Season's Greetings from Winspire! With the world of event fundraising changing day by day, we aimed to deliver cutting-edge, fresh resources for live auctions, silent auctions and raffles all year long.

At Winspire, we are constantly developing new auction packages and strategies that empower charitable organizations to raise more for their causes. To that end, we are excited to introduce a new way to offer the best possible no-risk travel packages at your fundraising auction: the Winspire Price Match Guarantee!

Happy New Year from Winspire! What a year it has been. The world of event fundraising is changing day by day, and we have the articles and resources to prove it. Before we close the books on 2017, we wanted to share just a few highlights from the wide range of fundraising topics covered this year at Winspire News. 

At Winspire News, we are passionate about helping nonprofits raise more at fundraising events. Today, for the first time in Winspire history, we're giving your donors a unique opportunity to make additional contributions outside the traditional fundraising event setting.

"A little smile, a word of cheer, A bit of love from someone near, A little gift from one held dear, Best wishes for the coming year!" - John Greenleaf Whittier On behalf of all of us at Winspire, thank you for being an integral part of our Nonprofit community. This past year, our no-risk travel items appeared in 2,800 fundraising events, raising a record $5.8 million to fund charitable work around the globe. In 2017, we're more committed than ever to serving as a valuable information resource for fundraising professionals. Check out just a few of the projects we have on deck... Podcasts - Stay tuned for the launch of "Events with Benefits," a fun, informative audio series in collobration with leading industry experts like benefit auctioneer Danny Hooper Webinars - Registration is now open for two January webinars (timing your Live Auction and holding an effective Fund-a-Need) Social media - Join us on Facebook for Live videos, contests and more New resources - such as PowerPoint templates for your live auction Winspire News - We have more great content in the works, plus a new Donation Give-Away prize starting the first week of January We look forward to learning your stories, addressing your challenges and celebrating your successes in 2017. From our Winspire family to yours, we wish you every happiness this holiday season and throughout the coming year. Sincerely, Summy Lau Fundraising Editor, Winspire News slau@winspireme.com (949) 544-8556

"Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, and a stranger into a friend."- Melody Beattie, author As we prepare for a holiday that's all about counting our blessings, I want to personally thank you for subscribing to Winspire News. This publication exists to help nonprofits like yours raise more money at charity events. Whether you've been reading for years or days, I hope you've gleaned practical takeaways and timely resources that have set you up for success (like this 4-step guide to #GivingTuesday). If you would like to give any feedback on your experience with Winspire News and/or suggestions for future posts and resources, I invite you to take our 5-minute Winspire News survey: And if you've appreciated our content, be sure to invite colleagues, volunteers, board members and more to subscribe as well! In addition to cutting-edge fundraising articles and guides, each subscription is another entry in our quarterly Donation Giveaway—and we're giving away a 5 night stay in Italy to kick off 2017. Simply share this link to any who might be interested: http://you.winspireme.com/give-away. On behalf of all of us at Winspire, we wish you a wonderful Thanksgiving and fruitful holiday season ahead. (And to our Canadian readers - please accept our belated greetings!) To your success, Summy Lau Fundraising Editor, Winspire News slau@winspireme.com (949) 544-8556

From GreaterGiving.com Procuring auction items is hard work! Follow these tips to save time and procure items that will make you the most money. When you start procuring auction items, do you: A) Send out a general call to your school, church, or supporter network for general donations? B) Reach out to local businesses and ask for specific types of donations? C) Focus on in-demand items and request only those? Many organizations answer this question with A)—and end up with a silent auction that feels more like a garage sale. With B) and C), you save yourself and your auction committee time by collecting fewer items, making fewer packages, and putting only the best out on the auction tables.

By Sylia Obagi Director of Operations, Annenberg Foundation Posted at HuffingtonPost.com Most nonprofit leaders don't think of income generation as their top priority. Their purposes to serve, they reason. Raising money is secondary. This kind of thinking is one of the biggest mistakes a nonprofit can make. Without a strong fundraising culture, nonprofits often lurch from one financial crisis to another. Many fail to thrive. In spite of good ideas and sometimes great potential, some simply die.

During the AFP Conference in San Diego last April, we distributed cardboard cutouts of the Winspire Twins, Winston & Winnie. On the back were directions for people or groups to go take the most creative picture possible with the Twins anywhere at the conference or in the city. The winner of the contest would receive two 1-night Fairmont certificates to be used anywhere in the country! After sifting through plenty of creative submissions, we found our favorite from Michael Slaymaker from Easter Seals Disability Services in Florida, who was brave enough to get close to a group of massive sea lions to take a picture with the Twins.

When it’s your job to come up with a clever way to raise copious amounts of money for your Nonprofit, it can become a daunting task very quickly if you’re stuck without the right fundraising auction ideas. It’s important to remember that above all, excited donors spend more money. So how do you get your donors excited? By offering exciting and unique no-risk auction items at your event. Whether you’re having an auction or raffle, finding a Nonprofit fundraising idea can be as simple as picking a theme. Luckily, almost any theme imaginable can be tied to a trip or experience of some kind. Casino Night? How about offering a trip to Vegas. Or for a more romantic ambiance, consider a trip to Paris. Many of the event organizers we work with actually form their charity fundraising theme around a  unique experience  we have available. Our team of professional Event Consultants has worked with countless Nonprofits around the United States and Canada to help them create the most successful charity fundraisers possible. They’ve just about seen it all and their experience has shown them what works and what doesn’t. When it comes to helping a Nonprofit find the best idea for raising money from their audience, your Event Consultant will draw upon their expertise with your target demographic, event type and attendance size.

From BlackBaud.com The question today is not whether you should use social media, but how you should use the information your constituents are sharing on social media to attract more people to your mission and make your fundraising campaigns more successful. The answer to the question lies in understanding your social media constituents and identifying which ones are the most well-connected, influential, and... Read more Click on the INFOGRAPHIC below to enlarge and learn more about how to identify and engage your social media influencers.