New Year’s Resolution Suggestions for Nonprofits by Beth Markley

Friday, February 3rd, 2012

I am not one for establishing New Year’s resolutions usually, but it is the traditional time to evaluate what we’ve learned over the past year and set some goals for the coming one.  When coaching nonprofit professionals and volunteers, I encourage setting short term, well defined goals in “bite-sized chunks,” to encourage completion and inspire momentum.  I think the same strategy, employed on a organization-wide basis can have the same effect.  With that in mind, here are a few suggestions based on what I have seen over the past six years of consulting for several dozen small to medium-sized nonprofits.

READ MORE From Beth Markley

STAMPEDE AUCTIONING PINK JERSEYS

Friday, January 20th, 2012

STAMPEDE AUCTIONING PINK JERSEYS
Idaho to wear special jerseys, raising money for breast cancer awareness

BOISE, Idaho, January 14, 2012 -The red and black of the Idaho Stampede will change to pink.

The Idaho Stampede have announced a partnership with St. Luke’s Mountain States Tumor Institute and Boise’s own AuctionFrogs.org to help raise money for breast cancer awareness. The State of Idaho ranks last in the U.S. in mammogram screening – with this auction, all money raised will be funneled to St. Luke’s in hopes of raising awareness in the state, saving the lives of countless women, mothers, daughters, sisters and friends.

The Stampede are holding an online auction on the website, which includes items from the Stampede such as merchandise and once-in-a-lifetime experiences, along with items from the team’s sponsors. The spotlight items will be pink jerseys the team will wear for Feb. 3 and 4 home games against the Rio Grande Valley Vipers. Fans can bid on the jerseys while at CenturyLink Arena during the games by finding the auction kiosk, but the auction will finish online the next night at midnight.

To view the auction and make bids, go to idahostampede.afrogs.org.

Alexander and Associates, Boise Idaho

Thursday, January 19th, 2012

To make the most of your investment in Auction Frogs, you should use social media to attract people to your auction and build goodwill with businesses, donors and potential bidders. Primarily, that involves Facebook. The overall goals are to:

• Use your organization’s Facebook page, and your supporters’ personal Facebook pages, to drive more traffic to your auction.
• Use Facebook as a touchstone for this auction and future fundraising efforts.
• Thank donors for their generosity and get their supporters to notice your auction. Supportive comments are like gold and businesses remember who thanks them publicly. Showing thanks makes everyone feel good and raises your stock as an organization.
Here are some simple ways to get the ball rolling. These are good techniques to increase your organization’s social media presence – even after the auction is over. A few of these are more advanced techniques, but most of these ideas are fairly easy for anyone with basic experience in Facebook.
Each social medium has a different vibe. LinkedIn is like a business meeting, Facebook is like a neighborhood barbecue, Twitter is like a cocktail party and MySpace is like the smokers in the alley. Consider which social media are appropriate to your event and use them!

BEFORE THE EVENT:
• If possible, designate a volunteer or staff person to assist with social media promotion before, during and after the online auction and, if applicable, the live auction event.
• If you are your organization’s FB page admin, go to your page and click “Use Facebook as page” on the right. You will need to do this to use your organization’s page fully – just make sure to switch back to yourself when you are done.
• Create an event attached to your organization’s FB page. Go to www.facebook.com/events, and follow the directions. The event should be called something like “Online Auction to Support NAME.”
• Using FB as you personally, return the event page, and under the event profile picture, choose Select Guests to Invite; invite any friends you think might be interested. Ask your friends to invite their friends to the event. But do this judiciously as you don’t want to pester people.
• “Share” the event on your wall. At the top of the event page, click “share” and say something about the auction and your organization. This will post a link to the event on your wall for all your friends to see. Have your friends and supporters do this as well.
• When you visit your Auction Frogs page, there will be a FB logo to “like” the auction. If you click this, a link will show up on your personal wall to the auction site, saying that you “liked” this auction.
• Write on donors’ FB walls. To do this, use FB as your page, find their page on FB and “Like” their page. Then write a comment thanking them for their generosity and put up a link to the Auction Frogs auction page that features their donation.
• When you are using FB as your organization’s page, your comments will show up as your organization – not you personally. But there’s nothing wrong with switching back to using FB as you and leaving ANOTHER sweet comment on the business’s wall as you personally! Ask your staff and supporters to do the same. Businesses appreciate – and remember – who thanks them publicly.
• While you’re still FB as your organization, notice on the left, under your profile picture, where it says “Wall-Hidden Posts.” Check this often as FB may be hiding good comments from supporters, mistakenly assuming they are spam.
• Tag donor businesses in posts on your organization’s FB page. To tag a business, your page must “Like” it first. Then say something like, “We’d like to thank XYZ Corporation for supporting our fundraising driving by donating three thingamajigs.” Type the “@” symbol and choose the XYZ Corporation. The post will simultaneously show up on the donor’s FB wall (assuming their page’s spam filter hasn’t trapped it, in which case you might want to do them the favor of letting them know they aren’t seeing nice comments on their wall.)
• If you have a real event (wine dinner, live auction, etc.) in tandem with the Auction Frogs online auction, publicize that as well. Remember to take photos of people having fun at your event and put them on FB and them (you have to be friends with someone to tag them).
• When the auction is done, thank the high bidders (whether people or businesses) by writing on their walls. You have to be friends with a person, or a fan of the business, to write on their walls.
• If you are having a live auction, gala or similar event, make sure to include links to your FB business and event pages and invite people to go there.
• If you are able to find out who bought tickets to the event, put their names on your FB business and event pages and thank these people. It’s not possible to tag people on a business page.
• If your organization has a Twitter account, link it to your FB page so all FB updated are automatically Tweeted. Search Twitter with Tweetdeck or similar program to find out what people are saying about your event and organization.
• If your organization has a presence on LinkedIn, set up a discussion group for it and use that to get the word out in a business setting.
• Set up your event as a venue on Foursquare. Announce a prize for whoever is the Mayor at the end of the event.

DURING AND AFTER THE LIVE AUCTION EVENT (IF APPLICABLE):
• Make sure you have a wireless network accessible to your guests at the event.
• Create a photo gallery for the event on your business page. Take pictures of the event, people having fun, in groups, at tables, etc. Post them immediately to FB gallery and tag people in the photos who are your friends.
• Set up a computer and projector and display your organization’s FB page. Encourage those at the event to write on the wall/tag your organization in their status updates from the event.
• Invite people to Tweet about the event, upload to Twitpic, etc. Create a hashtag for the event to make it easy to find on Twitter. Send out regular updates from your personal and business Twitter account.
• Encourage guests to check in on Foursquare and Facebook.
• Put social media badges on the evening’s printed programs, banners, signs, etc. The MC should occasionally remind people to use Twitter, FB and other social media.
• Take video of the event and put it up on your organization’s YouTube channel, if you have one, shortly after the event to sustain good feelings. Get the video on your FB page too. If you don’t have a YouTube channel, just upload the video to FB.
• Offer a prize for whoever posts the best photo, best status update, most Tweets, etc.
• Use good judgment when photographing, videoing or writing about others. You want your social media to document the good times and good deeds of your supporters; avoid anything that could potentially embarrass anyone and immediately remove pictures and tags on request.

For more information about this article or Alexander and Associates, contact Martin Johncox at martin@alexanderandassociates.com or visit them at

Auction Frogs Offers Absentee Bidding!

Saturday, October 15th, 2011

New features for our clients and bidders! First is Absentee Bidding for clients hosting a Live Auction Event! If you are unable to attend the Live Auction Event and you want to place a bid on one of the items listed in the “Live Auction Catalog”, now you can! Check out Bishop Kelly Online Auction with Absentee Bidding Happening Now!

More features rolling out soon, stay tuned!

Two nonprofits raise big bucks in fundraising competition

Thursday, March 17th, 2011

BOISE, ID – March 14, 2011 –Volunteers and bidders scooted closer and closer to their computer screens as the clock approached 7:00 p.m. At the top of the hour cheers broke out that overpowered the live music and chatter at the Hidden Springs Mercantile as the online auction clock ran out and bidding ended Monday.

The end of the online silent auctions signified an exciting end to the Auction Frogs’ Corporate Volunteer Challenge that paired two teams of volunteers head-to-head raising money for their nonprofit; the Fighting Craigs team raising a whopping $13,219 for the Ronald McDonald House and Chai Yo! team raising a generous $4,614 for Junior Achievement of Idaho. The challenge has consisted of four weeks of challenges, with a winning team each week, culminating in a 10 day online benefit auction for each nonprofit.

“This final week challenge goes to the Fighting Craigs and the Ronald McDonald House based on this week’s ‘Feet on the Street’ challenge and a radio promotion,” said Kristi Saucerman, Auction Frogs Founder.

The Fighting Craigs got their “Feet on the Street” by heading to the  Boise State University quad reaching hundreds of student s and their feature on 94.1 the Voice reached listeners all over the valley, informing them about the Ronald McDonald House charity and recruiting bidders for the online benefit auction.

Fighting Craig team members were awarded with Melaleuca products presented by Christy Davis, a real estate appraiser and Melaleuca product reseller. The team also received Starbucks gift cards and Dillard’s exclusive Southern Living Ultimate Christmas Cookbook for their weekly challenge win.

Proceeds from the Ronald McDonald House online benefit auction will benefit future operations of the Idaho Ronald McDonald House, a home-away-from-home for families of ill or injured children receiving medical treatment in Boise.

Proceeds from the JA online benefit auction will support JA programs that inspire students to dream big and reach their potential. Their focus is on entrepreneurship, work readiness, and financial literacy. Volunteers from the business community teach the five, one-hour classroom sessions. To implement a program the cost is $300 per elementary classroom, or roughly $11 per student. They reach 2,500 students each year and have a waiting list of classrooms wanting the JA services; the funds raised will help them reach these classrooms.

Now that the online benefit auctions are complete the two teams are busy collecting and tallying funds. A winner of the entire Auction Frog’s Corporate Volunteer Challenge will be determined and announced at a celebration March 18. A generous cash prize will be awarded, by sponsor Western Capital Bank, to the winning team’s charity.

About The Corporate Volunteer Challenge

The Corporate Volunteer Challenge Spring 2011 is the first of many Auction Frogs sponsored events designed to help nonprofits overcome many common pitfalls normally experienced while fundraising and maximize their fundraising potential. While boasting some friendly competition, these events are all focused on helping good causes and putting the “FUN” back in FUNdraising.

Learn more about the Auction Frogs Corporate Volunteer Challenge at www.auctionfrogs.org

About Auction Frogs

Auction Frogs recognizes the challenges and pitfalls of “selling” donations at a fundraising event and has developed a web-based application that takes the silent auction efforts to a whole new level for the nonprofit organization. They provide a web-based tool for nonprofit organizations to upload their donated items for their audience to bid on through a customized and hosted site. As a result, the bidding audience increases and the time frame for bidding is much longer which results in higher revenue. For more information on Auction Frogs visit www.auctionfrogs.org or call 208.321.5515.

Weekly Update for Auction Frogs Corporate Volunteer Challenge – Week 4 Update Radio Show Challenge- Cash Prize and Winning Team Announced

Thursday, March 10th, 2011

Auction Frogs’ Corporate Volunteer Challenge brings teams together to compete, help good causes, and put the “FUN” back in fundraising

With the auctions live as of March 4^th, this week’s challenge provided quite the flurry of activity for both teams, with great results for Junior Achievement and The Ronald McDonald House. With a venue on The Craig Cheney Show, teams had to infiltrate their networks, reaching through all of their available channels; radio, Facebook posts, Twitter, call, email to Auction Frogs, blogs, emails etc., to encourage people to vote for their favorite team, donate auction items, or online cash contributions between 4-5 p.m on Monday, March 7th.

94.1 The Voice had callers pouring in, and the online activity lead to a huge number of votes for both non-profits. People had no problem showing the love for their favorites, which led to $200 cash prize to the winning team that brought in the most votes through their variety of networks though this Challenge.  An incredible amount of contributions and auction items were captured during this short time frame than thought possible. Special guests included Erza Haliti the current Miss. Idaho, and John Cotner, present board member of J.A, being interviewed and adding their special stories to the show.  Ronald McDonald House brought in the most votes and therefore won the $200 cash prize from Auction Frogs, llc!

Even after voting was closed, calls were still pouring into the studio and through online channels as well. The energy from the event still ignites both teams, with the auctions picking up momentum.

Good stuff has been happening for both Junior Achievement and The Ronald McDonald House with reports they each have increased their Facebook activity by 20%! Fabulous!

Who will win the overall challenge on March 18th after the final results are tallied? Keep checking in to hear which team will win a cash prize from Western Capital Bank!

Chai Yo! team wins for Junior Achievment in Volunteer Challenge

Tuesday, March 1st, 2011

BOISE, ID – March 1, 2011 – In another tight competition, the Chai Yo! team was declared the winner of the second weekly challenge in the Auction Frogs’ Corporate Volunteer Challenge at the Baan Thai restaurant in Eagle Friday.

Team Chai Yo! raising money for Junior Achievement of Idaho

Team Chai Yo!, which means “victory” in Thai, named after the corporate volunteers from Baan Thai Restaurant are raising funds for Junior Achievement of Idaho charity. They are competing head to head with the Fighting Craigs, named after the corporate volunteers from the Craig Cheney Show, raising funds for the Ronald McDonald House of Idaho charity.

For the second challenge teams were tasked to effectively execute the strategy they created in the first week and solicit auction item donations and acquire sponsorships. They were also challenged to market and promote their online auction, update the auction site, and upload the donations they have collected into the auction site.

“Again, the scores were extremely close but this week but the scores were hinged on the networking event on the 22^nd and the feedback from the companies that participated,” said Kristi Saucerman, President and CEO of Auction Frogs.

Last week, as part of the second week’s challenge, the teams attended a Speed Networking Event on Tuesday, Feb. 22.  At this event teams met with 10 businesses and had three minutes with each business to explain what they are raising funds for and ask for a donation. Both teams did a great job of networking but Kristi Saucerman said that the Chai Yo! team did an exceptional job.

Members of the winning Chai Yo! team were presented with gift certificates for the Seasons Bistro, Wine Bar, and Catering provided by Social Eyes Marketing. The Baan Thai restaurant and Junior Achievement also received a subscription to the Idaho Business Review and each a copy of the Book of Lists courtesy of the Idaho Business Review.

Shannon Robnett , owner of Baan Thai restaurant and member of the Chai Yo! team, explained how powerful the act of giving can be. He said, “The more benevolent my business is the more we have grown.”

On Friday, after the awards were presented the teams received their third week challenge. The third challenge is to effectively execute the strategy that the teams created for the first and second Challenge weeks. This includes the continuation of the soliciting for auction item donations, acquiring sponsorships, and making the most of the opportunities presented through this experience.

The online benefit auction will start on March 4^th. The teams are also tasked with identifying free places to announce the start of the online auction, share links, and prepare an email message announcing the start of the auction.

The teams will report back to the Corporate Volunteer Challenge Advisory Board on March 4^th. At the end of the Online Benefit Auction, March 18, the team with the most money collected wins the competition and a cash prize for the nonprofit.

To learn more, become a sponsor, or donate an auction item for the Junior Achievement Online Benefit Auction visit http://www.jaboise.afrogs.org/

To learn more, become a sponsor, or donate an auction item for the Ronald McDonald House Benefit Auction visit http://www.rmhboise.afrogs.org/

The Corporate Volunteer Challenge Spring 2011 is the first of many Auction Frogs sponsored events designed to help nonprofits overcome many common pitfalls normally experienced while fundraising and maximize their fundraising potential. While boasting some friendly competition, these events are all focused on helping good causes and putting the “FUN” back in FUNdraising.

Learn more about the Auction Frogs Challenge online at www.auctionfrogs.org

About Auction Frogs

Auction Frogs recognizes the challenges and pitfalls of “selling” donations at a fundraising event and has developed a web-based application that takes the silent auction efforts to a whole new level for the nonprofit organization. They provide a web-based tool for nonprofit organizations to upload their donated items for their audience to bid on through a customized and hosted site. As a result, the bidding audience increases and the time frame for bidding is much longer which results in higher revenue. For more information on Auction Frogs visit www.auctionfrogs.org or call 208.321.5515.

Fighting Craigs win first challenge for Ronald McDonald House in Volunteer Challenge

Friday, February 25th, 2011

BOISE, ID – Feb. 18, 2011 – After much deliberation, the Fighting Craigs were declared winners of the first weekly challenge in the Auction Frogs’ Corporate Volunteer Challenge at the Ronald McDonald House in Boise Friday.

The Fighting Craigs, named after the corporate volunteers from the Craig Cheney Show, are raising funds for the Ronald McDonald House of Idaho charity. They are competing head to head with team Chai Yo!, which means “victory” in Thai, named after the corporate volunteers from Baan Thai Restaurant who are raising funds for Junior Achievement of Idaho.

For the first challenge the teams were tasked with developing a team name, logo, as well as forming strategies for promoting and gathering donations for the benefit auction at the end of the challenge.

“The scores were extremely close and both teams did an exceptional amount of work in the short time that they were given,” said Kristi Saucerman, President and CEO of Auction Frogs.

Members of the Fighting Craigs were presented with gift certificates for the Oliver Finley Academy of Cosmetology provided by guest judge Eric Holley of Oliver Findley.

Eric congratulated both teams for the great work they did on the first challenge and he looks forward to working with both teams throughout the Corporate Volunteer Challenge.

During the first week challenge both teams attended an Auction Forum where they were be able to ask a panel of past Auction Frogs Online Benefit Auction clients about their experience, about what worked, and what didn’t. They also attended the Buy Idaho Show, held annually at the Idaho State Capital building, to inform Idaho businesses about their fundraising auction and seek out donations and sponsorships.

On Friday the teams were also presented with their second week challenge.  The teams will report back to the Corporate Volunteer Challenge Advisory Board and a weekly winner will be announced at the Baan Thai Restaurant in Eagle on Friday, Feb. 25.

The new challenge is based on executing the strategy that each team created in the first week challenge. It includes soliciting auction items donations, acquiring sponsorships for the auction, and making the most of the opportunities presented through this experience.

This week, as part of the second week’s challenge, the teams are attending the Speed Networking Event on Tuesday, Feb. 22.  At this event teams will meet with 10 businesses and have three minutes with each business to explain what they are raising funds for and ask for a donation. The team that does the best job of asking for the donation will receive a larger donation item at the end of the event. This Speed Networking Event is meant to teach the teams how to approach businesses and successfully ask for donations that can be auctioned off during the Online Benefit Auction.

“The Speed Networking Challenge is really about strategy,” Kristi Saucerman said. “You have three minutes to give them your pitch, just like if you went to call on a business, they only have a few minutes to hear you out.”

At the end of the Online Benefit Auction, March 18, the team with the most money collected wins the competition and a cash prize for the nonprofit.

The Corporate Volunteer Challenge Spring 2011 is the first of many Auction Frogs sponsored events designed to help nonprofits overcome many common pitfalls normally experienced while fundraising and maximize their fundraising potential. While boasting some friendly competition, these events are all focused on helping good causes and putting the “FUN” back in FUNdraising.

Learn more about the Auction Frogs Challenge online at www.auctionfrogs.org

About Auction Frogs

Auction Frogs recognizes the challenges and pitfalls of “selling” donations at a fundraising event and has developed a web-based application that takes the silent auction efforts to a whole new level for the nonprofit organization. They provide a web-based tool for nonprofit organizations to upload their donated items for their audience to bid on through a customized and hosted site. As a result, the bidding audience increases and the time frame for bidding is much longer which results in higher revenue. For more information on Auction Frogs visit www.auctionfrogs.org or call 208.321.5515

Five Ways Nonprofits Can Use Social Media to Build Their e-Newsletter List

Friday, February 25th, 2011

Posted on February 22, 2011 by Heather Mansfield on http://charityhappenings.org

People are often surprised when I say that if given the choice, I would choose 10,000 e-Newsletter subscribers over 10,000 Followers on Twitter, 10,000 Fans on Facebook, or 10,000 Friends on Foursquare… combined. Any day of the week and without hesitation. And though some reports claim thatemail use is dropping, others claim its use is steady and even on the rise. Reports and predictions of the death of e-mail fluctuate seemingly on a quarterly basis.

However, one thing that is certain is that the ROI (Return on Investment) from e-newsletters is still relatively high compared to other Web-based channels. For me, that ROI translates into webinar attendees and speaking engagements. For nonprofits, the ROI of e-newsletters translates into online dollars raised through “Donate Now” technology, event attendees, website and blog traffic, and paradoxically new Followers, Fans, and Friends on social networking sites.

That said, the roles of email and e-newsletters are constantly evolving and even though the number one activity on mobile phones is email, that could change in the future. Group text messaging could become the new email of the Mobile Web. But for now, nonprofits would be wise to continue to build their e-newsletter list at every opportunity to get in while the getting is still good. That said, here are five ways to do so using social media:

1) Blog, blog, blog!

Blogging during the era of the Social Web is more valuable than ever to nonprofits provided your blog is well-designed and the content is good. For building your e-newsletter list, blogging is phenomenal as long as you feature “Subscribe” functionality promenently. For example,Greenpeace’s Making Waves Blog was recently redesigned to feature their “Subscribe to our e-newsletter” pitch over the ability to subscribe to their blog via RSS. My personal  experience has proven that to be a wise decision. When I started blogging 18 months ago my e-newsletter list was 3,000 and to that point had been built over 3.5 years primarily using my website. Today my list has now grown to 9,500 members. Thanks to blogging, my e-newsletter list tripled in size in half the time. Consequently, so has my ROI.

2) Convert Facebook Fans into Subscribers.

Once a month post a Status Update letting your Fans know that you are sending out an “important e-newsletter tomorrow, and if they would like to receive a copy, please subscribe!” You should definitely include a message that creates a deadline and a sense of urgency, and of course “Share” a link where users can directly subscribe. Again, don’t do a direct ask on Facebook more than once a month or you risk crossing that thin line between marketing and authenticity on Facebook. Once crossed, the Law of Diminishing Returns begins to kick in.

Also, your nonprofit can create a custom Tab urging Fans to subscribe to your e-newsletter list or participate in online petitions. For example, Oceana has set a Default Landing Tab on their Facebook Page that urges people to take action – which then builds their e-mail list. Of course, online petitions also make great Status Update content.

3) Ask your Twitter Followers to Subscribe.

Twitter has taught me a valuable lesson about social media ROI. Sometimes all you need to do is ask, provided you don’t ask to often. Again, once a month send out Tweet asking your Followers to subscribe to your e-newsletter. Be sure to create a sense of urgency and express gratitude:

Sending out my Web 2.0 Best Practices e-Newsletter tomorrow. To receive a copy, please subscribe: http://conta.cc/2VeW7A Thank you!

Unfortunately, “please” and “thank you” are expressions used less and less often (especially in email), and because of that can make a strong impression that will motivate readers to take action i.e., subscribe to your e-newsletter. Like Facebook, the trick is not to ask too often. Once a month is best… more than that and people begin to tune you out on Twitter.

4) Add “Subscribe” Pitches to Video Overlays.

If your nonprofit is a member of YouTube’s Nonprofit Program, you can add Call-to-Action Overlays to your videos. There’s no data proving that this will build your e-newsletter list, but it can’t hurt.

5) Add “Subscribe” Pitches to Photo Sets, Slideshows, and Captions.

Flickr Sets can be customized using HTML to add “Subscribe!” pitches, and Facebook Photosallow captions that can include links. In short, never waste an opportunity to promote and integrate your e-newsletter, website, blog, social networking communities, and or mobile campaigns social networking communities.

By: Heather Mansfield. Owner of DIOSA Communications and principal blogger at Nonprofit Tech 2.0, a social media guide for nonprofits.

Originally posted on Nonprofit Tech 2.0 Blog

Teams receive their first challenge as the Corporate Volunteer Challenge officially kicks off

Tuesday, February 15th, 2011

Auction Frogs’ Corporate Volunteer Challenge brings teams together to compete, help good causes, and put the “FUN” back in fundraising

Two local volunteer teams met and received their first weeks challenge when the Auction Frogs’ Corporate Volunteer Challenge officially kicked off Monday at the Hidden Springs Mercantile.

Volunteers from the Craig Cheney Show will be raising funds for the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Idaho and competing against the Baan Thai Restaurant team raising funds for Junior Achievement of Idaho.

The teams will receive a new challenge each week for the next four weeks, all related to the planning, marketing, and execution of a successful online benefit auction. The team’s first challenge included writing a team bio, creating a team logo, and writing a solicitation letter to collect donations for the nonprofit benefit auction. They were also tasked with developing a strategy to procure auction item donations, create a marketing plan to promote the auction, create content for the auction website, and issue a press release.

The teams are also encouraged to attend an auction forum where they will be able to ask a panel of past Auction Frogs Online Benefit Action clients about their experience so they can find out what worked and what didn’t as they plan for their auction. The teams will have the opportunity to speak with Julia Zunich of Z Group PR and Lisa Ahrens, an Auction Frogs Specialist, as they put together their marketing materials.

“Focus on relationships and work on your messaging ahead of time so when you are out at events and on the streets promoting your event your talking points will be ready to communicate,” said Julia.

On Friday, Feb. 18 the teams will report back to the Corporate Volunteer Challenge Advisory Board and a weekly challenge winner will be announced.

At the end of the Online Benefit Auction, March 18, the team with the most money collected wins the competition and a cash prize for the nonprofit.

The Corporate Volunteer Challenge Spring 2011 is the first of many Auction Frogs sponsored events designed to help nonprofits overcome many common pitfalls normally experienced while fundraising and maximize their fundraising potential. While boasting some friendly competition, these events are all focused on helping good causes and putting the “FUN” back in FUNdraising.

Learn more about the Auction Frogs Challenge online at www.auctionfrogs.org

About Auction Frogs

Auction Frogs recognizes the challenges and pitfalls of “selling” donations at a fundraising event and has developed a web-based application that takes the silent auction efforts to a whole new level for the nonprofit organization. They provide a web-based tool for nonprofit organizations to upload their donated items for their audience to bid on through a customized and hosted site. As a result, the bidding audience increases and the time frame for bidding is much longer which results in higher revenue. For more information on Auction Frogs visit www.auctionfrogs.org or call 208.321.5515.