Stoneridge Children's Montessori School

What do you get when you combine creativity with a diverse catalog of items? A successful online auction fundraiser with cMarket.

Stoneridge Children's Montessori School located in Beverly, MA is a co-educational, independent school offering programs for children ages 21 months through the eighth grade. As a private institution, Stoneridge relies on the support of parents, alumni and the community to raise money, and to continue to offer students the chance to learn through Montessori's unique brand of education. This year, they complemented their spring fundraiser by running an online auction with cMarket in conjunction with their live event.

Using cMarket's Auction Manager, Stoneridge was able to customize their online auction pages and tailor the copy to reflect catalog items. They created unique category names such as "Just In" and "New this Week", for items that were recently posted and added to the auction; "Fun: Learn Something", for items that educate while they entertain, "Fun: Get Outside", featuring great outdoor activities; and "Kids Classes / Camps", that give parents the opportunity to quickly find exciting opportunities for their children. Stoneridge's diverse catalog also offered an array of items ranging from a unique hand-painted pet portrait to a "Firefighters Birthday Party", where kids could spend some time at a real firehouse learning about the trucks and trying on the gear. Plus, they obtained exclusive items that commanded higher bids such as sold-out tickets to see the Police live in concert and Red Sox seats at Fenway.

Stoneridge's grasp of their community led to an enticing catalog filled with desirable items for their supporters to bid on. Combining exceptional opportunities for children with exciting and hard to find items, they maximized the potential of their online auction fundraiser. Stoneridge Children's Montessori School exceeded their revenue objectives, raising over $28,000 for the school; and took full advantage of cMarket's services to enhance their fundraising event.