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Kilbreath Events

Stephen Kilbreath Event Auctioneer & Fundraising Consultant

www.kilbreathevents.com

Working with us can help you:
- Make your event memorable
- Raise more money
- Utilize the latest fundraising strategies

If you don’t think it matters what auction team you hire… You should talk to our clients! It ABSOLUTELY matters, and that decision will earn you more money at your event!

21/06/2025

5 Ways Fundraisers Can SaveTheir Sanity This Fall

Permits – In Washington State, venues, food service, alcohol, and special-use spaces often require permits. Get the paperwork rolling now before fall backlogs.

Data Entry – Don’t let guest lists, donations, or vendor info pile up. Clean up and update your databases now to avoid a fall data swamp.

Program Basics – Nail down your program structure early. Knowing the basics for your run of show, key speakers, and special moments now means smoother ex*****on later.

Procurement – Traditional auction? Summer’s the time to tap your board’s social calendars. Encourage them to start asking now while they’re out networking.

Sanity Check – Take stock of timelines, tasks, and team bandwidth. A mid-year reset gives you breathing room when crunch time hits.

Plan now, breathe later.

Check out our blog: https://www.kilbreathevents.com/post/5-ways-fundraisers-can-savetheir-sanity-this-fall

06/06/2025

is excited to be sharing how to change your event from being transactional to truly transformational for you and your donors in this CFRE credited session! Sign up now 🔗 in bio!

03/06/2025

Someone recently asked... How can we involve the board and volunteers to source items.

Live auction items like a wheelbarrow full of beer are great because they’re eye-catching, fun, and often generate friendly bidding wars.

Here are more creative and easy-to-source ideas for fundraising auctions that your board or volunteers can contribute to or assemble:

“Wine Pull” or “Wall of Wine” – Collect donated bottles.

"Cooking Class Party" – Someone hosts a small cooking class or wine tasting night.

"Mystery Date Night" – Each board member submits a sealed “date night” experience (e.g., dinner + movie, museum passes + drinks). The bidder picks a sealed envelope.

“Local Love” Bundle - Gift cards, goods, and swag from local businesses (board can collect by asking for donations).

“Board Member Dinner Party” - A home-cooked meal at a board member’s house for 6–8 guests.

"Board Member Work Party" - What work do you need done? Mow, w**d, or simple landscaping.

“Mystery Gift Card Tree” - Tree or board covered with donated gift cards (values vary).

“Dinner of the Month Club” - 12 volunteers each donate one home-cooked meal to be delivered once a month.

02/06/2025

Entertaining...Funny...Engaging...Genuine. I am describing my emcee the other night. Jack was fantastic as the emcee for the Ballard Senior Center fundraiser. This is a client I've been working with since the mid 90s.

Ballard NW Senior Center

22/05/2025

Not because they don't believe in them, and not because they aren't successful. But because they can be exhausting. That's why you should let planners plan and fundraisers fundraise!

Check out our latest blog that explains what's working and what's not and how to make events less painful and more profitable!

www.kilbreathevents.com/post/fundraisers-hate-events

Or go to the website in the bio and click blog.

20/05/2025

Liz and I had a great meeting at Sound ... We are excited to be Sound Behavioral Health's event planning partner for their 2nd annual gala in November at Fremont Studios.

You may see these Orange doors popping up all over the Seattle area.

Every day Sound Behavioral Health opens doors to hope, healing and recovery. These doors serve as a reminder that everyone deserves that doorway.

17/05/2025

We love adding games to our fundraising events—they bring energy, laughter, and connection to the room! Whether it’s classic games like Heads or Tails or Rock Paper Scissors, or something unexpected like a paper airplane toss or a round of Let’s Make a Deal, games are a fantastic way to get your guests engaged.

At a recent event, we did a Bid Card Buy Back—and it was a hit! We collected everyone’s bid cards, tossed them into the air, and our emcee, Alanna, grabbed one mid-flight to pick the winner. Simple, exciting, and it got everyone cheering!

Let’s brainstorm even more ways to boost guest participation at your next fundraising event. When guests are involved, giving goes up—and everyone has more fun.

14/05/2025

We had an absolute blast at this year's event, which featured a high-energy dance competition and an outpouring of community support for Fidalgo DanceWorks. We raised 106% more than last year—an amazing achievement!

This year’s theme, Dancing Through the Decades, brought out some seriously creative moves from each of our groups. It was a joy to watch everyone embody the spirit of the music and styles from different eras.

It was fun to catch up with friends from my hometown and also work with my son Ben.

We’re already excited to see what’s in store for 2026. Until then—keep dancing!

Fidalgo DanceWorks

13/05/2025

We had an incredible time once again at the Camp Gallagher fundraiser! This year's auction raised 33.8% more than last year — truly amazing! It's consistently one of our highest donor participation events, and 2025 was no exception.

We’re proud of our ongoing partnership with Camp Gallagher, and love being a part of such a meaningful cause. Kilbreath Events also provided full event management for check-in and check-out.

Pictured here: our fundraising host Austin alongside longtime co-host Tracy.

10/05/2025

Another fantastic night with the Seattle Executives Association! I've had the pleasure of serving as the fundraising host for this spirited and always on-theme crowd for the past decade. This year’s theme: Lights, Camera, Auction!

The energy was electric—and the results spoke for themselves. Our live auction brought in 28% more than last year, with items earning an average of 158% of their value.

Always a joy teaming up with Cameron, a true highlight of this event year after year. I am pictured here with him and his wife.

Seattle Executives Association

06/05/2025

It was great to catch up with auctioneering legend Jay Fiske at AFP Icon. Jay is a nationally recognized benefit auctioneer and consultant.

I really enjoyed our conversation—learning about all the exciting new features in the software he co-founded, and hearing what he’s been up to lately.

His auction software Maestrosoft which revolutionized the auction software business, was recently the company was acquired by

05/05/2025

Fundraising host Tracy Taylor brought the energy to a fun and stylish event for Arbor Heights Elementary School, themed “License to Give” — a 007-inspired evening of generosity!

Thanks to the incredible crowd, paddle raise donations saw a 22% increase!

Pictured on the right, Tracy is joined by Nicole and Heather — what a team!

We’d love to help your school or nonprofit exceed its fundraising goals too. Let’s connect: www.kilbreathevents.com

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+12069637148

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http://www.kilbreathevents.com/

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KILBREATH AUCTIONS

Kilbreath Auctions is YOUR benefit auction partner...from day one! www.kilbreathauctions.com

Stephen Kilbreath has been a fundraising auctioneer since the early 90s, calling hundreds of auctions. Auction work has taken him across the country – with most of the auctions in the Northwest. Not only is Stephen a top benefit auctioneer – his name may be familiar because of his long broadcasting career. He was on morning radio for more than 20 years – bringing him into people’s homes every morning. Currently he can be seen on KING-5 television. Stephen is a brand in his own right that your auction guests will recognize and respect!

Stephen’s sincerity, authenticity and terrific understanding of benefit auctions makes him stand out. His style is entertaining and conversational – making it an enjoyable and memorable evening for your guests. Stephen excels at connecting and reading his audiences, all resulting in generating the most revenue possible for his auction clients.

Stephen Kilbreath has also been designated by the National Auctioneers Association as a BAS (Benefit Auctioneer Specialist.) Less than 1% of auctioneers nationally have achieved that designation!