Today we’d like to introduce you to Gayle Stallings, CAI, BAS.
Hi Gayle, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
When people find out I’m a professional Auctioneer, they ask, “Can you talk fast?” followed by, “How long have you been doing this?” I answer, “I’ve been an Auctioneer all my life. I didn’t know what to call it.” My previous life experiences have prepared me for this career as an entrepreneur. It started as early as when I was 6 years old. You see, I was the one who couldn’t wait to get on stage during a tap dancing recital to sing and dance while noticing the other kids were too scared to go on because of stage fright. Or it could be the role models I had in watching my parents operating several restaurants in Youngstown, Ohio, where I started working in the family business even before I could see over the countertop. When I moved to Breckenridge, Colorado, I worked several jobs to arrange my schedule around skiing 3 days a week and then take off 2-3 months over the summer. I learned different skills as a promoter and events director for a national wellness trade show that would travel to other cities.
When I was in my mid-30s, I decided to enroll in college. Despite being told in high school that I should probably skip college, I graduated summa cum laude (GPA: 4.0/4.0) from the University of Texas at Tyler with a Bachelor of Science in Journalism and Marketing. When the guidance counselor at Kilgore College told me that most students would do anything to get out of taking the pre-requisite ‘Public Speaking’ class, I was baffled since that was the first class I signed up for in my first semester. Throughout my college years, besides working at a radio station and news station, I leveraged my job as the Ride Director for the week-long Bike Ride Across Texas by turning internships and independent study courses into college credit. You learn a lot of life lessons when coordinating 300-400 people riding bikes 60-100 miles a day in the Texas heat in need of lodging, route directions, rest stops, and enough food for the thousands of calories they would burn every day. I like the challenge of wearing so many different “hats” during client consultations and while performing on stage. I never know when I will have to count on my acting skills from when I served in community theatre, use the public speaking tips from my bi-weekly Toastmasters club, my years of Improv training where there is no script, or when I would prepare a course curriculum and teach a 3-day workshop or conduct training for volunteers on event night.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
When I became licensed as an Auctioneer in 2005, less than 6% of Auctioneers nationwide were female. Today it’s about 10%. Truly effective benefit auctions are more of an ‘art and science’ which encompasses selecting appropriate items, ensuring pace and momentum, highlighting an organization’s mission and purpose, and engaging the crowd. The way we conduct fundraisers over the past 18 years has changed. Before, fundraisers were a way for Auctioneers who sold cattle, estate sales, or real estate to self-promote their “real” auction business, and they would donate their time to the nonprofit organization in exchange for a free meal. By deciding 18 years ago to offer customized pre-event consulting, I developed a niche in the benefit auction industry that allowed me to create the career I wanted to nurture and grow. I am grateful for having entered a 14th year of collaboration with several nonprofit organizations that have trusted our guidance and expertise. By embracing a unique perspective, which includes analyzing their data from previous fundraisers, I can raise money for other nonprofit organizations like it was my own. “Nothing is more fun than waking up every morning and loving everything about the benefit auction business. What better way to combine my passion, expertise, and enthusiasm and put the FUN back into fundraising.” When undertaking a benefit auction, I truly understand how a nonprofit organization’s board of directors, staff, and volunteers think, knowing how crucial the event’s success is to the organization’s budget. I help them say goodbye to lackluster results and to embrace a fresh approach and a higher Return on Investment. After watching gala committees over several years, I realized there was a huge hole in the need for more knowledge in planning a benefit auction. That’s when I discovered you could never plan too much or too far ahead to maximize the fun and revenue.
Let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Capitalizing on 12 years of experience as an executive director of a statewide nonprofit organization, special events consultant, meeting facilitator, and public speaking coach led me to create FUNauctions, LLC in 2005, offering services as a professional benefit auctioneer and fundraising strategist based in Austin, Texas. As a licensed auctioneer, I decided to specialize exclusively in benefit auctions and virtual fundraisers. I don’t sell cattle, cars, or collectibles, only causes for charity! By providing each client with months of customized pre-event consulting instead of just showing up one hour before going on stage, I show nonprofit organizations how to maximize their revenue and productivity. By providing more than 30,000+ hours of consulting expertise and guidance, I have raised more than $160 million in Central Texas since 2005. When I started to pursue the steps of getting licensed as a professional Auctioneer in Texas, I enrolled in auction school at America’s Auction Academy. After the 10-day course, I passed the state exam administered through the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation and received my license. I must also take six (6) hours of Continuing Education to maintain my license every year. As my commitment to the profession and to stay current with the latest laws and trends affecting Auctioneers, I have been a member of the Texas Auctioneers Association and National Auctioneers Association since 2005. Within the auction industry, I completed the coursework to receive the “Benefit Auctioneer Specialist” (BAS) designation in 2007 from the National Auctioneers Association (NAA). Less than 1% of Auctioneers throughout North America hold the BAS designation. In March 2012, after completing a three-year course, I earned the Certified Auctioneers Institute (CAI) designation, one of the most prestigious certifications developed by NAA for auction professionals.
What makes you happy?
“People rarely succeed unless they have fun in what they are doing.” That quote by Dale Carnegie reminds me of the importance of incorporating happiness and having fun into my daily life. For many people, asking others for money is stressful, and they would never do it. I like sharing the mission and telling the client stories as the Ambassador for nonprofit organizations when I’m on stage. Sometimes that even means I have more fun by dressing for the event’s theme. Even with a closet full of black-tie gowns, cocktail dresses or costumes, I’m always ready for the Roaring 20s, circus Ringmaster, Night at the Museum, rock n’ roll, and even a vintage toy theme when I wore a dress and belt made of Legos. For relaxation, my husband Robin and I pack our bikes and go ride trails for a month around the country. Last summer, we rode and ate for 350 miles on the Empire State Trail, a rail-to-trail along the Eric Canal, from Buffalo to Albany.
Pricing:
- Flat rate (depending on services)
Contact Info:
- Website: https://funauctions.net
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/funauctions/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gayle.stallings.3/
- Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/gayle-stallings-cai-bas-4a70b95
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfeWQsrEw1FKy081psDN7Pw
- Other: https://www.facebook.com/funauctionsfun/
Image Credits
Silver dress with pink green screen: Mary Alice Carnes. All remaining photos: Robin Stallings
