Live and Silent auctions have become common place at many fundraising events. Some organizations even host very successful stand-alone auction fundraisers. Just because the idea of an auction has become common place does not mean that your auction needs to be the same old thing.

In order to keep donors engaged and excited, there are strategies that can be put into place for the event. Try putting a cap on the number of items offered in your auction. Nothing saps a donors energy and excitement about the event more quickly than an endless menu of auction items. Ideally, one item should be offered for every four guests in attendance.

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Our founder, Mike Last, was recently interviewed by Michelle Spoden and the Journal of Humanitarian Affairs. It was honor for Mike to share what inspired him to create Geronimo Vacation Rentals for Charity and Vacation Homes for Charity. We wanted to share that interview and inspire our readers to have fun and help others all at the same time. Please read this interview here and let us hear from you. We would love to hear your thoughts and experiences on our Facebook page.

This month we celebrate National Volunteer Week from April 21 – 27. It’s a busy time when most nonprofits spend at least a day of that week recognizing and thanking volunteers. However, are they thanking the board?

Board members are no different from volunteers. They donate their time out of love for the mission. They offer their professional expertise and guide the nonprofit to success. Too often, they are overlooked when it comes time for a thank you.

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Recent reports show that there are three key trends that should be watched for the future of nonprofits. All three of those trends relate to social media.

The numbers are staggering. With 1.06 billion monthly active users and 680 million mobile users on Facebook and  500 million users on Twitter, nonprofits are realizing the value of these tools and finding ways to maximize the free advertising that these social media sites can provide.

The 2012 Nonprofit Social Network Benchmark Report highlights three ways that nonprofits will increase their social media activity in 2013, including: The monetization of Facebook , a bigger presence on Google+, and more fundraising efforts through Twitter.

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Spring is finally here and a lot of great things are happening. We aren’t just talking about longer days, warm sunshine and flowers blooming. Geronimo is growing quickly! We have had a wonderful start to 2013 and are excited about things to come.

For non-profit organizations, spring means fundraising events, galas and benefit dinners. We know this is an important time of year for many and pleased to have a solution to help. Our OneSpareWeek brand is a tool that provides easy access to one of the most popular fundraising items…vacations!

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