Greater Giving Blog

Webinar- Virtual Gala 2.0: Taking Virtual Galas to the Next Level in 2021 with Stellar Fundraising Auctions
2021-01-13 11:00 - 12:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
Virtual Gala 2.0: Taking Virtual Galas to the Next Level in 2021
SPECIAL GUEST: Greg Quiroga, Stellar Fundraising Auctions
Learn best practices for conducting a virtual gala in 2021. Whether you did a virtual gala this past year or will be conducting your first virtual gala in 2021, come learn proven techniques for creating a virtual event that will engage and entertain your crowd.
We saw the rise of the virtual gala as the primary means of conducting fundraising auctions and fund-a-needs in 2020, and spent the last year inventing, developing and fine-tuning best practices. Learn when you should open your live auction for bidding, how long you should leave open your fund-a-need, where you should place your fund-a-need, how much of your event needs to be live and more.
Live Webinar – Wednesday, January 13th, 2021
2:00 pm-3:00 pm Eastern / 11:00 am – 12:00 pm Pacific
*Can’t attend live? Register anyway and receive the recording after the webinar!
Your Presenter:
Greg Quiroga, Stellar Fundraising Auctions
Greg Quiroga is the San Francisco Bay Area’s premier fundraising auctioneer and has been conducting fundraising auctions for non-profit organizations across the United States since 2004. In a normal year, he works with over 50 non-profits, schools, foundations, arts organizations, and charities to help raise over $15 million.
With the outbreak of Covid-19 and the advent of social distancing protocols that shut down in-person event fundraising, Greg shifted his focus to virtual fundraising opportunities. He quickly became one of the thought leaders in the virtual event space. His bi-weekly “How to Implement a Virtual Gala” webinar series consistently attracted 100 attendees in real-time and continues to be his most popular videos online.
Greg has conducted over 30 virtual galas since March of 2020 and helped non-profits raise over $6,750,000 online. His virtual events have run the gamut from low-fi self-produced webinars to high-end, in-studio productions and have included donors from San Francisco, Texas, New York, London, Beirut, and Hong Kong.
The founder of Stellar Fundraising Auctions (www.StellarSF.com), Greg, and his wife live in San Francisco with their teenage son.

This Webinar is available on-demand—watch it now!

Webinar: Fundraising as it Evolves - What’s Next and Beyond
2021-02-24 09:00 - 12:00
Here’s a webinar we are having with Raising Paddles that provides a forward-thinking approach to diversify your fundraising efforts in any space.
This webinar will highlight new and unique special event strategies, a “What’s Next?” perspective to help you differentiate. Having navigated the challenges of 2020, we have assembled a line-up of visionary presenters to share new capabilities that will grow your organization’s reach and impact. Prepare yourself for a holistic view of fundraising that captures new best practices of event planning, donor cultivation, audience centric programs, stewardship and cause-based selling of your mission.
3 Interactive Energizing Sessions:

The “Ins & Outs” of Fundraising as it evolves – how to plan your events, how to increase attendance & motivate greater giving, how to build a program your audience will enjoy.
Caused Based Selling – Cultivating potential & existing donors, stewardship, mission focused strategic planning, board & volunteer led fundraising.
Using Up-to-Date Technology and latest Solutions as a Competitive Advantage – What’s Next on the Horizon, and what can I do to stand out to target audiences?

Peer professional fundraisers will share their experience in each of these areas. Tune into their stories of failure and success as they give their perspective of their fears and their witness to change and growth. You will hear from and interact with subject matter experts who will share insight to new and unique fundraising strategies. Q&A panel discussions will be offered at the end of each session.
Once you register, we will send you a pre-event survey which will give you influence over content we deliver the day of, so that it will cater to your specific needs and interests.
Cost: $30 per attendee, $60 per organization up to 3 team members
Registration provides access to advanced materials, discounts on future services, chances to win several prizes including trips and experiences & gift cards. Also included is a $15 Uber Eats gift card for lunch for each registered attendee.
Wednesday, February 24th, 2021
10:00 AM-1:00 PM Central (11am EST, 9am PST, 10am MST)

Webinar: The Why of Giving with Raising Paddles
2021-03-10 11:00 - 12:00
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The Why of Giving
SPECIAL GUEST: Dan Campbell of Raising Paddles
This session will break down the why in giving….why give anything, why give now, and why give to YOUR organization. Once you understand these principles, you can be more effective in donor development.
Learn strategies to analyze giving from your donors, with a simple 1 or 2 sentence vision of why donors will give to your organization at this time.
Live Webinar – Wednesday, March 10th, 2021
2:00 pm-3:00 pm Eastern / 11:00 am – 12:00 pm Pacific
*Can’t attend live? Register anyway and receive the recording after the webinar!
Your Presenter:
Dan Campbell, Raising Paddles
Dan Campbell is the President and Founder of Raising Paddles, a fundraising auctioneer and consulting firm that has a national reach. Serving hundreds of clients mostly in the Midwest, Raising Paddles auctioneers have helped raise over $120 million at their client’s fundraising galas. Raising Paddles also hosts educational workshops all over the country, some of which are now virtual events to accommodate more NPOs. Most recently, Raising Paddles has become the preeminent go-to auction team for virtual and hybrid events, serving clients all over the US. Raising Paddles recently added CFRE certification to provide their NPO clients with strategic consulting beyond events and to perform a partnership with NPOs who are striving to not only survive but thrive in this economy. Dan comes from a family of auctioneers, and is a graduate of the Missouri Auction School, and is also one of only 300 Benefit Auction Specialists in the world. Dan has been married for 30 years and has a son with special needs, is a cancer survivor, and enjoys golf in his spare time.

Webinar-Virtual Fundraising Hosting, Technology and Streaming, - A Live Panel and Q&A
2021-04-14 11:00 - 12:00
Virtual Fundraising Hosting, Technology, and Streaming, – A Live Panel and Q&A
SPECIAL GUESTS: Stephen Kilbreath, Kilbreath Auctions, Pavel Verbovski, PNTA/SeattleLives, and Siri Lippy, Greater Giving
You’ve got questions, we’ve got answers! We’re partnering up with live streaming and virtual fundraising event gurus Stephen Kilbreath of Kilbreath Auction Services, Pavel Verbovski of PNTA/SeattleLives and Siri Lippy of Greater Giving to discuss the biggest trends, pitfalls to avoid, and ways to make your organization’s virtual fundraising event a success in 2021.
Leave your desk with new ideas to make your virtual event stand out in the crowd and get your top questions answered all in less than an hour! Register to join us today.
Live Webinar – Wednesday, April 14th, 2021
2:00 pm-3:00 pm Eastern / 11:00 am – 12:00 pm Pacific
*Can’t attend live? Register anyway and receive the recording after the webinar!
Have a question ready for our panel? Email it to marketing@greatergiving.com and we will do our best to answer it live!
Your Presenters:
Stephen Kilbreath, Kilbreath Auctions
Stephen has been a fundraising auctioneer since the early 90s, calling hundreds of auctions and raising millions of dollars. Stephen’s sincerity, authenticity and a terrific understanding of benefit auctions make him stand out. His style is entertaining and conversational-making it an enjoyable and memorable evening for your guests. Stephen excels at connecting and reading his audiences, all resulting in generating the most revenue possible for his auction clients.
He has taught classes, and has mentored auctioneers across the country and has earned the rare Benefit Auction Specialist designation through the National Auctioneers Association. Less than 1% of auctioneers nationally have achieved that designation!
Not only is Stephen a top benefit auctioneer in the Northwest-his name may be familiar because of his long broadcasting career. He was on the morning radio for more than 20 years. Currently, he can be seen on KING-5 television.
Stephen lives in Snoqualmie, WA where he enjoys his two boys Ben (13), and Jack (9).

Siri Lippy, Greater Giving
Siri has provided event services for more than 800 client events and has consulted on fundraising best practices with thousands of nonprofits. She trains new Greater Giving event staff in best practices for running both automated and manual benefit auctions, and is passionate about helping organizations run smooth, sensational, profitable events.

Pavel Verbovski, SeattleLives
With over a decade in the fundraising space, Pavel has worked with a variety of non-profits helping them execute their visions and present well to audiences and stakeholders. Pavel and the SeattleLives team have helped guide over 40 nonprofits through the pandemic consistently meeting goals or exceeding board expectations.

This Webinar is available on-demand—watch it now!

Webinar-Redefining the Future of Fundraising Events with Raise Agent
2021-05-12 11:00 - 12:00
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Redefining the Future of Fundraising Events with Raise Agent
SPECIAL GUEST: Lauren Dully Clark, Raise Agent
As we plan for hybrid events and a return to in-person events, this session will share innovative fundraising solutions to blend strategies that create seamless giving experiences.
Live Webinar – Wednesday, May 12th, 2021
2:00 pm-3:00 pm Eastern / 11:00 am – 12:00 pm Pacific
*Can’t attend live? Register anyway and receive the recording after the webinar!
Your Presenter:
Lauren Dully Clark, Raise Agent
Lauren is passionately engaged with nonprofits to produce fundraising events that
weave creativity and storytelling. She launched Raise Agent to support, guide, and
celebrate nonprofit fundraising. For over 25 years, she has helped hundreds of
organizations become more mission-capable raising millions of dollars for essential
programs. As an innovator and strategist, she has helped organizations from all over
the country pivot to virtual events and is diving into the exciting evolution of hybrid
events.

Fusion Fundraising Webinar - A Hybrid Event Variations Best Practice Experience
2021-06-02 10:00 - 11:00
We’re thrilled to again partner with our friends at Marquam Auction Agency for another innovative Hybrid Fusion Fundraising event webinar. This webinar will showcase hybrid event variations, best practices, and a LIVE FAUX-auction event demonstrating it all including Greater Giving’s Mobile Bidding software.
REGISTER, ATTEND and BID to be entered to win unique travel experiences to Vegas, Cabo, Bali, and Mexico – compliments of generous consignment partners: AuctionPackages, Sojourn Ventures, Charity Booster, Go Charity, and HGA Fundraising!
Misty Marquam, Founder, and Principal will be joined by some of the nation’s leading fundraising experts & Benefit Auctioneer Specialists:

Amanda Valley, BAS – Marquam Auction Agency
Annie M Luthro, BAS – Marquam Auction Agency
Christine DeCastro, BAS – Marquam Auction Agency
Dan Newman, BAS – Alaska Premier Auctions & Appraisals
Eva Ponce, BAS – Marquam Auction Agency
Misty Marquam, BAS – Marquam Auction Agency
Naomi Lewis, BAS – Naomi T Lewis Auctions
Nelson Jay, BAS – Gavelo Auctions
Scott Robertson, BAS – Scott Robertson Auctioneers
TiWanna Kenney, BAS – Astounding Auctions
Zan Aufderheide, BAS – Zan Auctions

This engaging and info-packed event will address the future of fundraising events:
– Is a Hybrid Fusion Fundraiser in your future? If so, what format/variation?
– In-depth discussions on Fusion event variations and format differences
– Hybrid Fusion Event Variation Demonstrations
+Much More – including a live Q&A session answering all your burning questions!

To be considered for prizes and vacation drawings, you must:

REGISTER for the webinar
ATTEND the webinar event LIVE
BID during the faux-tion (mock event)

*You will automatically be registered for a ‘faux’ mobile bidding account and a link to bid will be sent to you via email.
*No actual money will be exchanged. All mobile bidding is done in a test environment

When? June 2nd at 1 pm EST/10 am PST
REGISTER even if you can’t make it. We’ll send you the recording!

Webinar - Fundraising Events Post COVID with Swaim Strategies
2021-06-09 09:30 - 10:30
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Fundraising Events Post COVID with Swaim Strategies
SPECIAL GUEST: Samantha Swaim, Swaim Strategies
We have been living in a state of deprivation through a pandemic and as people gather again there is a deeper need for authentic connection than ever before. In this session, we’ll ask the question… what if every time you gathered people, they were immersed in your mission? Learn to design fundraising events for a post COVID era, meeting donors’ needs and engaging them deeper in purpose.
Live Webinar – Wednesday, June 9th, 2021
12:30 pm-1:30 pm Eastern / 9:30 am – 10:30 am Pacific
*One LIVE attendee will win a full admission to the Elevate Conference on June 14th & 15th, a $68 value!
Can’t attend live? Register anyway and receive the recording after the webinar!
Your Presenter:
Samantha Swaim, Swaim Strategies
Samantha Swaim has more than 20 years of event planning and fundraising expertise. She founded Swaim Strategies, a fundraising event consultancy, in 2004, working internationally with nonprofit organizations to produce impactful events that move missions forward. Samantha is the co-author of “Planning a Successful Major Donor Event” and the founder of the annual Elevate fundraising event conference. She travels internationally to teach nonprofit professionals the tools they need to elevate their impact through events.

Webinar - Navigating the Hybrid Fundraising Event with Tolo Events
2021-09-15 11:00 - 12:00
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Navigating the Hybrid Fundraising Event with Tolo Events
SPECIAL GUEST: Shelly Tolo, Tolo Events
As we move from virtual to hybrid fundraising events, what might our options be? Explore various scenarios of maintaining the best of virtual while re-introducing the in-person experience.
Listeners will learn various options for how a hybrid event can be formatted to be engaging for both the in-person and virtual guest. This is unchartered territory, so there is a lot to consider.
Live Webinar – Wednesday, September 15th, 2021
2:00 pm-3:00 pm Eastern / 11:00 am – 12:00 pm Pacific
Can’t attend live? Register anyway and receive the recording after the webinar!
Your Presenter:
Shelly Tolo, Tolo Events
Shelly Tolo launched Tolo Events in 2002 after a 12-year career as a development officer and event planner for nonprofit organizations. Her business mission is to maximize events through strategic planning and creating fabulous atmospheres and programs. She holds a master’s degree in Public Management from Carnegie Mellon University with a concentration in nonprofit organizations. In addition to her business savvy, Shelly has a keen eye for design and is recognized as a leading event designer in the industry. When asked what she hopes a potential client would say about her after an interview, Shelly responded, “more than anything I would hope they’d say she’s really nice – we want to work with her!”. Did you know Shelly was a synchronized swimmer in high school, considers herself an Olympics junkie and loves to binge-watch Naked and Afraid?
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Webinar - Fueling Your Fundraiser with Utopia Entertainment
2021-11-10 11:00 - 12:00
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Fueling Your Fundraiser with Utopia Entertainment
SPECIAL GUEST: Joey Goone, Utopia Entertainment
The biggest nonprofit struggle of the past has been competing for the donor dollar. Now, what nonprofits are actually competing for is time and heart. With limited time and money, families have to choose where to allocate their hearts in a world where there are many worthy nonprofits. We help nonprofits bring generations together to create and share collective meaning and purpose, driven through events and impact stories with video. Deeply connecting with people will help them realize your organization isn’t simply a nonprofit, it’s a way of being. This all starts with transforming your events and building meaningful relationships with donors through your stories.
Utopia is creating a space for nonprofit executives and fundraisers to gain valuable knowledge in the space of scaling your real impact. We’ll focus on pre, during, and post-event strategies that will strengthen your relationships with your donors. We’ll discuss how building community, inviting people with thoughtfulness, nailing your tech, scaling creative partnerships and producing incredible impact stories will help you transcend what you thought was possible.
Are you ready to scale? Join us.
Our discussions will cover both in-person and streaming events.
Live Webinar – Wednesday, November 10th, 2021
2:00 pm-3:00 pm Eastern / 11:00 am – 12:00 pm Pacific
Can’t attend live? Register anyway and receive the recording after the webinar!
Your Presenter:
Joey Goone, Utopia Entertainment
Joey is the President of Utopia Entertainment, an event and video production company headquartered in St. Louis, MO. By the forced nature of the pandemic, Joey and his team were challenged to think creatively on how nonprofits might create a sense of community and belonging for their donors during a time of widespread fear and scarcity. In the past 18 months, Joey and Utopia have done just that, helping 150 nonprofits raise in excess of $25,000,000. As a part of their commitment to helping nonprofits scale, Joey and his team launched a coaching program to learn with and from nonprofits, uncovering the most complex challenges nonprofit executives are faced with: creating community, scaling impact, sharing meaningful stories, and uniting hearts through amazing event experiences. Through Joey’s coaching program, the real impact is scaled, as nonprofit executives crowdsource actionable strategies from fellow nonprofit peers, building community with each other as a result.
Joey will continue to share his heart with the nonprofit world as he inspires nonprofit leaders to think boldly, embrace uncertainty, and be unapologetically different.
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Webinar - Fear a Virtual Auction? Not with this Run of Show with Auction Brio
2021-12-14 10:00 - 11:00
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Fear a Virtual Auction? Not with this Run of Show with Auction Brio
SPECIAL GUEST: Mark Schroeder, Auction Brio
Due to continued restrictions to assembly in venues, virtual auctions are ongoing in many states. Don’t fear a virtual event. Just construct a compelling Run of Show. The format of your event will bond the timing with the talent, mobile bidding, and the production crew with coordination of the event. Plus, the Run of Show dictates the timing of graphics, videos, and live testimonials for the AV team. Most importantly, the success of your bottom line will rely on your Run of Show to be seamless, well-produced, and engaging. This is how donors at home stay on the stream.
During this webinar…

Discover the importance of formatting a strategic Run of Show.
Learn to create a virtual gala that hits times, cues, and moves seamlessly from one segment to the next.
Understand the importance of time management for segments.

By creating a solid Run of Show, the AV team will fully understand their timed direction of the show and timing of camera switches, video commencement, and more.
As a multi-Emmy and Telly Award-winning broadcast television producer and talent, Mark has produced thousands of shows for local and network broadcast television.
Live Webinar – Tuesday, December 14th, 2021
1:00 pm-2:00 pm Eastern / 10:00 am – 11:00 pm Pacific
Can’t attend live? Register anyway and receive the recording after the webinar!
Your Presenter:
Mark Schroeder, Auction Brio
Mark Schroeder CAI, BAS, CES has raised over $123,000,000 dollars for non-profit organizations and learning institutions throughout Texas and the Great Lakes region. Twice Mark has collected Fund-a-Need donations of $1,000,000 dollars and another donation of $550,000 dollars! Premiering as the benefit auctioneer for the San Antonio Spurs Tux N’ Tennies Gala, Mark rocketing the bidding to a record by selling a consigned painting for $150,000 dollars! The San Antonio Express News raved as Mark raised a new record of $186,000 dollars for the San Antonio Spurs during his first time conducting the game jersey auction. His sale of Spurs star Tim Duncan’s jersey sold for a record $67,000 dollars!
As a leader in the benefit auction industry, Mark has elevated benefit auction fundraising with innovative ideas, Emmy Award winning video production, entertainment and teaming with clients to share money generating ideas that collect tens of thousands, to hundreds of thousands and even millions more dollars for his clients. By teaming with his clients as a benefit auction consultant and strategist, Mark consistently raises more funds for charities. This immersion results in record fundraising dollars. Mark has earned the elite Certified Auctioneer Institute designation from the National Auctioneer Association. Less than 1% of all auctioneers have earned the CAI designation. Mark is one of the first auctioneers in the country to earn the Benefit Auctioneer Specialist certification reflecting his elevated status and expertise in the benefit auction industry.
Mark is a thirty-one time Emmy nominated sports anchor and reporter. He won 4-Emmy Awards and a Telly Award with WJW-TV, CBS, Fox and SportsTime Ohio. He has earned multiple awards from the Associated Press and Cleveland Press Club. Mark is a graduate of John Carroll University, Reppert School of Auctioneering and Hondros College of Business.
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Special Topic Webinar: Fund A Need (For Greater Giving Clients)
2021-12-15 10:00 - 11:00
Give your donors the “Why.”
Fund a Need donations are the easiest ways to tell your audience why they are attending your event (In-person or Virtually) and the easiest way to raise funds for your organization.
Join us for a live webinar on December 15th, 2021 at 10:00 AM PST where we will discuss best practices and the best ways to use Greater Giving’s tools for a successful Fund a Need. This webinar is intended for Greater Giving clients and will focus heavily on the use of our product during the Fund a Need.

Webinar - How to Future-Proof a fundraiser in 2022 with SeattleLives
2022-01-12 11:00 - 12:00
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How to Future-Proof a fundraiser in 2022 with SeattleLives
SPECIAL GUEST: Pavel Verbovski, SeattleLives
Supporters, donors, and audiences expect flexibility to join your fundraising efforts from wherever/whenever. Not planning a virtual option for an in-person fundraiser in 2022 will be a mistake that can alienate donors and squander opportunities to gather support. PNTA #SeattleLives as a national vendor for both in-person and virtual fundraisers will identify important lessons learned from 2020-2021 and how to find a happy medium in 2022.
Attending will give the participant an idea of industry-leading virtual/hybrid production techniques and requirements that can be folded into event/fundraiser planning.
Live Webinar – Wednesday, January 12th, 2022
2:00 pm-3:00 pm Eastern / 11:00 am – 12:00 pm Pacific
Can’t attend live? Register anyway and receive the recording after the webinar!
Your Presenter:
Pavel Verbovski, SeattleLives
With over a decade in the fundraising space, Pavel has worked with a variety of non-profits helping them execute their visions and present well to audiences and stakeholders. Pavel and the SeattleLives team have helped guide over 40 nonprofits through the pandemic consistently meeting goal or exceeding board expectations.
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Special Topic Webinar: Sponsorships in Greater Giving (For Clients)
2022-01-27 11:00 - 12:00
Sponsorships are a key component of any event and can bring in a significant portion of your proceeds. Join us for a live webinar on January 6th, 2022 at 11:00 AM PST where we will discuss sponsorship best practices and how to use Greater Giving’s tools to effectively manage and recognize your sponsors.
This live webinar is intended for Greater Giving Clients only.

Webinar - Unlocking Every Hidden Dollar with Artisan Auctions
2022-02-09 11:00 - 12:00
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Unlocking Every Hidden Dollar with Artisan Auctions
SPECIAL GUEST: Kelly Russell, Artisan Auctions
One of the biggest opportunity catalysts in giving is human connection, so where can we find human connection keys, before and during your event? Artisan Auctions wants your event to be set up for success. 90% of that is your organization’s preparedness. Join us as we dive deeper to unlock those hidden dollars.
We’re going to discuss missed opportunities, and how to prepare for your event in a way that no money is left on the table, and how to prepare for the success of your staff and vendors.
Live Webinar – Wednesday, February 9th, 2022
2:00 pm-3:00 pm Eastern / 11:00 am – 12:00 pm Pacific
Can’t attend live? Register anyway and receive the recording after the webinar!
Your Presenter:
Kelly Russell, Artisan Auctions
Kelly Russell is an expert auction strategist, benefit auctioneer and fundraising host who has helped organizations raise over $200 Million in support of their great work. Kelly leads her team of fundraising professionals to produce auctions that consistently exceed client goals, and Kelly’s remarkable results keep clients coming back year after year. With 17 years of profitable auctions behind her, Kelly’s passion is coaching nonprofit organizations and schools on how to maximize their revenue while eliminating wasted time and effort. When she isn’t planning auctions and raising record-breaking revenue, you can find Kelly traveling the globe, hosting (and crushing) game night, or relaxing with a fizzy beverage among friends in the great outdoors. Kelly and her team are dedicated to one mission: powerful fundraising for positive change.
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Special Topic Webinars-Deep Dive into Data & Reports (For Greater Giving Clients)
2022-02-24 10:00 - 11:00
Join us to talk about data in Greater Giving on Thursday, February 24th, 2022! We’re going to be talking about best practices, getting the most out of your data, and the best reports to use. Gain a better understanding about how reports and searches work within the Greater Giving software – from the basics perfect for new users to advanced tips for super users.
This webinar is recommended for Greater Giving clients.

Webinar - Golf Event Best Practices
2022-04-06 11:00 - 12:00
Golf Event Best Practices
Are you hosting a golf event? Join us for this session as we share best practices and guidelines to organize it all with Greater Giving Software, to help make your contactless golf outing a successful fundraising event. We cover planning, software settings, how to, sponsorships, and organizing your golfers.
This webinar is recommended for Greater Giving clients. Can’t attend the live webinar? Don’t worry! The session will be recorded and made available for anyone in the Help Center. If you’re brand new to the Greater Giving software we recommend starting with Greater Giving 101.

Webinar - Major Fundraising Events & Galas: What’s New for 2022? with FSA Auctions
2022-04-13 11:00 - 12:00
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Major Fundraising Events & Galas: What’s New for 2022? with FSA Auctions
SPECIAL GUEST: Freddie Silveria, FSA Auctions
During this webinar learn…
1. Live Auction lots and trends
2. Paddle Raise strategies for success
3. Hybrid and virtual elements

Live Webinar – Wednesday, April 13th, 2021
2:00 pm-3:00 pm Eastern / 11:00 am – 12:00 pm Pacific
Can’t attend live? Register anyway and receive the recording after the webinar!
Your Presenter:
Freddie Silveria, FSA Auctions
Freddie Silveria is energetic, genuine and passionate about making a difference and a positive impact. Freddie grew up being a caregiver for his mother who lived bed-ridden in chronic pain for 17 years after a car accident. Stress and medical bills compounded, his family eventually became homeless. Freddie’s heart, hard work and professionalism have quickly turned FSA Auctions into one of the nation’s leading fundraising event strategists and auctioneers. FSA Auctions, owner Freddie Silveria BAS partners with nonprofits, schools and charity organizations to maximize fundraising efforts at benefit events and provide a positive guest experience. FSA Auctions has fundraised tens of millions for 100+ clients like Make-A-Wish Foundation, The Salvation Army, American Red Cross, CASA, Habitat for Humanity, Sutter Health Foundation and more. In-person, virtual, or hybrid fundraising events, the FSA Auctions team can help you raise the funds your organization needs to thrive. More at FSAauctions.com Freddie Silveria is 1 of 40 auctioneers in CA to have earned his Benefit Auctions Specialist designation from the National Auctioneers Association in Las Vegas. Freddie is a graduate with a focus is benefit auctions from the World-Wide College of Auctioneering in Iowa. He is responsible for educating other fundraising auctioneers across the country as an education task force member for the annual Benefit Auctions Summit. He is also an Association of Fundraising Professionals Sacramento board member and Impact Foundry faculty instructor for
nonprofits. When Freddie isn’t fundraising, he is a professional youth speaker. He facilitates a school culture program called Breaking Down the Walls in middle and high schools across US and Canada. The workshop brings students together to share real stories and understand it’s hard to hate someone whose story you know. Freddie has spoken about character, respect and leadership with over 100,000 youth at Harvard, Georgetown, University San Diego and more.
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Webinar - Democratizing Your Event with Swaim Strategies
2022-05-11 11:00 - 12:00
﻿﻿﻿﻿SPECIAL GUESTS: Anthony Harden and Sama Shagaga, Swaim Strategies
It’s time for you to move your event to meet a growing demand of inclusivity. Inclusive philanthropy gives the nonprofit sector an opportunity to move away from fundraising rooted in white supremacy and toward fundraising that unites. In this session, we’ll share numerous practices you can adopt right now to democratize your event and provide new ways to activate your donor base around your mission.
Learning objectives:

Clarify your call to action and walk away with ideas to
create a clear and equitable purpose for your event
Explore different ways to amplify a diversification of
voices
Learn which tools to incorporate into your in-person,
virtual or hybrid event to provide easy engagement
Discover best practices for accessibility, including
ASL, captioning, language and technology support
Share examples of nonprofits excelling in
democratizing components

Live Webinar – Wednesday, May 11th, 2022
2:00 pm-3:00 pm Eastern / 11:00 am – 12:00 pm Pacific
Can’t attend live? Register anyway and receive the recording after the webinar!
Your Presenters:
Anthony Harden, Swaim Strategies
Anthony Harden (he/him) is a Project Manager at Swaim Strategies. With a background in theatre production, performance and event planning, Anthony entered the fundraising sector managing large and small donor events for the arts. He has a passion for the stories we tell and believes that empathy has the power to nurture a community and shape the world we live in.
Anthony partners with organizations to connect the dots between their mission and their personal journey. He believes that the real magic happens when people work together toward the world we want to see.

Sama Shagaga, Swaim Strategies
Sama Shagaga (he/him) is Senior Project Manager and Director of Fundraising Strategy at Swaim Strategies. His passion is creating a culture of service that builds a more equitable community. That personal mission has led to over 15 years of fundraising and programmatic nonprofit work.
With experience stewarding major donor and corporate relationships, implementing capital campaigns and board leadership of a statewide organization, Sama has holistic expertise of the nonprofit world.
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Webinar: How to use luxury vacations to maximize fundraising and improve guest experience
2023-02-08 11:00 | Webinar, Online
Vacation mode activated!
Join us for a webinar featuring a Greater Giving client who maximized their fundraising by introducing new luxury vacations to their silent & live auctions, along with a golden ticket raffle.
New luxury travel partner, Inspirato for Good will also join us and give more insight on how their packages can bring a WOW factor to your next event.

Webinar: Tee Up For Your Next Event
2023-03-29 11:00 - 12:00
Golf Season is almost in FULL SWING! Please join us to learn best practices, tips, and tricks to successfully TEEING UP and running a Golf Event through Greater Giving.
Pick-up FORE key learnings including –

Understanding the three types of Golf Events and how to enhance revenue at each
What value a Golf Event can bring to your yearly event schedule
See the top trends with Golf Events and real-life examples from Greater Giving clients
Preview new Golf Event Resources from Greater Giving

Can’t join us on March 29th? You can still register for the webinar and receive the recording via email after the live session.

Webinar: How to Raise Paddles and Raise More Money
2023-05-10 11:00 - 12:00 | Webinar, Online
The paddle raise/fund-a-need, or special appeal is your biggest opportunity to raise money at your event. So what is the science behind the success? What are the vital elements to include? How do you build a strategy to maximize the potential while making it feel celebratory?
Samantha Swaim, Fundraising Event Consultant at Swaim Strategies will help you make sure you are sending your donors home excited about the success they were able to be a part of, and happy that they could contribute to your cause. She will cover both paddle raise strategy 101 and 201, from the basic elements to the advanced strategies, you will pick-up tips to make it a success at your next event

WEBINAR: From Challenges to Opportunities: Mastering Budgeting for Successful Fundraisers
2023-06-14 11:00 - 12:00 | Webinar, Online
The return to live events post Covid has created a unique set of challenges to any Development Coordinator. From reimagining events with fresh ideas, to rising costs, to change in vendors. This webinar will focus on discussing venue requirements, A/V, labor, and costing for a successful fundraiser so you are better prepared to create appropriate budgets and experiences to hit your fundraising goals in the years to come. Join Pavel Verbovski of PNTA as he lays out your core needs and what to expect in pricing.
At the end of the webinar PNTA will offer anyone who asked a question a 30% equipment discount for any event booked in 2023 (valid until 2025). Up to a $4,000 production value. Good on any rental package or gear item of PNTA, so get those questions ready!

Webinar: Rallying Your Fundraising Board
2023-07-12 11:00 - 12:00 | Webinar, Online
Scott Jones of Raising Paddles joins Greater Giving to discuss the fundraising cycle through the eyes of a Professional Auctioneer and Senior Consultant. In this webinar you will discover four key strategies and takeaways for securing financial gifts from your prospects, and how to move your valuable donors up the ladder to higher giving levels, all while rallying your fundraising board.
The Key Strategies Include:
1. Culture of Philanthropy
2. Donor Centric
3. Cultivation
4. Stewardship
The Key Takeaways Include:
1. Create a strategic plan on who should attend your special event.
2. Design creative means to secure at least 50% of your fundraising goal through pre-committed gifts and attendee wealth screenings.
3. Develop a stewardship plan that will keep your donors giving year after year.
4. Learn effective strategies that will ensure meeting fundraising goals and board inclusion.

Webinar: Did You Take Care of That? Event Logistics to Check Off Your List
2023-08-02 11:00 - 12:00 | Webinar, Online
Let’s get planning! Join Greater Giving and Gazala Uradnik, Founder of GFS Events to get helpful tips to serve as a pre-event planning guide for organizations of all sizes. From logistics to licensing and timelines to volunteers, we will focus on key elements and make sure your prep work sets you up for a successful fundraising event! You will have the opportunity to download GFS Event’s Dos And Don’ts of Planning A Successful Fundraiser: 10 best practice tips for nonprofits events!

Webinar: Maximizing Success: Unleash the Power of School Auction Fundraising
2023-08-23 11:00 - 12:00 | Webinar, Online
Join us to learn everything about planning and executing a successful school and education based event. We will cover topics such as planning timelines, best practices for setup, exciting package ideas and more!

Webinar: The Magic of Momentum: Building The Most Profitable Event Timeline
2023-09-13 11:00 - 12:00 | Webinar, Online
Join Greater Giving and Kelly Russell of Artisan Auctions to talk about how to build the most profitable timeline for your event. Are you are stuck doing the same thing each year, or trying to squeeze in activities/programs that may not be needed? Instead, if you plan with momentum you can create an event that attendees will remember and want to be a part of again next year. When you build your event for maximum engagement, the money comes rolling in. Plan well for whatever event you want to execute and it will be successful.

Webinar: Gearing Up For GIVINGTUESDAY
2023-09-27 11:00 - 12:00 | Webinar, Online
Victoria Leonhardt is the Leadership Manager for US Communities GivingTuesday. Victoria will be joining Greater Giving to share insider tips to help nonprofits maximize their GivingTuesday success.
In this insightful webinar, you will learn to:

Set your goals for GivingTuesday.
Design story-based calls-to-action for all types of giving.
Optimize performance through enhanced digital communications.
Engage community through in-person events.
Embrace the Giving Tuesday movement for better preparation and team success.

Webinar: The How To's of a Successful Silent Auction
2023-10-18 11:00 - 12:00 | Webinar, Online
Join Greater Giving and Nicole Bennett, owner of Perry Consulting, to chat all things Silent Auction. We’ll discuss what auction items to procure and the right number of packages to have based on your audience and other event elements. We will also cover tips and tools for hosting a successful silent/online auction all the way from beginning to end.
Key takeaways for our session on running a successful silent auction include:
– How to select your auction items
– Packaging your auction items
– Pricing your auction items
– Generating bids for your items

WEBINAR - Data-Driven Events: Elevating Fundraising Success
2024-02-07 11:00 - 12:00 | Webinar, Online
Join us as we dive into the transformative power of data in planning and executing efficient, lucrative fundraising events. Learn to harness the full potential of donor insights, previous years results, and trends to strategically tailor your events for maximum impact. From guest lists and item selection, to personalized engagement strategies, discover how data-driven decision-making can elevate your fundraising efforts. Equip yourself with the skills to optimize resources, boost donor participation, and create unforgettable experiences that leave a lasting impact on your cause.
This webinar will be hosted by Taylor from Greater Giving, and feature guest speaker and partners of Greater Giving, Stephen Kilbreath and Julianne Read of Kilbreath Events.
Learning Objectives:
– Understand how to look at event data from the previous year (and what to look for!)
– Taking that data to create an efficient and lucrative event reducing the lift on your organization
– Measuring your auction segments including revenue enhancements, silent, live, raise the paddle, etc.
*Full participation in this webinar is applicable for 1 point in Category 1.B – Education of the CFRE International application for initial certification and/or recertification.

WEBINAR: Harness the Power of Events and Digital Storytelling To Nurture Relationships
2024-03-27 11:00 - 12:00 | Webinar, Online
Join Greater Giving and Joey Goone, President at Utopia Experience, to cover “How To Make Your Event Unforgettable”. This session is tailored specifically for nonprofit leaders hosting galas and fundraisers throughout the year. It’s a masterclass in event planning and execution, providing nonprofit leaders with insights to elevate their fundraising and community engagement efforts.
Learning Objectives:
– The psychology behind events (The Triune Model of The Brain)
– Before, during and after your event (how to leverage tech)
– The 3C Model | Content, Connection, Community
– Learn how to build a meaningful and immersive experience
*Full participation in this webinar is applicable for 1 point in Category 1.B – Education of the CFRE International application for initial certification and/or recertification.
