Wofford College Terrier Club

Wofford College Terrier Club

Wofford College’s winning spirit is exhibited on and off the field. The same motivation and energy that they put into supporting their athletes is what makes their online auctions so successful as well.

Wofford, home to a number of sports teams, offers students the opportunity to excel in baseball, basketball, football, golf, track and field, volleyball and more. Each year, the Wofford Terrier Club, the college’s dedicated fundraising association for school athletics, hosts their annual fundraising ball. In 2005, the college started running cMarket online auctions prior to their in-room events to raise even more money from their fundraising programs.

The college’s “Terrier Ball” online auctions give participants the chance to preview items that will be sold at their event. Wofford’s fundraising strategy includes opening their items online and starting the bidding earlier than their in-room auction. By doing this, they are able to generate excitement, but more importantly, elicit a friendly competition that drives up bids and increases auction revenue. Once they close the online portion of their auction, they use the highest online bid as the opening bid at their in-room auction. By starting the bidding higher, Wofford raises more money from their overall fundraising event.

In 2007, Wofford’s Terrier Ball auction featured 47 items including getaways and vacations, collectibles, golf packages and their own “terrier” art. It raised over $12,000 for athletic scholarships and more than half of this amount was due to their participation in BiddingForGood.com, cMarket’s free online auction portal. They benefited from maximum exposure and generated interest beyond their community of students, alumni and the school’s constituency

With three successful online auctions behind them, Wofford College has been able to raise over $73,000 for their Athletics Department. Their effective use of cMarket features including the online donating capabilities and email communications, coupled with their participation in BiddingForGood.com has provided them with another successful vehicle in which to further their fundraising efforts.