Newtown Relay Hosting Pilot For Online Auction

Each year, as the success and scope of Newtown’s Relay For Life grows, new opportunities are made available to organizers, participants, and supporters. Last year, Newtown was one of two Connecticut sites for a nationwide test study on how lifestyles may contribute to becoming affected by, or preventing, cancer.

This year, according to local Relay sponsor and volunteer Guy Russo, Newtown will be a test site for a new benefit online auction program that may eventually roll out to many, if not all, of the thousands of annual American Cancer Society (ACS) fundraisers across the nation.

In May 1985, Dr Gordy Klatt spent 24 hours circling a track in Tacoma, Wash., to raise funds for the American Cancer Society. This was the beginning of Relay For Life, and today more than three million people participate nationwide.

With millions more looking for ways to support these community-building and informational activities, Mr Russo thought an Internet auction system, customized by region, or even community, would be a logical new way to open up avenues for additional underwriting.

So last summer, Mr Russo introduced cMarket, a leader in online auction fundraising, to the New England ACS division senior management.

“As a new board member for ACS New England Division, I learned that there are many new program initiatives that the society is looking to fund,” Mr Russo told The Newtown Bee this week. “In order to make them a reality, ACS needs to look for incremental funding sources.”

Since Mr Russo’s firm, Canaan Partners, already had a trusted partnership providing financing to cMarket, he believed it was a great fit for Relay. The company creates opportunities for charity and nonprofit organizations to earn additional revenue and expand their network of supporters — raising awareness and cultivating new donors.

Since 2003, cMarket has run more than 3,000 online auctions for thousands of organizations around the country, and in every sector of the nonprofit community, including school fundraising, church fundraising, and dozens of other important causes.

To date, cMarket has raised more than $37 million dollars for its nonprofit clients and this number grows exponentially each year, as more and more charities discover the benefits of online auction fundraising.

“Newtown was selected as the pilot for the online auction because of the great success of our Relay,” Mr Russo said. “In just four years Newtown has become the eighth highest fundraising event out of approximately 200 in New England. That means the ACS knows they can count on our teams and community.”

Any team member or business can donate products or services directly via the online site. Businesses can include their logo and a link to their website.

Team members can get credit toward their fundraising by adding their team name in the section of “Special Note.”

“Since we have had over 70 teams in the past, our goal is to have each team obtain at least three items for auction,” Mr Russo said. “That would provide us with over 200 items.”

He advised teams and donors to get creative — consider auctioning off going to someone’s house to cook dinner for a dinner party. And since many people in the community have season tickets for sporting events, why not solicit a pair of tickets to a popular sporting event?

“All our donated items will be collected on our bank night about a week before the Relay,” Mr Russo said.

Fundraising for Relay has increased dramatically in recent years through a push for online donations. Using an existing ACS online product, team members can send out e-mails to friends, relatives, and business associates to simplify their fundraising process.

“There is so much activity going on at a Relay For Life event that it would be difficult to have an auction on site,” Mr Russo said. “CMarket’s product allows us to start the auction a few weeks in advance of our event given that it is all handled online.”

The pilot online auction for Newtown begins May 15. There are several auction items that can already be previewed on the local Relay website at main.acsevents.org/rflctnewtown.

The online auction site can be accessed from there by scrolling down the purple bar on the left hand side until visitors see “online auction.” Online auction items include a week in Spain; golf getaways in Pinehurst and St Andrews, Scotland; hot air balloon ride or whitewater rafting; a pool table; a wine refrigerator; and sports memorabilia, including a David Ortiz-autographed Red Sox jersey.

Newtown’s Relay For Life will take place at Newtown High School on Saturday, June 7, through Sunday, June 8, and the auction will end at 6 pm, Monday, June 9.

“My hope is that our teams and community rally around this great opportunity we have at hand,” Mr Russo said. “Even if each Relay in New England could use the online auction to raise an additional $10,000, on average, that would provide $2 million more in the fight against cancer.

“Now roll that out across the country and think of the impact,” he added. “But none of that will happen unless we can make this pilot a success.”

In other Relay news, Amanda Poseno and her Relay team are holding a benefit Spin-a-Thon at The Fitness Loft Saturday, March 29. Virtually all the signups have been done in house and through personally recruiting friends. But there may still be a spot available during one of the sessions scheduled hourly beginning at 8 am. The event wraps up following the 11 am session.

One hundred percent of the proceeds through donations go to the Relay. Each session is $20 per person/per class. Volunteer students completing community service hours will provide child care at an on-site child care center, and spin instructors from The Fitness Loft have volunteered their time to lead the classes. Owner Cody Foss provided the facility and bikes at no charge.