The DMAW/EF’s 2016 Silent Auction: “What’ve You Got for Us Today?”

by Scott & Scott

2016SilentAuctionAdMany charities — including some that will be represented at the 2016 Bridge Conference— use silent auctions as a path to “found money.” No wonder. Proceeds from a Silent Auction come from people a nonprofit might otherwise have no way to reach.

Silent auctions work well for another reason, too. Items are donated, usually by corporate sponsors or highly engaged major donors. The auction is run partly or mostly by volunteers. So, even though auction items are typically sold for less than their actual value, nearly all the net revenue goes to the charity.

For these reasons, many fundraisers view silent auctions as a “win-win-win” proposition.

Now, here’s a winning proposition for YOU.

Your DMAW Educational Foundation (DMAW/EF) will hold its annual Silent Auction at the 2016 Bridge Conference. Right now, the foundation is calling on all DMAW members to donate special items to make this year’s Silent Auction the most successful yet.

Here are some ways you could make a “gift” to support the Silent Auction:

  • REGIFTINGe.g., that great copper tea kettle that duplicates the one you already have.
  • UNGIFTINGe.g., the dog bed somebody sent when you rescued a cat.
  • PERSONAL GIFTINGe.g., a contribution or two to a colleague’s blog.
  • FAMILY GIFTINGe.g., a QiGong yoga session from your sister, who’s certified [no, not certifiable; certified].
  • TALENT GIFTINGe.g., a quilt, a painting, a photo session, handmade doll clothes, a knitted scarf.
  • COSMETIC GIFTINGe.g., an offer to color a colleague’s hair [you KNOW you can do this].
  • FASHION GIFTINGe.g., those GREAT looking and expensive designer PJs that arrived in the wrong size, which you, somehow, forgot to return.
  • GUILT GIFTINGe.g., that awesome fountain pen you ordered in a moment of weakness and can’t bear to send back.
  • TRAVEL GIFTINGe.g., your place at the beach — any beach — for a weekend or a week!

All proceeds from the Silent Auction will benefit the nonprofit DMAW Educational Foundation and will be used to support programs focused on our region’s future staffing needs in the field of direct marketing.

The DMAW/EF works with professors and their students at colleges and universities across the Mid-Atlantic. We support the development of direct marketing curricula that reflects the current state-of-the-art in our industry. We also award scholarships to the best students and grants to the best professors.

This way, we connect regional direct marketers with a strong pool of new talent each year.

Thank you for supporting the DMAW/EF Silent Auction as a way to support direct marketing excellence!

Nancy Scott is a member of the DMAW/EF Board of Directors and the former editor of Marketing AdVents. Scott Huch is also a DMAW/EF Board member and is President of The Delta Group. They are collectively the creative team of “Scott & Scott.” For more information on the Silent Auction, visit dmawef.org.