the program helped people in my home state of Texas who were devastated by Hurricane Ike in October of last year. In fact this was the largest day of donations in the history of the Today Show’s Lend a Hand program: $540,652 in goods, services and financial gifts to Help4Galveston.

Donations came from Lowes, Ethan allen global, Home Depot, Energizer, John deere, JCPenney, Lutron Lighting Control, GE, Moen, Glidden, Crazy 8, LG, Scholastic, Swiffer, Sara Lee, Mr. Clean, Oral B, Office Depot, Weber Grills, Penske, and Pergo.

Here is the video of this great day of sharing:

This is such an awesome video. Reciting the familiar song lyrics, and putting them in the context of changed lives has a powerful impact.

“AHHH! What to do? Too many volunteers – Nonprofits are overwhelmed, volunteers underwhelmed!” that was the teaser Chris Jarvis posted to Twitter.  With a line like that I couldn’t help but follow the link he left.  And his blog post titled Six Reasons Why You’ll Never Volunteer Again did not disappoint.

As Chris points out so well, many nonprofits have not been good at creating a positive volunteer experience.

Yes, most people volunteer because they want to make a difference, but…most non-profits are structured to utilize volunteers so that they (the org) can make a difference. These two objectives are often at odds and can consequently create hard feelings. On the other hand, you may be able to find a task that not only suits you, but achieves some goals you have around learning new skills. More likely, you’ll have to take whatever job you’re given.

I highly recommend that anyone who works for a nonprofit read this.  Actually, how about printing it out and reading more than once.  Share with your colleagues and seriously consider how you can help create a more positive experience for your volunteers.

For a humorous take on this topic, check out this Sonic commercial. The husband suggests things from the menu he’d like and is repeatedly overruled.  Now imagine that he’s offering to volunteer.  He suggests ways that would be meaningful to him to help.  Yet, he’s similarly overruled every time.

At 6:15 this morning the 5th grade students from Fuller GT Magnet Elementary hit the road for their trip to Washington DC.  The students did fundraising last fall to be able to go on this trip. They had a movie night, sold donuts, and sold coupon books among other things.

However the principal said that either the whole class would go or none of them would. What a challenge! So when fundraising came up short they applied for a grant sponsored by our Top School Fundraisers website.  Along with a one page application a presentation was required, either in written form or some other creative means such as powerpoint or video. 

Five students wrote and starred in a video that showcased why they wanted to go to DC and their plans once they got there. Parent volunteer Julie Henry, who also works at the local NBC station helped them film it.  This video helped their application stand out and win them a $2000 grant.  They met their fundraising goal and are now experiencing the wonders of our nation’s capitol.

The students were again featured on TV just prior to leaving for the trip. Robin Eisenbeis and her daughter Lydia talked about the trip and the grant. It’s posted at MyNC.com. The video includes some other segments, with the school starting at 6:10.

Have fun in DC!  We’re looking forward to hearing how it goes.

The Documentary category at the Oscars doesn’t often get much attention. However for me when I heard that the film, Smile Pinki: A real-world fairy tale, profiled international charity The Smile Train my ears perked up.

Smile Pinki tells the real-world fairy tale of one young life changed forever and takes you inside one of Smile Train’s incredible partner hospitals. This same magic happens every day for hundreds of children with cleft all over the world, thanks to your contributions and the 2,238 Smile Train doctors and nurses who give these children not just a new smile, but a second chance at life.

Congratulations to filmmaker Megan Mylan for winning Best Documentary Short and to The Smile Train for all the great work you do!

How will Obama’s Presidency impact nonprofits and the people they serve?  Only time will tell.  This story though starts this new era on a high note. Earl Stafford, businessman and philanthropist from Virginia, helped hundreds of “ordinary people” be a part of the history making events in Washington DC this week.  The People’s Inaugural Project, hosted several events including a prayer breakfast, a luncheon, parade viewing and last night was a special inaugural ball.

Stafford’s Foundation hosted the events and sponsored hotel accommodations. Nonprofit agencies all over the country assisted with selecting attendees and providing transportation to Washington.   Those who attended the People’s Inaugural Ball even got to choose from among hundreds of formal gowns and tuxes that were donated for the special occasion.

There’s more on this story at: CBSnews.com