Raising a family while trying to make ends meet is something that home-based business moms are now able to accomplish with a lot more ease through the help of the Internet. If you think about it, most moms already have what it takes to run a business. Put in a little technical know-how, a bit of capital, budgeting and marketing skills, people skills, and the application of their time-management skills, a mom and a business woman rolled into one is not that hard to imagine. And if authority is called for, well, everyone knows who the first authority figure is in their lives, right?The Internet NannyNo, home-based business moms will not be using the Internet to take care of their children or their household. They use it to babysit their business, and there are many ways in which the Internet can provide the service for this. There are literally thousands of programs and applications that automate the online business.Running an online business can take a lot of time if home-based business moms do not learn to delegate some tasks. There are many repetitive tasks like inventory tracking, order processing, and payment processing that can be taken care of by software, or an outsourced company. One can even build Internet visibility through automated processes. There are limits to what these programs can do, but the hours that home-based business moms will have to spend sitting in front of their computers has been greatly lessened.Clients are Children Too But only in the sense that the way that home-based business moms care for them will be the telling factor in how strong a relationship can be built between them. There is a fine line between conceding to small wishes and selling oneself short just to keep the customer happy.It is true that a customer’s business and person has value, but one has to place value in their own efforts, as well. It is not good for the business specifically or the industry in general if all the customers are allowed to whine like spoiled little children to get what they want.The Real Family BenefitsIt is not hard to see what benefits customers get from home businesses: quality goods and services for a lower price and the convenience of being able to order or contract for it online at any time and from anywhere that they can get online access.But the people who benefit most from these are the moms and their families. They get to get to spend time together and not miss out on the everyday little things that make life special. To get to keep an eye on the house and her family and make money all at the same time is what home-based business moms get in this bargain.

Home-based businesses are extremely popular nowadays, what with the money making potential of the fast-paced technology that is the Internet. This gives Christians the opportunity not just to earn income at the comforts of their own home, but also to spread the word of God. Hitting two birds with one stone is one great advantage of having a Christian home based business. What is more, it requires just a minimal capital. All it takes to start your home-based business is a computer, Internet connection, and a Christian support group.Any home-based business starts with a set of ideas, and a Christian home based business is no exception. There are plenty of ideas that guarantee you huge profits and steady income for a long time. Listed here are some of the ideas to help you decide the best way to start your own home-based business.* Online Christian bookstore – If your mission in life is to evangelize the non-believers and strengthen the faith of the believers, then setting up a Christian bookstore on the Internet is the perfect way to do it. It gives you the chance to tell people how to apply the teachings of Christ to their daily lives.* Christian day care – Is your home large enough to accommodate 10 to 20 young children? Are you fond of kids? If so, you can make a living out of running a Christian-based day care center. You are assured of income with this type of Christian home based business because there are Christian parents who prefer to leave their kids under the care of their fellow Christian.* Online fund raiser – Sell products online and benefit from it in two ways: earn income for yourself and raise funds for your community or parish church.* Stained glass – People who are into arts and crafts will find creating Christian-themed stained glass windows in homes and churches a very worthwhile and profitable activity.* Inspirational merchandise – You can sell religious products online. A wide variety of merchandise including crosses, figurines, necklaces, and home decors can be sold. Of course, there is a market for them.* Tour guide – Over the Internet, you can start your own Christian touring business. This is a potentially profitable idea especially if local and foreign tourists frequent your town. You can offer sightseeing tours focusing on old and modern churches in your area.* Christian bakery – Is baking your cup of tea? You can incorporate Christian theme into your cake and pastry business right at your home. Use your imagination, and you will come up with many exciting Christian-themed pastries and cakes. You can create Christian scenes or cross figures with cakes and bread. Promote your bakery through the Internet to maximize your reach. Soon, orders will come one after the other.Take your passion and interests in consideration when you choose the kind of Christian home based business you want to start. And just like other types of home-based businesses, it entails patience and hard work.Want to know how to how to start your own Christian Home Based Business?

I want you to think about the term “Fundraising Auction”.

A “Fundraising Auction” is an event where items of value are gathered, and then sold in a competitive bidding situation, either in a Silent Auction format, or in a Live Auction format by a Live Auctioneer. And since typically the best items are saved for the Live Auction, arguably it is the Live Auction that should generate a significant portion of the proceeds in any Fundraising Auction.

So why do so many non-profit groups consider the Fundraising Auctioneer to be the least valuable component in a Fundraising Auction?

The Hosting Facility gets paid.
The Printer gets paid.
The Caterer gets paid.
The Liquor Store gets paid.
The DJ gets paid.
The Florist gets paid.
But the Auctioneer … the individual who is expected to raise the lion’s share of the event’s proceeds… is expected to work for Free. And is usually under-appreciated for the professional services he/she provides.

I’m not trying to underscore the value of the invitations & programs, food, booze, music, and decorations. All are important in their own way. But each of these are “Expenses”. It is the Auctioneer who is going to bring “Revenue”… and thus, the “Profits”… into any event. Which is the ultimate objective of any Fundraising Auction.

Here is a real-life example of how under-appreciated the Auctioneer can be. In two comparable events we worked last year, during the dinner portion of the event one non-profit group sat the Auctioneer (me) at a table with the DJ, the Interns, the Volunteer Staff, and other event “Help”. The 2nd non-profit group sat the Auctioneer (me) directly next to the CEO of their organization, where we chatted about how important the pending revenue would be to their organization. Which group do you think valued the services of the Fundraising Auctioneer more?

Don’t ever under-estimate the value that a professional Fundraising Auctioneer can bring to your event. The Auctioneer adds value as a pre-event consultant. And the Auctioneer can change an event from a moderate to a huge success.

A Case Study Once I was scheduled to call an Auction for a major local non-profit group. They represented a very good cause and they had a strong and dedicated following. Their event was sold out, quality Live & Silent Auction items had been solicited, and the Special Pledge Appeal had been choreographed and was ready to go. The facility was first class, the appropriate caterer was booked, and the food was ready to cook.

But quite unexpectedly, some unseasonably inclement weather forced the event’s cancellation. Despite all of the committee’s hard work, cancelling the event was the proper decision considering the circumstances.

So the Event Committee scrambled to re-schedule the event for the following weekend.

They confirmed with the Hosting Facility.
They confirmed with the Caterer.
They confirmed with the Liquor Store.
They confirmed with the DJ.
They confirmed with the Florist.
Since they already had the Mailing List of those scheduled to attend, no new invitations had to be printed as all were contacted by email or telephone. So with everything in place, the group went ahead and re-scheduled the event for the following weekend.

But guess who they failed to confirm? You got it… the Professional Auctioneer. They thought so little of the Auctioneer’s contribution that they “assumed” that the Auctioneer would be available and at their beck and call.

But the Auctioneer already had another Fundraising Auction booked for that date with another non-profit group. It was only hour away from the re-scheduled event, and things could have been easily worked out. All Group #1 had to do was start their event one hour earlier, or one hour later, than the Group #2, and the Auctioneer could have helped both groups on the same day.

But because Group #1 failed to anticipate a possible Auctioneer conflict, because they failed to confirm with the Auctioneer before re-scheduling their event, their preferred Auctioneer had to bow out and they had to scramble to locate substitute “Volunteer” Auctioneer only days before their event.

And it cost them.

Learning Points

The Live Auction is usually where the profits are made at any Fundraising Auction.
A Professional Fundraising Auctioneer can be vital to the success of any Fundraising Auction.
The better Fundraising Auctioneers usually get booked quickly.
You need to recognize the important contributions that a good Auctioneer can make to your event.
Michael Ivankovich is a Bucks County Fundraising Auctioneer based in Doylestown PA, and serves the Great Philadelphia PA area. He has been a professionally licensed and bonded Auctioneer in Pennsylvania for nearly 20 years, has been named Pennsylvania’s Auctioneer of the Year, and has considerable experience in conducting Fundraising Auctions. Michael loves helping groups raise needed funds for good causes and one of his specialties is the “Special Pledge Appeal” or “Fund-A-Cause Appeal” which usually enables clients to double their revenue in a single evening.