Here’s one great fundraiser idea – to auction yourself off. No, silly, not in that way. To the right is a screenshot of Veronica Belmont’s (host of Qore on the Sony PlayStation network and Revision 3’s hit show, Tekzilla) auction to win a 30min personal chat with her, benefiting a non-profit organization called Child’s Play. The winning bidder was $777! Other online celebrities participating in auctions are Gary Vaynerchuk, host of WineLibrary TV, and Felicia Day of Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along-Blog and creator of the guild. Participating charities include Child’s Play, Washington Women’s Employment & Education (WWEE), Wine for Wheels, Animal Haven, and Mr. Holland’s Opus.
Ok, this is just one idea, and I know not all of you are huge online celebrities. My friend Vanae of vanae.com auctioned off a dinner date for her Team In Training fundraiser and I believe the winning bidder was $750! She’s still an up and coming video blogger, and look what it got her. I think it’s all a matter of how you market it, and who you market it to. Of course, you’ll have to have safety in mind especially if you accept bids from total strangers online.
There’s plenty of things you can auction off besides a date, or an online chat. You can offer services like website consultation, marketing, web design, or even babysitting. Get creative. I’ve also seen successful online (or actual) garage sale fundraisers selling old CDs, DVDs, clothes, and other items.