MEET THE MURADS: GIVING IT ALL TO GOD
By Niki Rutledge | Photos courtesy of Louis and Claire Murad
In the quiet serenity of Lake Ray Hubbard near Rockwall, Texas, Louis and Claire Murad reflect on a life rich in Faith and family, and one that is a testament to the transformative power of surrendering to God’s plan.
A LEAP OF FAITH
Article and photos courtesy of Joe and Helen Drakeley
A call came from out of the blue. Our friend Pierre Koshakji, co-founder of the Authentic Leadership Foundation (ALF), was offering an opportunity. “House of Blues? Never been there, Pierre. Who’s performing?”
Imagine spending an evening with friends and family, seated front and center stage to experience Raymond Arroyo’s “Christmas: Merry and Bright” concert, featuring himself, The NOLA Players, and special guests Jose Feliciano and Jim Caviezel (dressed as St. Nick himself!). What a surprise! What an experience! What a night to remember – any night of the year!
The Limelight: Rachel’s Challenge Fundraiser at Eastside Plaza Richardson
Six Paige Minatrea was diagnosed at the age of four with severe A-Plastic anemia, a serious medical condition that requires a bone marrow transplant. Six Paige is now 14 years old and had her transplant at Children’s Hospital on July 11th.
On Juy 8th, the Eastside Plaza Retailers and Restaurants have teamed with the Rachel’s Challenge organization at Naaman Forest High School (NFHS), to conduct the Dine4Six fundraiser to help pay for some of Six Paige’s medical bills. The one-night event was held with hopes to raise $5,000 and included a raffle, vendor fair, live auction, and blood drive by CarterBloodCare at the Eastside Plaza in Richardson. All proceeds that evening went towards Six Pagie’s medical bills. The event was a success and raised nearly $6,000. Read more
Featured in: Management Resource Online Newsletter for Center Members (A publication of the Center for Nonprofit Management)
February 2007
Make Your Organization’s Live Auction More Successful
An organization’s live auction usually brings in between 60 – 70% of the profit for a fundraising event; making it very important for your agency to capitalize on this portion of the evening to earn maximum dollars. Below are some helpful tips from Murad Auctions about audience development and how to select the right auctioneer – two keys to a successful event!
- Give all of your attendees a description of the live auction items prior to your event so they can take the time to decide which items they are interested in.
- The auction chairperson and the auctioneer should know who potential high bidders are and where they are seated in the room (preferably near the front).
- After everyone is seated, start with a brief emotional appeal or story relating to the agency’s mission.
- The best time for the live auction is during dinner when everyone is relaxed. Consider the auction the entertainment during dinner.
- Use professional bid spotters to work the crowd and help the auctioneer bring in the bids. Although you will pay a fee for this service, these professionals can help make more money for your organization.
- A great way to increase your profit in a live auction is to have items available which you can “double up” on. This technique creates great excitement and doubles your item income! “We recently sold a dinner with the principal of a local private high school for $8,000. We had four bidders vying for the dinner. We got pre-approval to sell the dinner as many times as we could, so instead of making $8,000 or even $16,000, the dinner sold four times and brought in $32,000. The auction chair was dancing in the aisle!“
- It is important that your auctioneer is licensed and is a member of the National Auctioneers Association and not an amateur!
Murad Auctions, www.muradauctions.com, offers professional auctioneer services to non-profits for successful benefit auction events. Since 2000, Murad Auctions has helped more than 50 North Texas area non-profits achieve their fund raising goals. Murad Auctions relies on expertise, crowd-pleasing enthusiasm and technology to take benefit auctions to the next level. If your organization needs advice on your auction event, please contact Murad Auctions at 972-238-0249 or claire@muradauctions.com. We are happy to help.