Redfin To Change the Rules of Real Estate Sales
This follows a (roughly) $1m Series A round in January 2006. New CEO Glenn Kelman, the founder of Plumtree, joined the company in September 2005. ...
Auctions for Change
New CEO Glenn Kelman, the founder of Plumtree, joined the company in September 2005. ... New CEO Glenn Kelman, the founder of Plumtree, joined the company in September ...
Auctions for Change's mission is to encourage and facilitate collaboration between the entertainment/media and non-profit communities.
Auctions for Change is a non-partisan organization that supports a portfolio of causes related to community values, a progressive vision, and social justice.
Auctions for Change partners with cause-related 501(c)3 non-profits to develop relationships with artists, entertainers, and corporate partners, for fundraising and education purposes.
Email us info [at] auctionsforchange [dot] com or communicate with us and the wider community using the tag auctionsforchange.
Mon Oct 08, 2007
Comments Closing Faster / General update
Due to the high spam volume on this blog, not to mention the relatively infrequent posting, I've reset comments to close on each post 30 days after its publication.
I also confess to not focusing on this project of late, and I think it's only fair to declare it officially dormant. If there's anyone out there interested in participating, please get in touch via this form.
One of our fave Hollywood charity initiatives, Clothes off our Back, is springing into 2007 with auctions from several charity and award events. As always, gowns, shoes, and fashion accessories from celebs like Carmen Electra, Ray Romano, Billy Bush. . . and lots of others so exclusive I don't even know who they are!
I should have a special category called "somebody gets it" for posts like this. Here's a charity auction for which 100% of proceeds benefit the Elton John AIDS Foundation, and in which the winner gets insider access and a day at the track with a new Audi car release, then gets to attend Elton's (Mr. John's?) VIP Oscar party.
While the other kids were rockin' round the clock, Elton's been a very forward and visible fundraising presence, and he's got a cause he obviously cares about enough to tie very closely to his personal brand as an entertainer. He's got a lot of access and "VIP experiences" to leverage, and Audi knows how to turn a very simple desire to market a new car into a special, meaningful experience. And they're doing it right.
Do people really fall for these things? eBay seriously needs to do something about this. Because it's getting worse by the week.
And they need to do it not just because people fall for the scams. (I'm tempted to say you deserve what you get if you bid $45,000 on a "really terrific mystery box" from which 15% goes to charity, but the fact is people do sometimes trust what seem to be bona fide charity efforts - and eBay endorses the charitable proceeds aspect of these auctions with their MissionFish arm.)
They need to do it because all these phony auctions PREVENT REAL DONORS FROM FINDING AND BIDDING ON REAL CHARITY AUCTIONS. Even when you do find them, it's harder to trust them now.
That is very sad for the many good organizations that depend on charity auctions for lifeblood-level funding. And it's very sad for eBay, who are the original web2.0 commerce company, and who have done a lot to facilitate socially good transactions and donations.
But seriously, how hard can it be to set some guidelines on these things, especially when it's obviously the same few sellers and formulae over and over again.
Bid for your very own pair of Rocky's boxing gloves, stylisly signed by Sly Stallone. Meat locker and sides of beef not included, but you do get to go toe-to-toe in the fight to help addicted, abused, and physically challenged children, as managed by Angelo Dundee Variety, the Children's Charity of Southern California.
Benefiting the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, here's a chance for the ladies to step up and show that Brokeback Mountain doesn't have the market cornered on gay tv/movie wardrobe auctions that generate lots of money for good causes.
Do you take this dress to be your lawful, charitable donation?
Please visit this auction of art and crafts benefiting the family of James Kim, a journalist who died tragically and heroically after his family was stranded in an Oregon snowstorm. (James Kim on Wikipedia)
Here's the Kim Family Auction website, and here's the eBay seller page. Auction lots include works on paper, crafts, handmade fashion, and more. 100% of proceeds benefit the family fund.
Given that an auction featured previously for 2 shirts from the movie went for over $100K, I have to believe the cowboy hat worn by character Jack Twist in Brokeback Mountain will go for big charity dollars for Variety's Kids. (Current bidding is over $10K, with four days to go.)
If you don't already have a ticket, you're not going -- unless you find an easter egg or a cheat. But at a minimum, you can appreciate the contribution of gamers and fans to Child's Play. Led by Penny Arcaders Gabe and Tycho, Child's Play has helped fulfill the wishlists of some 35 hospitals to the tune of $495,000 worth of games, toys, and other entertainment for sick kids.
At next week's annual dinner auction, the spoils going to deserving donors include:
a new Nintendo Wii game system autographed by the company’s infamous President and COO, Reginald “Reggie” Fils-Aime, a speaking line in the Halo 3 videogame under development by Bungie Entertainment, a Sony PlayStation 3 and an appearance in a Penny Arcade comic strip.
More items are expected to be sold at the auction in Bellevue Washington include:
* Original Penny Arcade Artwork
* Tickets to the Halo 3 launch party
* A Microsoft Xbox 360 game system
* A Microsoft Zune ultra pack
* Alien Hominid skateboards
* ATI Radeon X1900XTX video cards
* Pirates of the Burning Sea Treasure Packs
* Signed Guildwars Nightfall Collector Editions
* Seattle Seahawks Club Level Tickets
* A WidowPC Sting 517D Laptop
* A Dell XPS 700 Desktop computer system
* A Dell XPS 1710 Notebook computer system
* A trip to Iceland for 2 and a tour of CCP Games
* An appearance in the Penny Arcade Adventures videogame
Saturday night, the LA Garment Worker Center will have an anniversary party and fundraiser, and they're taking general donations as well as anticipating a silent auction. In their own words:
This December 2, the Garment Worker Center (GWC) will celebrate 5 years of operation.
The GWC has helped hundreds of immigrant garment workers reclaim owed wages and
get better conditions in factories. Since its opening, the GWC has gotten over $3 million
in owed wages and penalties for garment workers. We continue to fight for the rights of
workers and invite you to celebrate our accomplishments.
The celebration will also include a fair trade marketplace in which supporters can purchase
holiday gifts made by workers who received fair wages and treatment. We will have
hundreds of items from around the world.
What: Fair Trade marketplace & Celebration Party with
Guest Speaker Tom Hayden and Entertainment by Quetzal.
When: Saturday December 2nd from 6-10pm
Where: Artshare LA, 801 East 4th Place, Los Angeles 90013
Parking on site. (in downtown Arts District)
Bloomie's gets it - and so can you, if you desire to meet Mssrs. Fendi, Lauren, Yurban, Boss or their peers in various fashion cosmopoli (UK, Italy, NYC, etc.), and you swoon at such copy as:
True American fashion is served—advantage you. You and a guest will not only experience a new air of excitement at Wimbledon, the world’s most coveted tennis tournament, you’ll be in the spotlight with an upclose view of this spectacular sporting event. Then, feel like one of the pros with your customized Polo Ralph Lauren Wimbledon wardrobe and exclusive commemorative gear to take home. All to celebrate the worldly appeal of designer Ralph Lauren, and his global partnership with the All England Club, Wimbledon—as he is the first designer in Wimbledon’s 129 year history to create and outfit on-court officials. This unforgettable experience includes first-class air for two on Swiss International Air Lines to London, England, and four-night, five-star luxury accommodations at The Leading Hotels of the World’s The Milestone Hotel. Game point.
See here for bidding on this shmancy package benefiting the Americares Foundation (and scroll down for others in the series) - but don't be fashionably late!
Or a reasonable facsimile thereof, anyway, and for a good cause too. The high bidder on this benefit for a UK hospital specializing in HIV/AIDS care will get you a commissioned wax replica, made to the highest standards at the world renowned Madame Tussaud's:
Whoever wins the bid will be part of a 12-week process. Every single detail will be meticulously recorded to ensure that the figure is perfect. Tussauds sculptors will first create an exact replica clay model of the winner, from which a mould is made. The wax figure is created from this, and Tussauds artists then fine tune the figure - adding skin tone hair (so fine and intensive is the work that the hair alone takes over a month to complete) and eyes so accurate that you will not be able to tell the difference from the real thing!
The final touch, of course, is up to you as the winner - after all anything in your wardrobe should fit as if it was made to measure!
After that, they'll actually display "you" for a day - and then think of all the fun you can have at home with your very own meltable doppleganger!
Not an auction, but an LA area musical fundraiser I thought folks might want to know about. Singer/songwriteres Quincy Coleman, Courtney Jaye, and Brandi Shearer will take the stage to raise funds for the LA Breast Cancer Alliance, $5 at the door, Wednesday 10/11, 8 p.m.
Sites that link here:
