Holiday Silent Auction 

As we countdown to the end of 2025, we look forward to the holiday season, a time to give back and celebrate with friends, colleagues and peers! ESSAE will be raising funds through our annual silent auction, once again donating a portion of the proceeds to charity. This year we will support the Rita Lashway Scholarship Program and Regional Food Bank's Backpack Program

The Rita Lashway Scholarship Program is dedicated to advancing the professional development of association professionals, ensuring they have the knowledge and skills necessary to excel in their careers. Recognizing that many individuals may not have access to funding for certification opportunities, ESSAE established this scholarship program to support those pursuing the Certified Association Executive (CAE), Certified Meeting Professional (CMP), and other esteemed designations. By contributing, ESSAE members are investing in the future of our profession and empowering colleagues to enhance their expertise and creativity. Since its creation in 2014, the Rita Lashway Scholarship Program has awarded dozens of scholarships, provides invaluable support to individuals at various stages of their careers and fostering a culture of continuous learning and leadership within the association community. 


The BackPack Program helps alleviate child hunger by discreetly providing hungry children with bags of nutritious and easy-to-prepare food every Friday afternoon, so they have food to eat throughout the weekend. Although free and reduced breakfast and lunch programs provide significant nutritional benefits to students during the school day, many disadvantaged children do not have access to regular meals when school is not in session.

Each BackPack Contains

  • 2+ breakfast items (cereal, oatmeal packets, graham crackers, granola bars)
  • 3+ entrées (mac & cheese, PB & J, Spaghettios, tuna, soup)
  • A loaf of bread
  • Milk card for a gallon of milk (distributed every other week)
  • Egg card for a dozen eggs (distributed every other week)
  • Fresh fruits
  • Canned vegetables (distributed monthly)
  • 2 snacks (cookies, popcorn, pudding, etc.)

Please consider donating to the Silent Auction. We need your support to make the Holiday Celebration Silent Auction a success! Your donation is the perfect opportunity to showcase your brand, services, venue, and/or destination. We hope you will consider taking part in this special holiday experience that helps us support our association professionals and community. To access the silent auction online donation form, click here.   

Through your generosity, ESSAE has been able to make a huge impact on the local community throughout the years, bringing ESSAE’s total donated dollars, since 1993 to over $188,015.

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About the Silent Auction 

ESSAE will be managing its silent auction through an online bidding site – BiddingOwl! Through this easy-to-use and secure interface, you will be able to bid on Silent Auction items donated by our generous partners!  

Prize donations will be displayed digitally, both via our online BiddingOwl platform and on a large screen at the Holiday Celebration. In preparation for this year's silent auction, we hope you will consider donating an item for the auction. See below for more information on how to bid.  

 

How to Donate 

What can you donate? It's about the experience! Experiential items create memories and journeys for attendees. Memorable and unique auction items might include weekend getaways and airline tickets, spa days, brewery tours, area attractions, museum and city tours, hot air balloon rides, theme park tickets, golf or ski outings, concert tickets and backstage passes, complimentary dining experiences, sporting events, and so much more! 

This is your chance to be creative! The holiday auction affords you the perfect opportunity to showcase your brand, services, venue, and destination! We hope you will consider taking part in this special holiday experience that helps us support our association professionals.  

Important reminder: All guests attending the Holiday Celebration, including those who might not be active bidders, will see your submitted donation image during the event on a large screen. When designing your image, this is a perfect opportunity to make it a mini billboard / advertisement for your organization!  There will not be a physical table of items.
 
On behalf of ESSAEs Board and Committee Leadership, we are continually grateful for your loyalty and trust in our organization.  
 
Please complete this form by Friday December 12 to have your item(s) included in the silent online auction.   

How to Bid  

We will once again be using BiddingOwl for this year's Silent Auction. This easy-to-use and secure interface allows you to bid on Silent Auction items donated by our generous partners! Holiday Celebration participants will be able to see screen displays of and bid digitally on the auction items on display at this year's event. All bidding will be done via your SmartPhone! Once the auction concludes, winning bidders will be notified, and prize donors will mail prizes to you once payment has been received. Bidding will also be open to anyone who is not in attendance!  

Here's what you need to know to get started!  

Bidding Starts: December 17 at 12:00 PM 

Bidding Ends: December 17 at 7:15 PM 

If you have participated in Online Auctions through BiddingOwl before, you don't need to do anything except bid on items! If you have not participated before you will need to register as a bidder. The system will prompt you to either login or register before you can place a bid.  

For helpful tips and information on how to manage your bids, please check here.  

PRO TIP: To receive text message notifications, enter your telephone number under Account Details. You will receive text messages when you've been outbid. 

Silent Auction Rules 

  • Starting at 12:00 PM on December 17, browse items online and start bidding! 
  • Items will be displayed digitally at the Holiday Celebration; there will not be a table of items. All items will be visible online and on a large screen at M&T Event Center, courtesy of ON Services.   
  • Please bid based on the minimum increments as posted for each item. 
  • Bidding will end at 7:15 PM on December 17. 
  • Winners will be notified during the Holiday Celebration and via email through the BiddingOwl site. 
  • Items will be shipped directly to you from the donor upon payment in full. 
  • Items not paid for by Monday, December 22 will be awarded to the next highest bidder. To help offset processing fees, there will be a 1% service charge added to any items purchased via credit card.
  • Please keep in mind you will not receive your item by December 25th


Please email [email protected] with any questions.