Black Tie and Tales

What's the best way to get a ground floor room at the Ritz Carlton? Why do bidders love building relationships with chefs? What have you done with Greg's notebook?

In this episode of Black Tie and Tales, fundraising auctioneers Greg Quiroga and Devon Bell trip their way into summer, covering a hodge-podge of topics and stories. From whining about the cost of wi-fi at the Ritz Carlton, to attempting to bribe the front desk clerk, these two fundraising auctioneers show that what they lack in shame they make up for in onstage performance.

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When the auction is over and it's time to go home, how much gas is left in your tank? Did you leave your crowd wanting to do more, or were they tapping out 45 minutes ago?

In this episode of Black Tie and Tales, fundraising auctioneers Greg Quiroga and Devon Bell discuss the shared experience of fundraising auctions, and what it means for everyone in the room. Devo takes center stage for a 30-plus lot wine auction, Greg recounts his first 75-lot wine auction, and they sweat the details of summer events.

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Months of careful planning set the stage for a successful fundraising auction, but as soon as you open up the doors to your crowd, anything can happen...

In this episode of Black Tie and Tales, fundraising auctioneers Greg Quiroga and Devon Bell are joined by special guest Leslie Peterson, Executive Director of the Sonoma Valley Hospital Foundation, to discuss all of the work that goes into Carefully Planned Spontaneity. Leslie, Devo and Greg discuss the many events they've done together, and those magical moments of spontaneity they worked so hard to achieve.

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How important is a theme for a fundraising event? Can a good theme help you raise more money? Will a bad theme cost you money? And what even is a "bad" theme, anyway?

In this episode of Black Tie and Tales, fundraising auctioneers Greg Quiroga and Devon Bell are joined by special guest, Michael Irvine, VP of Development & Marketing for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Sonoma Valley, and this episode Theme is the Theme. Michael shares his strategy for creating a theme that incorporates the tastes and likes of the honoree, recognizes donors, and provides opportunities...

What happens when you decide to gamble with your fund-a-need? When you opt to go fishing for donations above any known commitments? How does your crowd know what to expect in your live auction?

In this episode of Black Tie and Tales, fundraising auctioneers Greg Quiroga and Devon Bell discuss the ways going out on a limb can succeed wonderfully, or fail miserably. From a donor who insists that the opening level of the fund-a-need was off by $90,000 to the crowd that was not prepared to donate at all, join Devo and Greg as they go Out...

What are the three things every fundraising auction should do when soliciting a winery for donations? What are the cardinal sins you should always avoid? How far in advance should you solicit a winery for a donation? What is the best way to approach a winery for donations?

Suzanne Tate, proprietor of TATE Wine in Napa, joins host Greg Quiroga for "Inside the Industry", an in-depth look at the world of fundraising auctions. Suzanne and her husband, David, launched their boutique, single-vineyard wines in 2011, and have participated in many fundraising auctions per year since.

Suzanne...

After the auction is over, one gala mom insists on a little extra service from Greg. Devon crowd-sources the costs of going overtime. And dance floors, dance floors everywhere, but not a crowd to see...

In this episode of Black Tie and Tales, fundraising auctioneers Greg Quiroga and Devon Bell discuss all of the things that can go right (and wrong) on the dance floor at a fundraising auction. From the mom who wouldn't take "no" for an answer to a simple solution to bring your auctioneer closer to all of the crowd, this episode will not...

When it comes to fundraising auctions, where you hold your event can sometimes make or break it. There's nothing like being memorable for all of the wrong reasons. But if your location is epic...well...that's a good sort of memorable.

In this episode of Black Tie and Tales, fundraising auctioneers Greg Quiroga and Devon Bell discuss the best, and worst, locations they've done fundraising auctions. From a backcountry ski lodge, to a mission-appropriate park setting, to three tents cobbled together in a rainstorm, if there's one thing this episode has it's location, location, location.

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Resets often bring unintended consequences, and in this episode we discuss what happens when a fundraising auction decides to start anew. A new auction chair fails to assign some important roles for the auction. A crowd discovers how many changes it can handle in a single year. And Greg gets hired to not do an auction.

Join fundraising auctioneers Greg Quiroga and Devon Bell as they start over, and launch the second season of Black Tie and Tales.

Read the accompanying blog post to this episode on our blog: https://www.stellarsf.com/blog

Yay, 2024! Close out the year and our first season of Black Tie and Tales on a positive note with fundraising auctioneers Greg Quiroga and Devon Bell, as they look back on their most positive moments from 2024.

Organizations work together to change the world. An event's theme makes the event bigger, better and more meaningful. A simple and fun addition to the fund-a-need helps raise more money faster, and more!

Read the accompanying blog post to this episode on our blog: https://www.stellarsf.com/blog

Presented by Stellar Fundraising Auctions (http://www.stellarsf...

What happens to a fundraising auction when bidders go bad? When one person decides the rules don't apply to them?

In this episode of Black Tie and Tales, fundraising auctioneers Greg Quiroga and Devon Bell discuss some of the most memorable times a bidder gone bad: from a grandma who wasn't quite clear on the concept of how an auction worked, to a Florida Man who wanted to pay Greg to (partially) disrobe.

Read the accompanying blog post to this episode on our blog: https://www.stellarsf.com/blog

Presented by Stellar Fundraising...

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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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.

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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 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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...