Black Tie and Tales
Black Tie and Tales takes you behind the scenes of the wonderful world of fundraising auctions to tell tales of triumph and tragedy. Your hosts Greg "Q" Quiroga and Devon "Devo" Bell have been friends for more than 43 years, and have been conducting charity auctions for over 30 years between them. They've seen some stuff, and they want to share it with you. Black Tie and Tales takes a storytelling approach to discussing fundraising auctions, and focuses primarily on reliving the moments that make benefit auctions so memorable - the good, bad, and downright terrifying. What are the six most terrifying...
The Hottest Lot in Fundraising Right Now
What is the hottest selling auction lot in a fundraising auction? What should you be selling to your crowd right now?
In this episode of Black Tie and Tales, fundraising auctioneers Greg Quiroga and Devon Bell discuss the most memorable auction lots they've encountered in their years of conducting fundraising auctions, good and bad. From blowing up a quarry to signing up for Botox, be sure to tune in for the hottest lot in fundraising right now!
Read the accompanying blog post to this episode on our blog: https://www.stellarsf.com/blog
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Decor Dreams and Nightmares
Decorations are the most important part of every fundraising gala...for *someone* on the committee. And their design decisions can have a huge impact on the outcome of the fundraising - good and bad.
In this episode of Black Tie and Tales, fundraising auctioneers Greg Quiroga and Devon Bell share some of the best and worst decor designs they've seen over the years. From the gala designs that transported audiences to a magical place of giving, to the centerpieces that separated bidders from the stage, take a journey into Decor Dreams and Nightmares.
Read the...
Back to School with Michelle Holman of Greater Giving
School crowds are some of the hardest partying crowds in fundraising auctions. And in this episode of Black Tie and Tales, fundraising auctioneers Greg Quiroga and Devon Bell are joined by Michelle Holman of Greater Giving to relive some of their most memorable school auction stories.
From stealing the golf carts at a country club to calling into question the auctioneer's ethics while onstage, once they get a sitter and leave the house, parents seem to take partying to another level.
Read the accompanying blog post to this episode on our blog: https://www.stellarsf...
The Great Outdoors
The cheese melted, no-one could see the crowd from the stage, and there was a threat of rain: hosting an event outdoors presents a slew of challenges for a fundraising auction. But the payoff is epic when it all goes well!
In this episode of Black Tie and Tales, fundraising auctioneers Greg Quiroga and Devon Bell take it outside with stories of events held under the stars (or under the rain clouds, in some cases). They also share stories of when being outside was absolutely amazing: the fresh air, the views, the ambiance...this episode of Black...
Red Alert! When Fundraising Auctions Become a Matter of Life or Death
Fundraising auctions are not usually life or death situations...but in the rare cases they are, how would you react?
In this episode of Black Tie and Tales, fundraising auctioneers Greg Quiroga and Devon Bell recount emergency situations they've encountered while onstage, and how they managed the moment. From a kitchen emergency that delays the entire event, to a fatal heart attack, this episode explores the side of event planning no one wants to.
Read the accompanying blog post to this episode here: https://www.stellarsf.com/blog/2024/7/25/red-alert-what-to-do-in-an-event-emergency
Presented by Stellar Fundraising...
Quantum Leap with Jonathan Moscone - Take Your Event to a New Level
Jonathan Moscone joins us for an in-depth discussion of how he took California Shakespeare Theater's fundraising gala to new heights. Jonathan shares the work he did with his board, committee, staff, volunteers and supporters to make some big changes that resulted in huge payoffs.
Then Devo and Greg share their own quantum leaps, often involving the introduction of fundraising concepts like the fund-a-need.
Read our accompanying blog post for how to make a quantum leap with your event: https://www.stellarsf.com/blog/2024/7/9/making-a-quantum-leap
Presented by Stellar Fundraising Auctions (http://www.stellarsf.com...
Competing for Donors
Check your calendar and set your DVR, in this episode of Black Tie and Tales, fundraising auctions face competition for donor attention from professional sporting events. One organization goes all-in on a Golden State Warriors game, only to see the Dubs lose, while another organization scores in the playoffs.
In this episode of Black Tie and Tales, fundraising auctioneers Greg Quiroga and Devon Bell recount times when a charity auction has faced direct competition from a professional sporting event.
Read our accompanying blog post for Ways to deal with competing events: https://www.stellarsf.com...
Auction Takeover: How to Prevent Podium Piracy
A drunk woman crawls onstage and decides to make the event all about her. A vintner takes over the fund-a-need pitch and turns it into a marketing opportunity for their wine. In this episode of Black Tie and Tales fundraising auctioneers Devon Bell and Greg Quiroga recount some of those moments when an individual took over an event, and share strategies for how to prevent these charity auction horror stories.
Strategies for preventing an auction takeover available here: https://www.stellarsf.com/blog/2024/6/3/how-to-prevent-an-auction-takeover
Presented by Stellar Fundraising Auctions (http://www.stellarsf.com) and brought...
Agents of Change
Not everyone is thrilled when a charity decides to bring in a new fundraising auctioneer. In this episode one mom goes to ridiculous lengths to prevent Greg from starting an auction. Devon learns the hard way that too much of a good thing is still too much. And both share about the favorite change they've helped bring about in a fundraising event.
View more information about Buy-in parties here: https://tinyurl.com/blogbuyins
Presented by Stellar Fundraising Auctions (http://www.stellarsf.com) and brought to you by Greater Giving: www.greatergiving.com
And...
Sounding Off ~ Tales of Triumph and Tragedy
Black Tie and Tales episode #1: where we meet our hosts, fundraising auctioneers Devon Bell and Greg Quiroga, learn the goals for the podcast (and maybe more than we wanted to about Greg's childhood), and hear some truly terrifying tales of sound gone wrong at a charity auction. Bonus content: Greg surprises Devo with a recording of his first fundraising auction ever.
Devon Bell and Greg Quiroga are San Francisco based fundraising auctioneers with Stellar Fundraising Auctions. They work with non-profit organizations all across the country to help plan and implement their fundraising auctions - and then get...