Women on Topp: A Q&A with Star Benefit Auction Founder Erin Ward
It’s no secret to nonprofit professionals and fundraisers that running a successful event is a complex task, requiring high-level strategy, detailed planning, and execution that brings together a huge array of moving parts. Combining those elements requires the kind of insight you can only build over many years in the fundraising world, and that’s exactly what Star Benefit Auctions brings to the table.
Recently, Star Benefit Auctions founder, benefit auctioneer, and fundraising strategist Erin Ward spoke with Women on Topp, an online publication that showcases the achievements of talented women across the business world while diving into the challenges they face in their work and leading balanced, healthy lives.
In the interview, Erin shares how her upbringing in a family of auctioneers—particularly as the daughter to a mother who blazed a trail as a champion auctioneer—shaped her into a person who was prepared to stand out in a competitive field that has historically been dominated by men (only 14% of auctioneers are women). Going further, Erin talks about how her choice to devote herself to nonprofit auctions full-time presented unique challenges while also allowing her to carve out a niche as a businesswoman who could pursue her passion while making a real difference for meaningful causes.
Erin also addresses some of the major challenges faced by nonprofit organizations when creating galas and other fundraising events, describing how she witnessed cause after cause walk away from their events with less money than they should have been able to raise. For Erin, starting Star Benefit Auctions was an opportunity to address that gap by injecting a joy, energy, and passion into the proceedings without losing sight of the mission. For Erin, it’s the combination of stagecraft and strategy that sets her apart in the fundraising and auctioneering worlds, where she has helped raise over $1 billion for nonprofit organizations.
Read the interview at Women on Topp for more insight into today’s fundraising challenges and how women like Erin have stepped forward to make a difference.
