Jewish Community Center of Greater Boston

"The capabilities of the cMarket system allowed us not only to raise money, but also to get our message out more efficiently. The ability to send emails and customize our auction homepage instantly was amazing for keeping our members up-to-date with the progress of the auction. We couldn't have done it so well without cMarket." - Cathy Freedberg, Development Associate

Situation: As host of the 2004 Maccabi Games, Jewish Community Centers of Greater Boston (JCCGB) wanted to help Jewish teen athletes from around the globe celebrate their faith through sports, community service, and social activities. So, they planned a fun holiday gala called the Lights & Spice Ball to coincide with the Chanukah season.

Approach: In order to increase their visibility, reach out to more members and raise funds for the coming year, the JCCGB turned to cMarket to develop an online auction component for the ball. Above and beyond the attractive homepage and ability to add donated items, the primary benefit to the organization was the online catalog through which members could either preview items prior to attending, or place an online bid if they were unable to attend. JCCGB was even able to eliminate the time and expense of a printed catalog, and use the auction's email tools to keep members updated and encourage bidding.

Results: The first annual Lights & Spice Ball was an outstanding success, raising close to $80,000 on 89 items, with $30,000 in online bids and 21 items receiving absentee bids. Based on the event's success, JCCGB plans to incorporate a cMarket online auction into future annual Lights & Spice Balls, and add online auctions to additional fundraising events throughout the year.