BiddingForGood Announces Robin Brown to Join Board
Cambridge, Mass., July 15, 2009 —BiddingForGood (previously known as BiddingForGood ), the leading online auction platform connecting charity auctions, consumers, and commercial item donors, announced today that one of the nation's (most respected) luxury (hotel) executives has joined its board and will help guide its rapidly growing product placement program.
Nationally recognized hotelier Robin Brown will join BiddingForGood's board of directors. As one of the principals at CWB Boylston, LLC, Brown was instrumental in the development of Mandarin Oriental, Boston - a luxury hotel, condominium, retail and apartment project that opened its doors in October 2008. With the vision of introducing one of the world's finest luxury brands to Boston, Mr. Brown, along with his partners Stephen Weiner and Julian Cohen, created what many industry experts agree is among the world's pre-eminent new hotels.
Prior to the Mandarin Oriental, Boston project, Mr. Brown served as General Manager of the Four Seasons Hotel in Boston, elevating it to five-star status and winning numerous awards, including the distinction of being selected as the world's top destination for service by the readers of Conde Nast Traveler.
Mr. Brown has served on a variety of philanthropic boards including the Wang Center for the Performing Arts, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, as well as raising millions for charities by serving as an auctioneer for some of the largest gala events in the United States.
Brown said, "As an hotelier and someone who has been involved with charities for years, I am impressed with the targeted marketing approach BiddingForGood has to connect donations from all industries to specific demographic segments. This more targeted approach is critical in this market. This is a remarkable idea that leads to winning strategies all around." Added BiddingForGood CEO Jon Carson, "Our board has been lacking the perspective of the commercial item donor. Robin gives us that, and much more."
BiddingForGood began offering its online product placement advertising program in 2008 to marketers seeking to reach the luxury demographic at precisely the time when they are making discretionary spending decisions about charity auctions. Since the program began, the company has secured $1.3 million of donations for its non-profit clients in 2008 and is currently tracking to over $5 million in 2009.
Participating marketers, including DKNY, Kimpton Hotels, Boston's Liberty Hotel, Reebok, Thomas Cook Travel, and The Taj hotel incur no out-of-pocket cash cost and receive four primary benefits:
- Customer acquisition from both winning and losing bidders;
- A specially-built item page/microsite that includes rich media to properly represent donors;
- Measureable engagement by an affluent demographic. Microsites receive thousands of click-throughs, and the average consumer spends more than 42 seconds on these specially-built pages.
- A branded online Automated Item Request System to more easily manage and track inbound requests.
BiddingForGood's non-profit clients receive Instant Items which they otherwise would have difficulty obtaining. "We relied heavily on items obtained through Bidding for Good, which meant minimal staff time to set up this auction. The result? We raised dollars for needy kids, which we otherwise could not have raised". Said Emily DiMaggio, VP of Development for the Massachusetts Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Children (MSPCC).
Recently, the company has begun to introduce specialized product placement advertising packages and has rolled out three new packages to appeal to marketers: a private school auction package; an arts and health care package;, and a holiday package.
About BiddingForGood
BiddingForGood is the leading online auction platform solely for organizations engaged in fundraising for nonprofit causes. With more than 10,000 customers, online auctions powered by BiddingForGood have generated over $100 million for non-profit organizations by allowing organizations to secure more items, more bidders and ultimately raise more money. The company also works with brand marketers through its unique product placement advertising program to enable them to reach affluent donors while they are spending in a trusted environment. You can experience our marketplace at www.BiddingForGood.com. BiddingForGood is headquartered in Cambridge, Mass.
