charity_header2 2008charity2

Charity and the Highest Bidder
by Tony Nafe

The black labrador puppy with the bright red collar is carried around the room so each of the 250 guest get a good look at those big brown eyes...
'200 now three, now four, now five, do I hear six, yes, thank you, now seven, I think I would, thank you, 800 dollars now nine, 1,000, now 1,500 and 1,800, do I hear 2,000, 2,200, ma'am are you going to let someone else take that puppy home for twenty two hundred dollars, twenty five, yes, thank you, I knew you wouldn't let me down. Going once, going twice, sold to the lady in the stunning blue dress."

You've just witnessed a well dressed, obviously successful woman pay twenty five hundred dollars for the cutest $250 puppy you have ever seen. Insanity? Far from it. It's all about charity and it's all about auctions, and it's a marriage made in heaven.

There are literally hundreds of worthy charities that compete on an annual basis for a finite number of dollars. Traditional direct mail solicitations for donations are not producing the funds they once did, and as a result many charities are turningĀ to the gala charity auction.

Guest pay $50 to $250 per plate for an evening of gourmet food, libations and first rate entertainment. So, where does the auction come in? The auction is the entertainment. If you don't believe it you only have to watch Jack Granger an auctioneer with Granger, Thagard & Associates, Inc. work a room. You will never see people spending so much money, having so much fun, and accomplishing so much good all at the same time.

Jack Granger, is one moment Dean Martin and the next Jerry Lewis, one minute the suave sophisticate and the next the good ol' boy from South Alabama, and that is the secret to his success.

Granger, Thagard and Associates, Inc. is a full service auction firm in Birmingham, Alabama that specializes in real estate and other significant asset auctions. Over the past few years, however, Jack Granger has found himself in high demand as a celebrity auctioneer for charities like Cystic Fibrosis, The Leukemia Society, The Heart Association, private schools and wildlife organizations.

charity3

video GTA Charity Auction Services
Click for a message from Jack Granger

video 
Auctioneers in Action
click here to view 3 minute video

Birmingham's "Bob Barker"
click here to read article by Robert Hinds


2007/2008 Charity Auction Schedule

"The secret to a successful charity auction is simple, it has to be fun. You can't simply stand on the stage and take bids. You have to reach out there and tickle their funny bones and tug on their heart strings. Anytime you can get someone to pay $2,500 for a two hundred dollar puppy or $1,000 for a $75 bottle of wine, you know that you've done your job. But more importantly they know that they've just added $2,500 to fight against breast cancer or leukemia or heart disease and that's why they were there." Jack Granger

Our auction firm can assist you with your event. We provide consultation with both live and silent auction staffs to help insure that the planned financial goals are met. Many "veteran" non-profit auction organizers understand that theĀ background work of professional planning creates the success. (The auction "event" is the entertaining way to collect the money).

Our firm brings "to the table" the knowledge to help your event succeed without the committees reinventing the wheel each year. Taking an event to the "next level" is a rewarding feeling for the non profit and our firm.

The professional auctioneer is perhaps the only part of the event that pays for itself. The ability to create and maximize egos and testosterone into a bidding war can seriously and positively affect your results. Many groups now include our honorarium fee as part of the individual ticket price and we can explain more when we visit.

800-996-2877 or 205-326-0833
gta@gtauctions.com

Please contact our office to request the new version of "the charity auction handbook". Make a chairman's job easier with the practical knowledge of fundraising that's derived from hundreds of succesfully executed auctions.

Granger, Thagard & Associates, Inc.
1806 Oxmoor Rd, Birmingham, AL 35209
205-326-0833 / 800-996-2877
web design & hosting by: nsws.net

Real Estate Auction Company, Residential and Commercial Real Estate, Multi-Parcel Land Auctions