When the University chapter of the American Marketing Association decided to put on a fundraiser to support a nonprofit organization, it originally wanted to sell fashion.
Instead, it sold people.
The chapter held its first date auction Wednesday evening to raise money for Court Appointed Special Advocates, a nationwide organization dedicated to helping abused and neglected children find safe, permanent homes.
The date auction ended up raising more than $250 in bids. In addition, AMA received a donation of $450 from the Lundquist College of Business to go toward CASA.
The event auctioned off 15 bachelors and bachelorettes, ranging from student athletes to members of the local professional AMA chapter. Dressed for success, participants took the stage one at a time while audience members placed bids for a date.
To the familiar beat of the B-52’s “Love Shack,” hosts Jeanie Nguyen and Emily Marsh introduced each date with a slew of quirky personal facts. Some of the selling points for each date included favorite pick-up lines, ideal first dates and favorite video games.
“I think it was very creative of them to come up with the idea for the date auction. They really thought out of the box to find a way to raise money,” said Jenny
Obermiller, president of the local professional chapter of AMA and one of the dates for the night.
Obermiller, who was auctioned off in a pair with another woman from the professional chapter, went for $47, which ended up being the most expensive date of the night.
Alex Kniess, the president-elect of the University AMA chapter and one of the dates for the night, said money from the event went to a great cause.
“CASA provides a constant figure in the child’s life. Attorneys come and go, but CASA is always there,” Kniess said. AMA chose to sponsor CASA because it wanted to help the nonprofit meet its goal of getting more males to volunteer.
“Children identify with both males and females, so we think it’s important to have both in the organization,” Kniess said.
Originally, AMA planned to organize a fashion show benefiting CASA, but instead decided on the date auction to differentiate the event from others.
“The date auction’s unique because it involves everyone in the audience and loosens people up,” Kniess said.
“It’s not even so much about the money as it is about creating awareness about CASA,” said Nguyen, the host of the date auction and the
University chapter’s vice president of promotions. “It’s just a really a fun social event for a great cause.”
After the initial auction, the bidders and their dates went on a group date to a nearby McMenamins restaurant.
“It’s a great opportunity to make new friends and an easy way to find dates,” said Alma Fumiko Hesus, University Bookstore employee and one of the winning bidders who bought two dates for $27.