Putting FUN Back Into FUNdraising! (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9780962381690)

Cal and Jeanne Gormick, a husband and wife team, began their fundraising careers as volunteers for a small Southern California Parent Participation Preschool... "The year before the school's first Goods and Services Auction, they held an art auction where the audience spent over $10,000. Since the art house brought in the artwork they took about $7,500. The next year the parents decided to solicit their own donations and have Cal act as Auctioneer. That year the audience spent $8,600 providing the preschool with a huge profit! This motivated us to begin training other volunteers to do what we had done and raise money for their organizations through Goods and Services FUNdraising Auctions." Cal and Jeanne Gormick The Gormicks combined Cal's business background in the worlds of venture capital, commercial real estate, and banking with Jeanne's strong background in public relations, marketing and management to provide the elements they needed to train these volunteers. Cal once served the youth of Southern California as a District Executive for the Boy Scouts of America, which led him to become an emcee at numerous community events and, finally, an Auctioneer for nonprofit events. Jeanne's volunteer activities range from serving as Chairman of their children's school carnival to acting as the Donations Chairman for a local hospital's Golf Tournament. A FUN fact about this FUN-loving couple is that they were once winners of the "Newlywed Game" emceed by Bob Eubanks. Cal actually fashioned his Master of Ceremony/Auctioneer role after Bob Eubanks' game show host personality rather than that of a professional auctioneer. In fact, he cautions against using a professional auctioneer. Cal says, "Sometimes a professional auctioneer can make the audience feel pressured or uncomfortable because they lack a true understanding of the grassroots, nonprofit audience." Like her husband, Jeanne, is an accomplished public speaker and trainer. Together they have trained volunteers to produce successful FUNdraising Auctions from start to finish. They continue to conduct Donation Training Sessions throughout Southern California.