Delighted Clients
“Your success is our success!”
Our business is built by happy clients. As a result, no effort or attention to detail will be spared in order to make your event as successful as possible.
Testimonials:
"On behalf of Marklund, our event committee and development department, I would like to thank you for yet another fantastic auction year at our annual Top Hat Ball Gala. After 16 years running this event, you have helped us master the art of live auction programming with your expertise and dedication. Before you started working for us, the live auction raised a mere $11,000. In your first year with us, in only 25 minutes, you were able to raise over $107,00 in live auction proceeds. You are amazing!! Not only are you a very talented auctioneer, but also a valuable consultant; worth every penny! The even greater news is that our auction has continued to grow over the years with your help. Last year’s live revenue of over $200,000 in auction and fund-in-need donations was quite impressive, yet this recent year set new records! We never would have expected to raise nearly $320,000 in proceeds from live presentations alone!!! Your work is amazing and we wouldn’t imagine hosting our event without you!"
Jeannine Zupo
Director of Special Events
Marklund
“We want to thank you for your leadership of our auction at the Glenwood Thanksgiving lunch. We raised almost $300,000 in just over 20 minutes. This was by far our most successful fundraising event ever and exceeded all of our expectations. You are engaging and charismatic with the audience while on stage. Equally as impressive was your advice and support before the event. The staging and process you brought was critical in making sure we were successful. We look forward to working with you next year and would offer our strong recommendation of you to anyone considering an auction fundraising event. I’d be happy to speak with anyone to give them more background on your leadership of our auction event.”
Norm Wesley
Chairman of the Board of Trustees
Glenwood School for Boys & Girls
“From the very first meeting with David many months before the event through the night of the actual auction, David was a complete professional and a delightful person with whom to work. Most importantly, the results of our auction exceeded everyone’s wildest expectations as we doubled our very aggressive goal for fundraising during the auction. We were hoping to have David raise $100,000 for our Scholarship fund and were ecstatic when David was able to bring in over $200,000 in less than 60 minutes!”
“David’s experience and insight during many meetings before the event proved to be invaluable and we know that we would not have been near as successful had we not listened to his advice every step of the way. Perhaps most impressive was David’s performance during the actual auction. His personality and charm struck the perfect balance of “pushing but not shoving” our donors in an incredibly classy and effective manner.”
“I have tremendous respect for David and the way that he conducts himself and I would be happy to recommend him to anyone trying to conduct a successful auction. I would also be happy to supplement this letter or speak with anyone who would like additional information.”
Joseph G. Lansing
Scholarship Auction Chair
The Latin School of Chicago
“It is my great pleasure to recommend David Goodman of Auction Results to anyone who is interested in producing a professional, sophisticated and very profitable auction.
We hired David to help us with our eighteenth annual auction, believing that we may have reached the dollar limit we could expect from our auction audience but willing to try a new approach. It is important to note that we worked with a different professional benefit auctioneer in prior years. With David on board, he patiently directed us in a new approach, setting us on a path that required that we rethink our old event, but one that paid dividends we’d not imagined.
Last year, prior to working with David, our total event raised $80,000, which included a total of $29,000 from the live auction. This year, under David’s stewardship our net was $158,000 – just under twice the proceeds of the previous year with the Live Auction representing $120,500 – selling the same amount of items from the prior year!!
I cannot let the numbers speak for themselves, though. The real benefit for me as the primary administrator of this event is that David is a pleasure to work with and an entertaining and charming leading man for the event. Each person who has remarked on our amazing success this year has also raved about David’s performance. He’s great!
Call him. If he is available for the date you have in mind for your auction book him.”
Lynn Fredrick
Director of Institutional Advancement
Ascension School
I would like to express my gratitude and admiration to David Goodman & Auction Results. I knew you would impact our numbers, but not by the level that you accomplished! The Live Auction and Paddle Raise brought in almost $1,000,000 this year! YOU are MAGICAL!! Guests and board members keep commenting about how amazing you were, as you took our event to a new fundraising high. We can’t wait to see next year’s results! Again, thank you, thank you!!
“Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thanks in large part to you efforts the Pillars Ball was a major success! Last year the live auction portion of our event raised just over $35,000.00. This year we were hoping to raise a minimum of $60,000.00. Thanks to your terrific work the night of the event, our live auction raised $172,000.00!!!!
We deeply appreciate your pre-event advice and ideas and your consistent professionalism. Your availability to answer questions as the event drew near was extremely valuable. Our guests found the auction both enjoyable and entertaining and several have already called asking for your name to contact you in connection with their own fundraising events.
I would be pleased to serve as a reference for you and am thrilled that we have already booked you for next year’s Pillars Ball. While I will not be the Chair of the event, as a Pillars Board Member, I am confidant our live auction is in great hands.
Thank you again for all your hard work and our terrific results."
Heather Higgins Alderman
Pillars Ball Lead Chair
Member Pillars Board of Directors
“On behalf of the Board of Directors and the entire staff of Chicago Children’s Museum, we would like to offer our sincere thanks for partnering with us again for our Be a Kid Again Gala: A Toast to 25 Years. Without your can-do attitude and professionalism, Chicago Children’s Museum could not have raised over $1 million – a first for the museum. You took a room full of 700 people and turned it into a sports arena. All of our guests were engaged and excited by the live auction, which helped CCM raise over $300,000 in only one hour! What an incredible feat.
Words are not enough to express how grateful we are to have you as a partner of Chicago Children’s Museum and our crucial work. For the past three years, you have consistently increased our revenue at our Be a Kid Again Gala by leaps and bounds. The first time we worked with you, the live auction component raised $85,000, then it jumped to $174,000 and finally to over $300,000 this past year!
The money CCM raised from the gala is unique because it is completely unrestricted, meaning all CCM programs, partnerships and exhibits benefit from your support, which is why we cannot thank you enough.”
Stephanie Lieber
AVP, Individual Giving
Chicago Children’s Museum
“I hired David to serve as a consultant and auctioneer for the live benefit auction at our 6th annual Winter Wine Festival. This event is held in a private home each year and I was looking for avenues by which revenue could be increased. We decided this year we would put our focus on the live benefit auction with hopes of raising our revenue for this event to $200,000.
David introduced to our Special Events committee a comprehensive, well organized strategy to accomplish our goal. After a 2 hour kick-off meeting with David and the auction committee, the team was armed with the knowledge and the tools necessary to accomplish the task of securing the best auction packages we have ever offered at this event.
David’s attention to detail and knowledge of the subject of “charity benefit fundraising auctions” is astounding. He was dependable and timely in his response to my questions and/or needs, respectful and considerate, and I would highly recommend David as a consultant and auctioneer for any charity event.
“Auction Results” was the perfect name for David’s business. Last year’s Winter Wine Festival raised $147,000. Our hopes were to raise $200,000 this year, a stretch goal but yet achievable goal of 36%. Instead, LivingWell’s 6th annual Winter Wine Festival raised a record breaking $300,000, a 104% increase over the previous year. The live benefit auction went from $36,800 to an amazing $124,550 this year. We were thrilled with those “auction results”!
David will be joining us again for our next event. We are looking forward to working with him again, learning even more, with hopes to achieve even higher goals. He is contagious and I give him my highest recommendation.”
Susan Lyons
Development Director
LivingWell Cancer Resource Center
“We could not be happier with our decision to use David Goodman of Auction Results for our biennial benefit auction this year. The benefits began months before the event, right after we decided to hire David. His consulting advice completely changed the way we approached our auction. In fact one of our committee members said, ‘I learned more from David in the past hour than I have in over 60 years of event planning.”
“Of course our results reflected all that David did for us as we doubled our benefit auction proceeds from the prior event. Not only did he provide great advice, but his wit and showmanship in conducting the fundraising auction got everyone involved and created the atmosphere that we had been looking for. We raised more money and our guests had more fun. What more could we ask!
“I’ve been to dozens of charity auctions. Nobody does it as well.”
Joe Konen
Chairman of the Governing Members
Chicago Symphony Orchestra
“I just wanted to take a moment and say thank you for helping to execute such an amazing event last night. I am so grateful for your help and guidance through this entire process, and can't thank you enough. You are a game changer!!!!!
Your enthusiasm is contagious..... Talk about wowing a crowd !
It's been such a pleasure and I hope Oakwood begs you to return next year ! Until next time ...... with thanks!”
Rebecca Dane
Auction Chair
Oakwood School
“The Paddle Raise was an unbelievable success at ZooBall Roar with the Changes. I wanted to personally thank you, as your skill at getting our guests involved was very impressive. With your expertise, we had the most financially successful ZooBall ever! Thank you!!! “
“On behalf of the Benefit Committee for Juvenile Protective Association, I would like to express a heartfelt THANK YOU!!!!
One of the best decisions made in planning the Benefit was the decision to collaborate with David Goodman and Auction Results. The numbers really speak for themselves. Last year, the live auction component raised $58,350 and this year, with David, we raised $226,700. Truly amazing returns given the current environment. We never expected to be able to achieve such phenomenal results. I was thrilled with the energy and enthusiasm David brought to the table. The excitement during the live auction was palpable. Not only did he entertain and engage the guests the evening of the event, he also provided significant guidance in planning for the auction. David was truly a partner in making our event a tremendous success. It was a pleasure working with such a professional.
We asked.....and he delivered!”
Joo Boe
Benefit Chair
Juvenile Protective Association
“On behalf of the Digestive Heatlh Foundation, thank you so much for your participation as our favorite auctioneer!! The DHF Live Auction generated a combined total of $383,900 this year thanks to your help! We so appreciate you continued partnership with the Digestive Health Foundation!”
Abbey Jennings
Digestive Health Foundation Administrator
Northwestern Memorial Foundation
“Thank you for making CASA Lake County’s fall benefit a success. This was our seventh CASAblanca, and our best year by far. You created an atmosphere that inspired giving, a room where standing up for our children philanthropically became contagious. The numbers are telling: last year’s live auction raised $25,000 and this year we raised $101,000!
The numbers alone only tell only part of the story. You were, throughout the process, our consultant, our partner, and our guide. You provided encouragement, aspirational suggestions to improve our live auction, and countless hours of coaching as we produced our program book and video.
Thank you David for encouraging us to dream big, and for giving us the tools to go from inspiration to execution.”
Patti Frazin
Development Director
CASA For Children
“Here’s the real scoop on David Goodman:
It was a last minute decision—we hired David 17 days before our event!
We had NOTHING planned/NO items for a live auction.
He was the consummate pro and gave us all the tools we needed to make our auction/paddle raise a success.
I totally believed everything David suggested was in our best interest for success. With his support, it seemed doable.
One week to go: 3 unforgettable live auction items; compelling video in the can;
Event night—David “knocked it out of the ballpark”!! He was magical, fun, unforgettable—and, he exceeded our expectations beyond our belief! TRIPLED them!
If he’s available on your date—grab him!”
Wendy Kornick Friedman
EAT. DRINK, GIVE. Celebrity Chef Gala, Chair
Legal Prep Charter Academy, Board of Directors
“On behalf of everyone at COCA I would like to express our sincere gratitude for what was absolutely our most successful event to date! We have worked with other benefit auctioneers in the past – but never has one of those so fully invested themselves in our event. We decided from the beginning to trust you and follow your advice – even if we thought otherwise based on our past history. This was the best decision we could have made. David, you truly know what you are doing and are a master at maximizing dollars raised.
It was such a comfort to know that you were always only a phone call away and willing to provide insight at any time during the process. As I said above, we have never had someone so fully invested and with us every step of the way.
Along the way there was that concern that you don’t “know our audience” or that “we are not a school, so we are different”….but that did not matter! You won our audience over right away, kept the energy up and the event moving.
We had a steep goal this year, and not only did your expertise help us meet it….we surpassed it beyond what we had even imagined.
Thank you for not only your time, but also your genuine commitment to our organization. I hope that others that may be considering your services for the first time take the leap of faith that COCA did and allow you to also do wonderful things for their organizations.
David, Thank you!! It was truly a pleasure!”
Sarah Melinger
Development Manager
Center of Creative Arts (COCA)
“Well, what can I say? I think we pulled it off with flying colors! I can’t tell you how much I appreciated your guidance through the entire process. You commanded the attention of the ballroom and were amazing to watch! We have received so many nice complements about the event and the ‘Amazing Auctioneer’! It was such a pleasure working with you on this event. We will look forward to next year!”
Catherine Rohrstaff
Vince Gill & Amy Grant Golf Classic Event Manager
Challenge Aspen
“Aloha David. Once again thank you so much for doing an awesome job with our Annual Live Auction. The money raised was attributed to your professionalism, knowledge and energy. We could never have raised the funds we did without your presence. We look forward to working with you again next year.”
McKay Schwenke
Vice President
Adult Friends for Youth
"David Goodman and Auction Results took the expectations for this year's Live Auction and Paddle Raise portion of the St. Clement Anchor Ball and absolutely blew them out of the water! Attendees are still gushing about the amount of electricity in the room as David helped us to raise three times the amount of money than last year's event – exceeding $345,000 during the Live Auction! Thanks to his consultation services and attention to detail, we were not only able to surpass this year's goal, but also set a record for the amount of funds raised for our church and school as well. If you're planning fundraising event and want to see your guests genuinely excited about opening their wallets; you need to book David Goodman as your auctioneer!"
Timothy Will
Chairman
St. Clement Parish Anchor Ball
“I have been remiss in not having written sooner. I think I hesitate to write because words just cannot do justice to your herculean feats. We cannot thank you enough for all you did to improve our auction and ball. It was incredible. And not just what you did night of, but how you helped us from the very beginning and along the way. Now I have seen you in action so was not surprised, the rest of the folks were literally blown away. Everyone was thrilled beyond words! YOU ARE THE BEST!!”
Sally Garon
Auction Chair
Gastro- Intestinal Research Foundation
“David was an absolute pleasure to work with. A consummate professional, meticulous and detailed behind the scenes and a captivating showman on stage! His expertise helped us achieve two record-breaking galas. Intuitive and savvy, he understands the crowd and knows exactly how far to push the envelope. Thank you David for transforming our events!”
Tom Mossbrucker
Artistic Director
Aspen Santa Fe Ballet
“I want to thank you for all you have done to make our Gala’s the talk of Collin County and this area. You have helped us take our gala from about $541,000 gross to almost $1.2 million and more importantly triple our net to over $740,000. Through our Sponsor A Child and Live Auction, we hit unprecedented numbers. More importantly, you have enabled us to serve more children than ever and to help build better futures for our young men and women.
Thank you for your passion in what you do and for working with us to make our events better and more impactful to those we serve.”
E Michael Simpson
Chief Executive Officer
Boys & Girls Clubs of Collin County Texas
"Our school was looking to take our annual gala to another level, and David was instrumental in helping us get there. He appropriately pushed us to make this our most successful gala ever, and through a combination of one-of-a-kind offerings, a new approach to our fund-a-project, and David's exceptional ability to capture and enthrall the room, we hit a home run in support of our students! Countless attendees remarked on how this was the best gala in Science & Arts Academy's history, citing David and his charismatic approach as the main reason why.
Thank you, David. We look forward to many more years of partnership."
Tim Costello
Head of School
Science & Arts Academy
“On behalf of our entire team at Pilot Light, I would like to express our deep gratitude to David for bringing our Feed Your Mind Gala to new heights. With David's leadership on the auction, we raised 50% more than the previous year, far surpassing our goals! Our team learned very quickly to heed David's advice and guidance on the run of show, auction items, and marketing of the event. Everything he recommended was spot on and it worked--like magic! Our guests were thrilled by the experience and it was the first year, in seven years of this event, that we received only positive feedback on the auction and paddle raise experience. We credit this to David; we could not have done it without him.
I wholeheartedly recommend David to any organization looking to grow their event revenue. He is simply terrific and the "expert" in the space.”
Alexandra DeSorbo Quinn
Executive Director
Pilot Light
“Thank you so much for joining our team and making the Awards For Excellence In The Arts a truly stellar and valuable evening. Your guidance, experience, and professionalism had a huge impact on the success of the evening, and we truly value your partnership.
Bravo!! Thank you!!”
Andrea Tichy
Manager of PR & Special Events
The Theatre School at DePaul University
“Working with you on our organization’s first Gala was a pure pleasure all the way around. From the start of meeting you a year ago, we were so convinced that you were the “right guy” for our audience that we immediately cancelled all of our other appointments with other potential auctioneers! And we were not disappointed.
Your style, grace and good humor was a perfect fit for a group of polished, sophisticated and well-traveled doctors and the manner in which you were able to appeal to them during the course of the auction was amazing. We were also appreciative of the effectiveness of the Dreams to Reality™ presentation you gave to our Board last fall. It was really exactly what was needed to get our auction committee motivated and excited about putting together some extraordinary auction packages.
Finally, the bidding results that you were able to obtain at the benefit auction itself were nothing short of astounding. We had honestly thought we’d be lucky if we made one quarter of what you were able to raise. All that and people had a fabulous and fun time to boot…we have heard nothing but kudos about the evening and even had our new president say that it would now be known as the premier event of the entire Annual Meeting.
All to say, we will definitely use you again and have even already reserved your time for next year in San Francisco, just to make sure you’re available to work your magic again.
It was a pleasure (and fun!) putting this auction together with you. Thanks again.”
Kathleen Pasley
Director of Development
Society of Interventional Radiology Foundation
“When I first called to see if you would be interested in working with our small, local Medical Center Foundation it was with little hope that our request might be ‘big’ enough to be worth your time. Right from the start, your kind attention to our inquiry let me know that – though Auction Results truly is a world-class company and you’re an exceptional benefit fundraising auctioneer – you were serious about helping us, no matter how small and remote (we are a town of 2,300 people on an island in Southeast Alaska). We learned a huge amount about creating an event which was both fun for our guests and rewarding for the Foundation’s fundraising effort and we hope that your experience here shows others that a Foundation doesn’t need to be in a big metropolitan city to benefit from working with you! We are sorry you are already booked during our tournament weekend next year, but we are so excited to work with you again the year after next! Thanks again for the outstanding job you did for our Foundation and our community!”
Kris Reed
Development Coordinator
Wrangell Medical Center Foundation
“David Goodman is a true professional. He worked with our team at Camp Kesem months in advance of our benefit fundraising event, and helped give constructive input to maximize the net results of our event. He is very detail-oriented, and gave tremendous input into the description and presentation of our auction materials. As a result, he was able to articulately and powerfully maximize the value of each item. His training with our volunteers was clear, easy to follow, and allowed a smooth event from start to finish. Finally, once onstage, David’s performance was emotive, entertaining, and truly inspirational. As a result of this careful planning, we were able to more than DOUBLE our previous year’s results. It was an honor to have David represent Camp Kesem at our event, and we are thrilled to be working with him once again.”
Jane Saccaro
Chief Executive Officer
Camp Kesem
“I just wanted to thank you again for making our charity benefit fundraising auction amazing! I learned so much through this experience...and yes this knowledge is priceless and you made it attainable! I am hopeful that we are able to work together again...even though this was to be my last event as live auction chair. We are still selling some items and now I am thinking that raising $1,000,000 next year during the auction seems doable! Continued success and heartfelt thanks!”
Leesa Davis
Live Auction Chair
Santa Fe Christian Schools
“Working with David Goodman was an incredible experience. We were hoping to raise a total of $35,000 and David incredibly raised over $150,000 during the live auction!
Having worked with other charity-focused professional auctioneers, I found these characteristics to set David apart—
He provided meticulous attention to detail with the best interest of our organization in mind. While some auctioneers are detail oriented and demanding about following their prescribed format for an auction, it is often to serve their own purposes. In the case of David Goodman, the first and most important goal is a successful outcome for the client. He wanted our auction to succeed because he wanted the Cosmosphere to be successful in its fundraising efforts.
He brings an entertainment value and energy that is fun, but balanced. True, he is a great showman, and a magician as well, but more important, he is a gracious host. He took care of our audience. He kept the tempo at a pace that engaged them; he inspired and motivated without intimidating or bullying; and he honored them when they were done.
His training of spotter volunteers made us all look incredibly professional.
His understanding of the packages and the amount of time he spent rehearsing and addressing details was an incredible display of professionalism.
He brought added value through helping us obtain auction items to which we otherwise would not have had access.
The guests at our auction raved about him. This is a small community of less than 100,000 people. The Cosmosphere’s live auction has been the subject of social media posts, emails, phone calls and casual conversation because everyone wants to know “where did you find that auctioneer!” My response is that it was one very, very lucky phone call!
We are eager to work with David again. I consider him a critical part of our event team.”
Mimi Meredith
Vice President of Development
Cosmosphere, Inc.
“You are as, the media says, “Amazing!” Thank you so very much for sharing your tremendous talent and deep experience in the psychology and business of charity benefit fundraisers.
Our Executive Service Corps Celebration of Service fundraiser this year was not our first effort, but it was our most successful by far, thanks to your insight and guidance. We learned so much from you!
The toolkit and samples you provided really helped to facilitate our preparation for the event even in the significantly shortened time frame we had available to us this year. It all worked together so well and what a genuine pleasure to watch how much our audience enjoyed and responded to your auction performance! We knew there was a passion in the room for giving to our cause on behalf of the city’s nonprofits, but you helped us move this passion to action and raised the bar for all the future ESC fundraisers. We already know from the comments we’ve received that folks are looking forward to next year’s event, as much as we look forward to working with you to again make it successful and fun.
Thank you, thank you and thank you again!”
Pamela J. Wilcox, President & CEO
Jo Posselt, Marketing & Development
Executive Service Corps of Chicago
“I want to thank you for a truly phenomenal evening last night!!!! We’re so lucky to have the chance to work with you, our event last night was truly a game changer for us and I’m so grateful.
I hope we can do more events in the future together, thank you again for an incredible evening and making it so special for us.”
Amanda Fieldman
Director of Development
Gardeneers
“Not a day has gone by where I haven't heard from one of our Un-Gala guests about how much they enjoyed the event. When asked how we managed to top last year's Un-Gala, working with David Goodman and Auction Results is a huge part of the answer.
You not only elevated our live benefit auction to another level, but the way you incorporated entertainment and the message of the Chicago Innovation Awards really added so much to the whole experience.
What else can I say but "wow." In fact, "wow" was the only word that kept coming out of my mouth every time I saw another bid paddle raise in the air during the most amazing, highly entertaining, and results-driving live auction. You certainly exceeded our expectations this year and put on one heck of a show. Bravo!
The event was a huge success. We raised a record-high $230,000 --- $50,000 more than last year. We are still so moved by this outpouring of support for the Chicago Innovation Foundation, and inspired by the level of energy that we saw at the Un-Gala last Thursday. You were a tremendous catalyst for both.
Thank you for all your guidance and ideas along the way, and of course for your spectacular show last Thursday evening. You are the man!
We greatly appreciate your advice, commitment, and strong execution throughout the process.
Looking forward to working with you again in the future!”
Luke Tanen
Executive Director
Chicago Innovation Awards
"David Goodman and Auction Results have been invaluable in our yearly benefit fundraising efforts. Not only does he bring expertise, experience and knowledge, but also adaptability.
David knows the buyer and what it takes to sell to them. After ONE year with David on board, we tripled our revenue and have continued to increase our return year after year while working with him! If you want to raise more money, there should be no hesitation in acquiring the services of such a talented and intuitive consultant and auctioneer."
Adair Feather
Honorary Chair
Peoria Academy
“As we close our books on the Woman’s Board Gala for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Chicago, Kim and I wish to thank you again for a fantastic evening. Together, we raised needed funds for our clubs! David, we appreciate your professionalism, sensitivity and results. Knowing some members were anxious about our first Paddle Raise – you managed the process perfectly. We recognize that you were essential to our success at the Chicago Ball. On behalf of the Women’s Board, Thank you!”
Susan Lenny & Kim White
Summer Ball Gala Co-Chairs
The Woman’s Board, Boys & Girls Clubs of Chicago
“Thank you again for your phenomenal performance last week! Our revenue raise was over 1/2 million ... everyone was so excited! It was just great!
Since we started working with you (some years now), each year has bettered the past... and in large part due to the guidance you've provided... and your remarkable ability to "work the room"! You are worth much more than what we pay you and I have to say- it's truly special to work with you! Thanks again!!”
Michael Judge
President
Face The Future Foundation
“On behalf of all of my colleagues, THANK YOU for your help with our event last night. You are really a class act, and we so appreciate what you accomplish every year for us.
I specifically greatly appreciate the level of professionalism and attention to detail that you bring to your work, and it pays off.
I hope that you have the opportunity to reflect on all the good you are facilitating through such meaningful fundraising and I look forward to working together in the future!”
David T. Rubin, MD
Chief, Section of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition
The University of Chicago Medicine
“I cannot thank you enough for the amazing work you did the other night at the Beach Party! Everyone was so impressed by you and the way you work the crowd to open their wallets. When the "sacrificial lamb" went for $6K, I knew it was going to be a good night! The live auction total was more than double our goal and the paddle raise surpassed our goal as well! Looking forward to our Fur Ball with you in a few months – let’s shoot for $2 million!!”
Lauren Buth
Director of Community Development
PAWS Chicago
"Thank you very much for supporting the educators and students of the Aspen School District by providing your experience and energy to the Flamingo gala! We especially appreciate the tremendous effort you put into the live auction; it was an incredible success!! The tools you gave us to create a successful event were invaluable. We could not have done it without you, thank you! Thanks David for making education a priority and supporting the Aspen Education Foundation!"
Brooke Bedingfield
Executive Director
Aspen Education Foundation
“Thank you for all the direction you gave! Your efforts took us from $29,000 last year in the live auction to well over $100,000 this year! You truly are the best!”
Steve Malone
Managing Director
Citadel Theatre Company
“Thank you for an outstanding benefit fundraising experience for my son’s school. We appreciate all the counseling and proactive information in strategizing our annual fundraiser. Our past fundraisers generated around $25,000. After applying your strategies and structure to maximize our guest’s experience, our annual Gala event generated over $100,000 that evening!
As we needed other Live Auction items for that evening, your business and people connections helped us with our top line amount. I am so grateful you are willing to work with us again. I have seen you at other fundraising events, which made me call you in the first place. Your style and approach to a professional, classy, and fun event was noticed by everyone. We look forward to move events with you in the future!”
Paul Grane
Gala Chairman
Downers Grove Christian School
“Gratitude to you! I want to thank you for being such a superstar at our A Disciplined Life benefit!
We appreciate your ideas, great energy and talent. What a great success!”
Diana Shulla-Cose
Founder & President
Perspectives Charter Schools
“We want to extend our heartfelt thanks and appreciation for all of your help and support at our Gala. We are grateful to have had the opportunity to work with you.
Your experience and insight proved to be priceless. The Craniofacial Center will be so much better off for your involvement.”
Melissa Kelz
Face the Future Foundation
“Thank you for helping Good Sam raise so much money!! We hope to work with you again soon!”
Karen Mazur
Development Manager
Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital
“WOW! AWESOME! Inspiring! $377,500 in the live auction – simply amazing! Thank you-Thank you! It was simply an incredible experience watching you work the Christmas in the Sky crowd. You really “know” these people and you make them feel very honored to “win” an item. Here’s to breaking $400,000 next year!”
Pam Atchison
Executive Director
Shreveport Regional Arts Council
"David, we cannot thank you enough - the incredible high energy, entertaining and wonderfully engaging live benefit auction and paddle raise you conducted at our Night of Dreams Gala inspired our entire ballroom of guests to contribute over $165,000 to Have Dreams, an unprecedented 300% increase from our previous Gala event! Even more invaluable than your outstanding auctioneering at our event was your ability to expertly guide our organization during the year leading up to our event, to create one of the most exciting and anticipated live fundraising auctions in our organization’s history!
Your motivational insights, suggestions and encouragement to think “out-of-the-box” in the year leading up to our event provided our Gala Committee with a road map towards unprecedented success! The knowledge and expertise you shared with us continues to serve as inspiration to surpass this year’s record-breaking results. We know that without a doubt, our collaboration with you on next year’s event promises to bring even more spectacular results.
We are thrilled to be working with you on next year’s Night of Dreams Gala and look forward to raising even more funds to benefit so many children, teens and young adults with autism and their families as a result of your unparalleled benefit fundraising auction services."
Bobbi Frazes Goldman
Director of Development
Have Dreams
“I am thrilled to recommend David Goodman of Auction Results. Because of the economy, we were concerned we would not be able to raise the same $50,000 that we were able to raise last year at the live auction. Working with David, our committee was able to focus our efforts, bring fresh innovative ideas to the table, and breathe new life into the evening through his entertaining and effective style. Despite the tough economic times, we enjoyed a record breaking live auction which incredibly raised over $140,000 dollars! I never thought we could triple our fundraising return during these tough times.”
Alexandra Argentar
Director of Development
The Cove School
“I can’t even tell you how many people have raved on and on about what a great job you did at the Cove benefit Saturday night. You’ve been described as “brilliant” and “effective” and “entertaining” and “organized”. So many of my guests remarked how much FUN the hour was (instead of getting antsy and bored as in years past). I just want to thank you and let you know what a pleasure it was working with you. I really, really learned a lot from this experience. We really made a good choice in hiring you!”
Carol A. Finnegan
Auction Committee
The Cove School
“Deciding to hire David Goodman for our first annual gala was one of the best decisions our team could have possibly made. Because of limited time and resources, we waited until about two weeks out to hire the auctioneer. We did a thorough search inside and outside of Chicago and were convinced that David was (by far) the best professional around. In two weeks, David provided unparalleled consultation, dynamic perspective, and a passion for our work, our mission, and our event. He spent hours working with our team to ensure that our action plan was tight and our strategies were sound. Thankfully, we listened to his advice and the results were spectacular. In 20 minutes, during a live auction and a fund-the-need, David raised $117,000! Amid a crippled economy, David inspired our stakeholders and guests to contribute and support our worthy cause. If this was our fifth event, we would have been very happy. But, what David helped us pull off in a few weeks for our first event, was nothing short of extraordinary.
More than an auctioneer, or a consultant, David is truly a partner. We highly recommend David Goodman.”
Abbey Larner
Chief Development Officer
Urban Students Empowered Foundation
“On behalf of our President, Reverend Robert M. Eagan, C.S.V., and the students of Saint Viator, I would like to thank you for helping us with the most successful Million Dollar Golf Classic live auction in the 14 year history of this fundraising event.
Your guidance was especially critical this year from many aspects. Clearly, all in our community are feeling the impact of today’s economic environment. This alone is enough challenge to address in any fundraising event. The committee’s decision delay on holding this event at all, lead to a shortened event planning cycle. And, of course, we decided to add new elements to a traditional event in venue changes and proceed utilization that rocked some of our foundational members. These complicated dynamics made your role that much more challenging and important.
At the end of the day, two things happened thanks to your experienced and insistent guidance at each step of this event’s planning and execution. First, we raised 4X in the live auction alone over last year, with over $107,000 being raised. Amazing what a parking spot will go for. Second, our community experienced a change that was not welcomed by many and applauded by all at the evening’s conclusion. Your magical talents in ratcheting up bidding levels combined with the presence of some of Saint Viator’s most caring and generous supporters, has set a new bar for the school and brought new energy to the discussions occurring about “what is happening at Viator’s events” that we will carry through to the upcoming school year.
David. Thank you. For your support, your caring, and your guidance our saint Viator family is truly blessed and forever grateful."
Mary F. Maher
Executive Director – Office of Institutional Advancement
Saint Viator High School
“WOW!!! What a fabulous event, thanks in large part to your auction advice and your entertaining presence. I’m sure that Andrea and Nancy have mentioned the number of guests who indicated they had the best time at our event than at any event they had ever attended. Thank you. Thank you. Thank You!
I want to echo their comments. To my knowledge, most of our guests have always sat idle during the live auction, anxiously awaiting the moment they can politely leave. Many do leave. And while we did have some guests leave early, I was totally amazed at how many people stayed and just enjoyed the music and basked in the companionship at their tables.
People were bound together in more ways than by simply making some sort of donation (purchasing items or buying raffle tickets) or enjoying the usually delicious Four Seasons food. You excited them, gave them ownership in what our group is all about. They are a large source of House funds. They needed to be gently reminded this is not a bargain basement event, but are instead a crucial part of our organization, with responsibility and ownership rights for the success or failure of the mission.
I am still hearing about how much FUN this event was. That in itself made a big difference, and will help us retain donors and recruit new ones as word spreads. But also your suggestions and encouragement and inspiration took away so much of our jadedness, among both members who do much of the work and on ones who have been around the women’s board for many years. One of our senior members, before the event, was so excited about the new things we were doing that she wanted a list of our auction items to get her neighbors from her building involved. As a result, several new guests arrived with money to spend, and they even bid on (and one won) a live auction item.
Thank you, David. If we could do as well as we did with only a couple of months of work, I can barely restrain myself from imagining the possibilities for us with a whole year of your advice.”
Linda Ann Prasil
Women’s Board
House of the Good Shepherd
"Diane & I thank you so much for your generous support of Primo Classico. It was an extraordinary evening and the most successful ever for the Primo Center for Women and Children. We raised more than $500,000, which is a record. David, you were instrumental in breaking all records. Thank you one million times!"
Quintin E. Primo, III
Chairman
Primo Center for Women and Children
“David – once again you were fabulous! The Dreams to Reality™ get together was amazing – even with a smaller group due to your guidance. Working with you is exciting and enlightening – even after 23 years in the business. I learn something from you every time. The guests love you! Thank you again!”
Laura Anderson
President & CEO
Winning Systems, Inc
“We cannot say it enough - THANK YOU! It was a great night at the Park West for Foundations of Music this past Friday.
Even though it was a crazy week, what with the awesome CUBS victory and the merciful end of the election cycle, we were so happy with the outcome of our Rock for Kids 28th Annual Auction. Your skill set, concern, and on point presence to sell the items for the best amount possible is amazing.
You are always there for us and we are so very appreciative!”
Kim Stiffle & Laurie Miller
Auction Chairs
Rock For Kids Auction – Foundations of Mus
“I write this letter with great enthusiasm for Mr. David Goodman of Auction Results. We were introduced to David through several community members who recommended his auction services during our search for a Live Auctioneer for our annual August benefit fundraiser, the Goombay Bash. After meeting and discussing our event and his promises to deliver the best Live Auction our 10 year event has ever held, we signed David up to be the Goombay Bash’s auctioneer!
Over the course of several months, I worked with David closely and consulted with him about our event and the planning of our Live benefit Auction. He held a Dreams to Reality Meeting™ with our board and supporters to help brainstorm and begin putting together an auction like we never have in our organization’s ten year history. The results were truly monumental. His expertise prior to the event helped us build and organize our auction to be something amazing.
This year the Goombay Bash held its tenth anniversary event at the Grand Ballroom at Navy Pier. Over 1200 people filled the room to raise money for Cancer Research that summer night. David’s Live Auction and Paddle Raiser was one of the favorite moments of the crowd! Over $188,000 was raised in our Live Auction for Cancer Research at the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University.
David helped us break fundraising records for our 10th Anniversary. We made over $85,000 more than any other year in our Live Auction! Our record-breaking benefit anniversary raised more than $585,000 for our cause which was undoubtedly achieved with the phenomenal work of David Goodman.
We are so grateful for all of David’s hard work and recommend him to anyone who is looking to hold a Live Auction unlike any other they have had in the past. We look forward to working with David for years to come!”
Julie Jandris
Director
The H Foundation
“David Goodman and his auctioneering expertise helped The Women's Board of the Adler Planetarium reach their live auction goal at the Celestial Ball Gala Benefit Fundraiser. David captured the attention of our guests, generated a spontaneous energy in the room and helped propel the giving potential of those who were in attendance. David Goodman/Auction Results surpassed my expectations.”
Meredith Mann
Manager of Auxiliary Support
Adler Planetarium
"Collaborating with David Goodman on our benefit auction this year was the best decision we could have possibly made. Through his expert guidance, his ability to inspire our team, and his considerable skills, David quite literally transformed our annual benefit auction and brought it to an exciting new level. I am thrilled to say that partnering with David resulted in our most successful fundraising event ever!"
Jennifer Sultz
Executive Director
Piven Theatre Workshop
"David Goodman is an excellent benefit auctioneer. I worked with him in my role as Coordinator of Special Events at Family Shelter Service for our annual Magic Gala fundraisers for 3 years. Over 6 years with our organization he has continually increased our fundraising venues and we have met and exceeded our fundraising goals under his guidance. Every year his innovative approach to live and silent auctions would increase our profits during our fundraising events. His creativity and professional advice helped us to achieve our most profitable live and silent auction ever this year! He is a seasoned professional who uses his expert advice and opinions to further any nonprofit organization's fundraising potential. I would highly recommend David Goodman to other non-profit organizations looking to dramatically increase the profitability and success of their events."
Shannon Sudberry Williams
Coordinator, Special Events
Family Shelter Services
“It is my pleasure to recommend David Goodman of Auction Results. We recently relied on David’s expertise to help us with our first ever fundraising benefit auction. With his help, we raised more than $100,000 for college scholarships in one evening.
To say that we “did not have a clue” about how to go about planning and organizing an auction is being very generous. While we did rely on David to conduct the live benefit event, his guidance and training leading up to the auction was even more critical. He provided templates for everything from the Dreams to Reality™ process right down to the paddles used at the auction. There is no doubt that David’s enthusiastic participation made our event a success and everyone had a great time!
We are now in the planning stages for next year’s event and look forward to using what David has taught us to make the benefit bigger and better. Best of all, we look forward to working with David again!”
Brenda Kai
Executive Director
EDSF
“Thank you so much again for your amazing work at our gala last Friday! We’ve received so much great feedback and raised more money than we ever thought possible thanks to you. This means so much to us and to our students. Thanks again!”
Bri Dorgan
Gala Coordinator
The People’s Music School
“David Goodman should be renamed Robin Hood. He wields a microphone like a sword and filled our coffers with a record sum--$92,000 at our annual benefit fundraising auction! David himself even helped secure the best-selling Italian trip for us. His insights, observations, and advice have elevated our fundraising each and every year to a new height. We look forward to continuing our very successful partnership with David Goodman and Auction Results!”
Mary Beth Schewitz
Executive Director
Max Schewitz Foundation
“Thanks for doing such a superb job at the iBIO iCONS Award Ceremony fundraiser on behalf of the iBIO Institute. Your work helped us in several ways:
Although we are still gathering cost information, preliminarily it appears that your services helped us effect a doubling of the event’s net revenue, without a significant increase in the number of attendees.
There was early worry within our Board and management ranks that an auction and paddle raise would detract from the highly inspirational tone of the event; the general consensus is that your work actually amplified the inspirational content, and produced a better sense of participation by the audience.
Finally, through the methodology you taught us, and the thoughtful feedback you supplied immediately following the ceremony, you have afforded us the opportunity for continuous improvement of our fundraising into the future.
So thanks once again for your counseling and outstanding work. I look forward to working closely with you as we continue to build our Institute and vitally important programs.”
David E. Miller
President & CEO
iBIO Institute
“Thank you for your role in making the “Mirror Ball” a smashing success! Your expertise and enthusiasm is invaluable! Thank you for making it work with our small (but mighty) team! As always, it was a pleasure to work with you and I look forward to our next event!”
Madeline Schimeck
Senior Board and Events Coordinator
Boys & Girls Clubs of Chicago
“Once again, on behalf of the Wade’s World Foundation, I’d like to extend a very BIG THANK YOU for last night. You were terrific and definitely maximized the potential of the audience. It was fortuitous how everything came together - maybe it had something to do with a guy named Dwyane Wade! Thanks again and we’ll be in touch in the future."
Allen S. Furst
President
Agency 21 Consulting
Wades World Foundation
“Lord Wedgwood Charity would like to thank you for being such a true professional at our event! We were able to significantly raise more money this year through your efforts. You were great addition to our fundraiser. Your techniques are one of a kind, entertaining and so much fun. You have definitely mastered what you do and we would love to continue a relationship with you for upcoming events.
Due to your help, we were able to generate over $320,000 at this year’s Golf Outing with Coach Nick Saban! With your expertise, we were able to make this our most successful event in our 15 year history.
Thank you again and we look forward to working with you in the future.”
Lance Evans
Event Coordinator
Lord Wedgwood Charity
“We can't thank David Goodman & Auction Results enough for helping make St. Teresa of Avila's annual fundraiser a tremendous success! Not only did he help us raise a significant amount of money for St. Teresa's, he also helped us create an unforgettable evening for our guests. Everyone is still buzzing about it!
In past years, our annual fundraiser averaged a net profit of approximately $25,000. This year, with David's expertise and guidance, we were able to raise $150,000! Thank you so much David! We look forward to working with you next year!”
Erica Scullion
Time of Your Life, Event Co-Chair
St. Teresa of Avila Parish
“Well, when Kristin Larsen at Remy Bumppo told me of you and I convinced our American Theater Company gala committee to engage you, little did I know just HOW amazing you’d be. (Oh, I truly suspected, but JEEZ!”
I wanted to personally thank you for all you brought to “Chocolate & Pearls” to step it up about 6 notches, help us move into the next level of gala-dom and not only reach but exceed our financial goal. YAHOO!
Thanks for ALL you brought to our party! I look forward to working with you again.”
Lois Hobart
Advisory Council
American Theater Company
“On Behalf of the entire Board of Directors of K.I.D.S.S. for Kids, Inc, an affiliated organization of Children’s memorial Hospital, I want to thank you so very much for your wonderful work at our auction. You were the ultimate professional and because of your participation, we raised more money than we ever have in 16 years of doing our auction.
It was clear that you spent an enormous amount of time preparing for the event and your guidance and insight well before the event allowed us to do things that we have never done before. The night was perfect and the comments we received from our guests about your work were incredible. Children’s Memorial Hospital will all be passing your information on to all of its other affiliated organizations. As soon as we have our dates, for next year’s event, I will call you to reserve the date.
Thank you for everything.”
Rob Feldgreber
President
K.I.D.S.S. for Kids, Inc.
Children’s Memorial Hospital
“On behalf of the whole CEW team, thank you for lending your time, energy and talents to our Holiday Luncheon benefiting Cancer and Careers. From the moment our partnership began you really became an active member of the team, helping us to make the auction our most successful ever. We are so pleased with the results.
Throughout the planning process your willingness to explain things thoroughly and to work with us step-by-step to mold Fund-A-Need into a program component we were comfortable with was greatly appreciated. On the day of the event, your work to prepare our volunteers made a huge difference in the smooth running of the Live Auction. We were particularly impressed with the time you took in advance to really get acquainted with the prizes and, even more important, our initiative.
Finally, thank you for holding your tongue and not saying “I told you so” when Fund-A-Need was a roaring success!
We look forward to raising the bar next year!”
Kate Sweeney
Executive Director
Cosmetic Executive Women Foundation
Cancer and Careers
“To think that our skepticism nearly cost us $10,000 in donations from the ‘Call to Action’ paddle raiser because we questioned your judgment in starting the opening bid at $2,500 instead of our suggested $1,000. Clearly your extraordinary grasp of how to get people to open both their hearts and wallets is amazing! On behalf of the Special Events Committee of the Lubeznik Center for the Arts, I want to thank you for your skillful guidance and direction in helping us achieve our most successful ‘A Night In Venice’ fund raiser yet. As you know you raised over $71,000 from the live auction and paddle raiser. This represents an increase of 748.2% over last year’s live auction totals of $8,400. Extraordinary results; especially given the fact that we are an arts organization in a community whose resources are constantly being drained by competitive and worthy organizations caring for the basic needs of its citizens. In fact, we set a new standard for fundraising within the region. And, through their contributions, our supporters have demonstrated that they do understand our mission of cultivating the creative spirit and the relationship between the arts and cultivating educational achievement.
The amount of support and insightful guidance you provided throughout the process of developing spectacular, “priceless and unobtainable” live auction items is not to be minimized. Although it was terribly hard work for many members of the committee, and at times we were nearly pulling out our hair in frustration, clearly your direction made our efforts worthwhile.
As an auctioneer and an entertainer you exhibited a dignified, commanding presence that captured your audience’s attention, put them at ease, gave them a laugh or two, and got them excited about giving away their money. Many guests later told me that they had actually had fun and that ours was the best auction they had ever attended.
Again, on behalf of the committee I want to thank you for all your work and guidance. We are excited to have you again for next year’s event and look forward to even more spectacular results.”
Bunny Fisher
Chair, Special Events Committee
Lubeznik Center for the Arts
“David's talent and professionalism are far superior to any other Auctioneer. He is thorough and understands the auction items and our guests extraordinarily well. He is great at influencing a crowd to bid and give generously during an auction, and the magic illusions he performs makes it an entertaining experience for everyone in the crowd.
David is the consummate professional and team player. He is deeply aware of all of the work that goes in to producing a high stakes event, and generously shares his wealth of experience and knowledge by rolling up his sleeves whenever asked...and never in a way that feels demanding or distracts from the goals of the event.
On behalf of all of us at the Francis W. Parker School, we thank you for your support!”
Renee M. Ruffing
Director of Development
Francis W. Parker School
“As organizers of this first ever celebrity chefs and fine wine event, our Board of Directors and Development staff had some level of trepidation about chancing unexplored territory with a live auction. Our donor base is largely composed of persons with deep pockets but with a history of shying away from the spectacle of giving money away so publicly.
Upon meeting David, we somehow felt we could not live with the “if only” and “what if” anymore. We unanimously took the plunge, as David did with us. And on April 17, our dreams did not come true.
Instead, our wildest and most unimaginable dreams became our reality.
With more than $115,000 in live auction proceeds alone, and so many new doors opened, David Goodman gets our vote for going the extra mile for us and domestic violence in the most altruistic manner possible! See you next year, David!”
Ketki Parikh Sharmila Kana
Events Committee Chair Director of Development
Apna Ghar (Our Home)
"Collaborating with David Goodman on our benefit auction this year was the best decision we could have possibly made. Through his expert guidance, his ability to inspire our team, and his considerable skills, David quite literally transformed our annual benefit auction and brought it to an exciting new level. I am thrilled to say that partnering with David resulted in our most successful fundraising event ever!"
Jennifer Sultz
Executive Director
Piven Theatre Workshop
“On behalf of the Board of Directors and Staff of NCO Youth and Family Services, I would like to thanks you for all of your help and support on behalf of our 18th Annual Dinner Auction. The event was truly a success for our agency, and in part that success was due to your role as Auctioneer. We raised over $145,000 to fund our programs and servicesto youth and families throughout DuPage, Kendall and Will Counties, which was a record year for NCO!
When we first met with you, you made a commitment to us that you would support and assist us throughout the year, and that if we followed your advice that the fundraising goals that we set for this event would be met. You exceed our expectations on both commitments, and for that we are grateful! Our guests are still talking about our live auction and cannot wait for next year’s event!
We look forward to working with you again next year, as we come together to make our 19th Annual Auction an even bigger success!”
Ronald C. Hume
Executive Director
NCO Youth & Family Services
“On behalf of our Parishioners, Students, Staff, and Community – Thanks A Million for bringing such energy and enthusiasm to our 9th Annual “Friends of the Grape” Wine Festival!”
Father Terry Keehan
St. Matthias Catholic Church
“On behalf of the St. Cecilia Gala Committee, we wish to send our heartfelt thanks for all the time and energy you put into our event over the past year. Your early consultations when we first spoke and all the emails and phone calls since, allowed us to closely model our already successful event into a more “David Goodman model”! It was the most successful charity event we have ever had for St. Cecilia School in over 85 years of existence.
The results - from last year without your guidance, to this year with it - are quite revealing … in addition to being a fantastic consultant, amazing showman, and expert auctioneer, our Endowment Fund is now over $200,000 ahead as a result of the changes we made based on your consultation. Based on your advice, we reduced our Live Auction quantity dramatically – and the end result was $85,000 this year vs. $49,000 last year. That is almost a 75% increase with 40 fewer items!
In addition, your brilliant suggestion, and guidance, on the positioning of a ‘Fund-a-Need’ item - allowed us to raise over $48,000 toward the purchase of SMARTboard equipment to outfit our school prior to the start of the fall classes.
Finally, one thing you promised, and delivered on, was that at the end of the night, the people who attended our Gala this year, would have had a fun, ‘night to remember’ … you delivered on everything you promised – and then some! We are enthusiastic supporters of your services, your business model, and highly recommend you for any charity organization that has the passion, the commitment, and the vision to do bigger and better things for whatever cause the auction supports.”
Darryl Bennett
Gala Co-chair
St. Cecilia School & Parish
“On behalf of Remy Bumppo Theatre Company, I can’t thank you enough for the indispensable role you played in making our “Think…No Limits” gala such an unanticipated and unqualified success. Your guidance, responsiveness and generosity with your time prior to the event enabled us to mount our first live auction and paddle-raiser with a deliberate plan of action that carried us from our first committee meeting through a night that exceeded all expectations. Your masterful work the night of the event created an energy and excitement in the room that ultimately raised 50% more than we had hoped—no small feat in such a difficult economic climate. Equally important, your unique blend of sincerity and showmanship—as well as your remarkable attention to detail in “setting the stage”—left our guests with a better understanding of and appreciation for our company and our mission. Everyone involved with the event was rewarded with a renewed sense of passion and excitement. On a personal note, your graciousness, patience and professionalism throughout could not have been more appreciated. You were a pleasure from start to finish and we look forward to working with you again to build upon the fine work we started this year.”
Terri Abruzzo
Gala Co-Chair & Board V.P.
Remy Bumppo Theatre Company
“After holding a school auction for many years, Campbell Montessori School’s Auction Committee decided to take a chance and hire David Goodman as a Charity Auction Advisor and Auctioneer.
Many of the ideas David introduced were foreign to us, and we wondered whether they would work for “our crowd”. Several of the committee members were doubtful that a person who comes from a “big-city” and is accustomed to raising millions could take the same ideas that worked in larger cities or more affluent communities and make them work in our smaller venue.
On the night of our auction, this questioning attitude turned around when David more than quadrupled the previous year’s sales at our live auction. He did a great job advising us on how to develop our live auction packages, encourage our committee members, produce our “fund-a-need video, and increase our guest list.
No matter the size of your school or charity, I am confident that David Goodman can give you ideas to bring you additional profit from your event. Thanks, David, for a job well done.”
Sandy Johnson
Director of Development
Campbell Montessori School
“Thank you for your terrific work at One Inspired Evening. From pre-event consulting and guiding us to make the most profitable choices to your dynamic performance at the event, we were delighted with our experience working with you.
Our board, committee and staff were wowed by the results and the bottom line is that we raised a lot more money to serve people affected by homelessness and poverty. See you next year.”
Diane Pascal
Director of Development
Inspiration Corporation
“You have my profound gratitude for all of your many efforts to make our Gala the most successful in our history!
You provided valuable insight throughout the planning process and your professional (and very clever) tactics the night of the event had amazing results! Our auction revenue doubled from the previous year. I know from my colleagues, that given this economic climate, this was rarely the case this year for other organizations. Our guests, who attend many Galas each year, were especially impressed with your skills, and of course our Board was thrilled with the financial results of all your efforts.
On behalf of the Board, staff and artists of Writers’ Theatre, THANK YOU! I look forward to working with you again next year.”
Sherre Jennings Cullen, CFRE
Director of Development
Writers' Theatre
"It’s a pleasure to write a letter of thanks and recommendation for you and Auction Results. Your participation in “A Golden Evening with CCS” on March 8th was a big component of Central Christian School’s success with this event!
Your expertise in every phase of the planning process was extremely valuable to us. Our first phone meeting was helpful and full of good, pragmatic suggestions – and it only got better from there. You were readily available to me ( and any of my volunteer staff) who had questions, and you talked us through some tricky issues as we got closer to auction night. Your ideas and strategies were well worth the cost of your services.
But the true demonstration of your benefit to our organization was certainly on auction night. By God’s grace and with your able assistance we TRIPLED (yes, you read that right!) Your skill during the live auction coupled with your “Fund-A-Need” paddle-raiser were two key elements that night…helping us to net over $110,000 for CCS.
I heard so many positive remarks about your portion of the evening. Everything from “I was worried that David wouldn’t do well with our crowd because he doesn’t know us – boy was I wrong!” to “Whatever we paid him, it wasn’t enough!” Your humorous presentation, your enjoyable style, your magic tricks and your emotional appeal at the end were all mentioned several times… and we so appreciate you working with us this year.
As we begin an ambitious building program this summer and embark on a capital campaign next fall for the next phase of our needed expansion, these dollars will be well spent! We simply could not have achieved such stellar results for the children of Central Christian School without your help. We look forward to working with you again next year!"
Carmen Worley
Director of Development
Central Christian School
“What can I say – you were right! The results you produced for Providence St. Mel’s first live auction were beyond any of our dreams. We sincerely thank you.
What is even more remarkable about your feat is that you helped us through this experience with less than two weeks to go before our event. Your assessments, advice and guidance helped us turn some very nice auction items into extraordinary experiences with even more extraordinary results. You helped us raise $108,950 during the live auction.
Your results brought us within reach of our event’s goal. Without you, our financial situation would have been far different.
What we also want to compliment you on is the wonderful entertainment you wove perfectly into the auction. A number of our guests commented that your section of the program added great energy and fun into the evening.
Your part in helping Providence St. Mel transform young people’s lives is deeply and sincerely appreciated.
On a professional note, please know you have earned my undying endorsement. I look forward to working with you next year and hopefully for years beyond.”
Widge Liccione
Development Director
Providence-St. Mel School
“On behalf of our entire Whitfield Community, I want to thank you for another job well done as auctioneer at Montage Jammin’ In The Jungle. Your energy and knowledge of live auction strategy has made all the difference in helping our school achieve success ath this all-important event.
Last year you increased the final bids of all of our items by substantial amounts. Again this year you worked your magic by pumping up our audience and spurring them on to bid high and often for our wonderful array of live items.
Thank you for sharing your expertise with us during our year-long planning process. Your tips and suggestions helped us make some key decisions that worked to our advantage in the end!
We are so excited to work with you again next year and know that with your help we will exceed our goals and raise a tremendous amount of money for the programs and services that make Whitfield so special.”
Kelly Edwards
Annual Fund/Auction Coordinator
Whitfield School
“On behalf of Friends of Conservation, I want to thank you for your expertise, knowledge and guidance the last three years. We have raised more funds in the live auction than ever before due to your ideas.
"Raise your paddle for a cause" has been brilliant and brought much needed funds to Kenya and the Maasai people. We would not have another function without you!
We look forward to working with you for many years to come.”
Sue Mitchell
Friends of Conservation
"You did a remarkable job for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Chicago last week.
Your efforts were successful in raising the much needed funds to keep the mission of Danny Thomas alive.
You and the National Auctioneers Association have been true partners of St. Jude for many years. This is a partnership that we cherish.
Once again, thank you for all you do.”
John P. Moses
Chief Executive Officer
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
“We just wanted to express our appreciation for taking a step of faith with us to try something new at our Fall Fundraising Event! It was an amazing time and we thank God for the way he moved in people hearts. Thank you for being a part of our day!”
Scott Grzesiak
Executive Director
GRIP Outreach for Youth
“It looks like we increased our Live Auction proceeds by over 50% compared to last year, with 50% fewer items. That is a great “Auction Result!"
Tamara Seikel
Development Director
The Wilderness Center
“I want to personally thank you for a fantastic fundraising auction for Friends of the Parks.
Everyone is talking about the great job of engaging the entire audience.
Looking forward to another great year of working with you.”
Lynn Leftwich
Chairperson, Swingin’ in the Parks Gala Ball
Friends of the Parks
“On behalf of the Epilepsy Foundation of Greater Chicago, thank you for serving as our auctioneer at our annual fundraising event, the Shedd It All Ball, held at the John G. Shedd Aquarium.
Thanks to your efforts, the Live Auction was a huge success. In fact, the auction proceeds tripled from last year. In addition, the Fund A Need program was a great new component to the event and generated enthusiasm and awareness among the guests about the important work of the Foundation.
Your creative input and strategic recommendations paid off, as can be seen not only in the financial results, but in the many positive comments we have heard from our guests. We are so appreciative of all of your efforts.”
Maureen McCarthy
Vice President of Development and
Melanie Vaishnav, Special Events Manager
Epilepsy Foundation of Greater Chicago
“Thank you again for your talent, enthusiasm and flexibility in serving as auctioneer for our “Be A Kid Again” Gala. As our first foray in to a live auction at the event, your expertise and guidance was invaluable in the planning process. And at the event, you exceeded our wildest expectations by helping us to raise over $85,000. You made the live auction portion fun and exciting. Many guests commented on what a great auctioneer we hired and encouraged us to book you right away.”
“On behalf of everyone at Chicago Children’s Museum, I thank you very much. We look forward to working with you again this year!”
Peter England
President & CEO
Chicago Children’s Museum
"What can I say? You made a believer out of me! Our crowd is not an easy one to work with, but you truly are a magician. Not only did you raise $85,000 for us, but people had fun while giving. You were engaging, entertaining and persuasive.
We are excited at the prospect of working with you again, David. Thank you for convincing me to do a video and “fund-a need”. Thank you for helping us put together some fabulous live auction packages. And thank you for helping this be the most successful benefit we’ve had to date."
Marcia Liss
Development Director
ACLU
"I cannot thank you enough for the success of our recent School of St. Mary fundraiser. As you know we raised just under $122,000 from the live auction portion, which was about $50,000 more than the previous year. The separate paddle raiser, which focused on new technology, raised $80,000.
Over the summer our principal and his staff of advisors purchased all the new computers, laptops and printers for the school. We are truly on the cutting edge now with our rolling lap-top cart, and our high-end computer lab.
While your fee was certainly higher than we had ever paid in the past, we certainly got our money’s worth and then some. You took us by the hand and helped us all the way through, from the ideas for the auction items to the proper order of the items. As you know we are a volunteer group that changes every year……most of us have never done anything like this before, so Sue and I really counted on your expertise to help us through.
I know there were a few challenges with the lack of seating and noise level, but the Gala was still a huge success due to your complete professionalism and control you were able to have over the situation.
Sue, Ed, Ron, Barb, Michael and I and the children of the School of St. Mary thank you!!"
Cherie Setteducate
School of St. Mary Gala Co-Chair
"On behalf of the 1400 students that we serve each year, I wanted to personally thank you for serving as our Auctioneer for Marwen’s Paintbrush Ball. With your expert auction block performance, Marwen raised more than $112,000 for our after-school arts program for Chicago’s under served youth. Your professionalism and expertise at the event really made the evening a huge success…..David, we could not have achieved so much without your presence – thanks again for everything."
Rhonda Brown Saffold
Director of Development & Marketing
Marwen
“On behalf of RMHC-CNI, thank you for your outstanding performance and professionalism over the past year as we prepared for our annual gala, Big Mac Under Glass. With your coaching, experience, and performance we were able to quadruple the net revenue brought in to help our charity.”
“Throughout the planning process, you provided valuable counsel to improve our Fund-A- Cause and live auctions, and suggested the best possible ways to troubleshoot acoustic problems and get the audience alert and engaged. On the day of the event, you provided our volunteers thorough training on how to best assist you during the auction. And most important, your delivery of the auction entertained and set our guests at ease as they raised their paddles like never before. We received tremendous feedback about how guests enjoyed your humor, were proud of their participation in such a successful fundraising effort, and appreciated your personality and professionalism.”
“Likewise, we appreciate your professional counsel and delivery of the smaller auction at our Golf Classic and look forward to beginning the process in the next few weeks as we prepare for next year’s gala. We are pleased to highly recommend you to any other charities interested in holding a successful auction, and wish you the best of luck in future endeavors.”
Jennifer Armstrong
Director of Development
Ronald McDonald House Charities – Chicagoland & Northwest Indiana
"Muchas gracias, grazie, danke schoen, merci and thank you! Because of your wonderful support, Starlight’s first annual “Dream Date” Auction was a huge success! We couldn’t have done it without you and we just want you to know how much we appreciate your support."
Kay Wilson
Chairperson, “Dream Date” Auction
Starlight Foundation Chicago
"Art a la Carte was a huge success, due in no small part to your efforts. On behalf of Business Volunteers for the Arts (BVA), we want to express our gratitiude to you for being our Auctioneer. The auction brought in twice as much money as last year’s and you can take pride in that.
"Several people commented on what a great auctioneer they thought you were and your delivery certainly added to the general up-beat atmosphere of the auction. The money raised at BVA’s annual benefit is critical to our ability to continue serving the arts community, and we thank you for your support."
Joan Gunzberg
Executive Director
Business Volunteers for the Arts
"The Woman’s Board of the Union League Boys and Girls Club Benefit Ball was a total success. It was the largest fundraiser ever grossing over $100,000.00"
"One of the most important ingredients of the successful evening was the verbal auction. David, I am proud to say, the money derived from the verbal portion of our auction through your ability reached a new high. Also, under your stewardship the verbal was completed precisely on schedule as you predicted, again a first."
"It was a pleasure to work with you, and I am looking forward to seeing you at our next auction."
Lynn Webb
Ball Chairman
Union League Boys and Girls Clubs
"David's talent for commanding an audience is truly outstanding. With his sharp instinct and quick wit, he kept our auction running along smoothly. Thanks to him our auction was a huge success, raising far more than we anticipated. Thank you, David, from all of us at Ravinia Festival!"
Bryan Alderman
Coordinator, Donor Services & Events
Ravinia Festival
“Thank you for your excellent work for Chicago Opera Theater at our Gala on April 19th. This was our most successful live auction ever, in great part to your excellent handling of the event, rapport with the audience, appreciation of the items being auctioned and sense of humor.”
“You were highly recommended by many of our colleagues, and rightly so. We look forward to working with you again next year, and will be contacting you very soon about the possible dates.”
Dorothy Osborn Walton
President
Chicago Opera Theater Board of Directors
"On behalf of everyone at Thresholds, I want to thank you for doing a simply outstanding job as auctioneer for Thresholds' 20th Annual Golf & Tennis Benefit live auction. Due in large part to your professionalism, helpful advice, and knack of keeping our guests engaged and entertained during the auction, we increased our revenue from our live and service auctions by 44%! We look forward to working with you in the future. Thanks again for making our event a record-breaking success."
Kelley Bowers
Special Events Manager
Thresholds
"David, Thanks for helping make the 50th annual Art Fair auction the rousing success it was. Your enthusiasm and professionalism were, as always, the critical elements in bringing in the dough."
"While the beneficiaries of the various charities certainly appreciate your efforts, I want to add how much I personally enjoy working with you. Thanks again and I hope to see you next year."
Richard A. Holtz
Chairman
Chicago Old Town Art Fair, Menomonee Triangle Association
"As the “auction czar” for the Darien Rotary Club, I want to thank you for your efforts at our annual charity auction. Your outstanding efforts were directly responsible for us netting a club record for our event.
Your impressive efforts were truly remarkable, in that I am still hearing from guests and club member’s things like, “the auctioneer was outstanding” and “get this guy next year”. Your professionalism, humor and energy the night of the event were key factors in turning a potentially humdrum event into an exciting one. Lastly your experience and sage advice during our final preparations was critical, directly contributing to our 30% revenue increase over our previous event.
Again, on behalf of our entire membership, I wish to thank you for your efforts during our Charity Auction. I hope to be able to work with you again, and will gladly serve as a reference for any of your prospective clients in the future. Good job!"
Chris Gerrib
Auction Committee Chair
Darien Rotary Club
"Thank you from the St. Cornelius Mothers’ Club for a job very well done! The “Big Night” Auction was a major success for both our school and our parish community. Your guidance and expertise helped to make our auction a huge success!!
When Christine and I met with you in October, we both felt that you were just what we needed to help our biggest annual fundraising event continue to evolve and surpass the success we had experienced in our first two auctions.
We were all so pleased with the amount of money we were able to raise on April 16th!!! I personally feel that your ability to understand our needs allowed you to help add a new dimension to our school auction and ultimately exceed even our own expectations. I received so many compliments of the great job you did as auctioneer!
Thank you for your professionalism and your help. It is my hope that we may continue to work together in the future!"
With sincere thanks,
Michelle Newgren,
Auction Chairperson
St. Cornelius School
"You presented yourself in the most professional manner, and you gave the event a very classy image. In addition, you managed to create an atmosphere of fun and excitement for the attendees. It goes without saying that I will highly recommend you and your organization, and I welcome you to use me as a reference."
Mike Weissman
President, Bedpost Interiors
Cleveland, OH
"The auction was a huge success. The proceeds realized for that day were 50% higher than we had anticipated. Your time and effort in preparing for the auction, and your performance throughout the auction itself were quite impressive. We will not hesitate to use your services again in the future when the need arises. We enjoyed doing business with you."
Dan Niehoff
Branch Operations Manager
ITT Commercial Finance
Cincinnati, OH
"It is with great pleasure that I write this letter of recommendation for Auction Results, Inc. You and your organization are to be commended not only for your increasing our return but for you professionalism with which you handled our business relationship. Thank you and Good Luck!"
Denise Varteresian
Assistant V.P.
McCuan Development Group
Columbia, MD
