There are many ways to raise
money for a cause, one of which is by holding a celebrity
autograph auction. These autograph auctions are usually made
up of items signed by celebrities that are auctioned off
either live or online via a service like eBay. Getting
celebrities to send your organization these items is quite
simple, but it requires using the right words, persistence,
and patience.Here
are some important tips:
The Right Words.
Explain your cause and ask
for what you want...nicely. Letter writing is an art form.
Scribbling three lines in pencil on notebook paper won't do
the trick. The more professional the appearance the better;
typed on letterhead is best.
The Rotary Club of Ennis,
Texas used Contact Any Celebrity to get items from
celebrities for an auction to raise money for various
children's charities. Their typed letter stated exactly what
they were doing and why. The letter also listed the
organization's contact information clearly. Some
representatives may need to verify that you are a true
non-profit organization.
The letter then stated
exactly what they were requesting: "We most humbly request
your assistance in our efforts by requesting a personal item
from you for the auction; if it's signed, that will help
even more." The Rotary Club tells us the response has been
great, and they are still in the process of receiving and
organizing items.
So far autographed photos
have come in from Troy Aikman, John Travolta, Rusty Wallace,
the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders, Richard Petty, Laura Davies,
Dustin Hoffman, Gerald Ford, Jennifer Lopez, Dolly Parton,
Charlie Daniels, Arnold Palmer, Susan Sarandon, and an
autographed cap sent from Lee Trevino.
Persistence.
You may have to ask more
then once. Sending your first letter to explain what you're
doing and why is a must. Sending a second letter as a
reminder is optional, but a good idea since celebrities
receive so much mail.
One Contact Any Celebrity
user sent out two letters. The first, which was only two
paragraphs long, really explained her cause and what she was
looking for. It also set a deadline for when items needed to
be received. After a few weeks, she sent out another letter
explaining the deadline had been extended and outlined the
support she had already received from other celebrities.
This resulted in her receiving even more items!
Patience.
Celebrities don't always
respond within your expected timeframe, so it's a good idea
to get started well in advance of your event. Some of
Contact Any Celebrity's users have received responses as far
out as one year after the initial letter.
Amy Pratt from Plymouth,
Indiana wrote to more than 50 celebrities asking for
autographs for a personal collection. "The photos came
rolling in after a few weeks," she tells us. "The last one
we got took over a year, but it's a surprise each time [a
new autograph] pops up." Amy received autographs and
personal notes from Ben Stiller, John Travolta, Joe
Theisman, Brooke Shields, Michael Jordan, Gale Sayers, and
Nolan Ryan to name a few.
Another amazing success
came from Carolyn Penharlow from Vienna, Virginia who held
an auction for her son's school. "I sent out almost 300
letters following the instructions on the Web site. I was
astonished at the response. It was fun to go to the school
mailbox everyday. Everyone would ask what I got that day!"
Penharlow's school received
signed books from Henry Winkler, CDs from George Winston,
and many signed photos from stars like Liz Taylor, Cindy
Crawford, and Dustin Hoffman. "We raised over $15,000
altogether and were thrilled," she says.
There are many more success
stories where these came from. Visit the
Testimonials section to read some of them, and of course
let us know your own successes! We'd love to hear them.
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Jordan McAuley is the Founder of
www.ContactAnyCelebrity.com located in West Hollywood,
California. His online database contains the best mailing
address, agent, manager, publicist, production company, and
charitable cause for over 54,000 celebrities and public
figures worldwide. You can reprint this article as long as
you link it back to
www.contactanycelebrity.com or earn 50% monthly
recurring commissions when you join our affiliate program at
www.contactanycelebrity.com/affiliates and link back to
it as an affiliate.
