Oprah's Leaving Daytime in 2011 - Time to Request Tickets For Your Auction Fundraisers

At my grocery store, I noticed Oprah's Decemberaligned to Oprah's beliefs: helping children, living your
2009 "O Magazine" cover has a teaser in the upperbest life, being true to yourself, etc. Save your time
right corner about winning a trip "to the Oprah(and Oprah's) by directing your efforts on securing a
Show."different auction item if this doesn't sound like your
I am often asked what is the best auction item tocharity. Always remember, it is very important to
secure for an auction fundraiser. Easy answer:research a celebrity's interest before approaching
Tickets to The Oprah Winfrey Showthem.
In your fundraising auction, Oprah will outsell ticketsP.S. If you personally want to secure tickets to The
to the Superbowl, a private helicopter charter to aOprah Winfrey Show, the acquisition steps are
Relaix and Chateaux property, and even the chancedifferent. I'll outline the process here, only because I
for a Presidential meet-and-greet. Friends, whensuspect some readers would like to know.
Oprah tickets are up against any other auction item,A few years ago, The Oprah Winfrey Show had a
it is -- to borrow a WWE term -- an Oprahcall-in process. It's since been transferred to an
SmackDown.Internet-based reservation lottery system on Fans
As one auction guest told me, "Even if you aren't acan become a (free) member on the site, and --
huge fan of Oprah, she's so generous, you mightonce inside your member profile site -- access the
happen to be in the audience on the day she givesShow Reservations area. You will be able to submit
everybody some fabulous gift... like a car."your request when the reservation is open.
Last week, Oprah announced she's leave the show inWithin 24 hours of the reservation window closing,
the the fall 2011, at the end of its 25th season. Butthe seats are filled by a random selection process. If
she's not retiring. She'll reappear in some fashion onyou are one of the chosen, you'll be sent an email.
her new venture, The Oprah Winfrey Network,You'll have 48 hours to respond to the instructions in
which will replace the Discovery Health channel.order to claim your tickets. (And by the way... you'll
So right now, I imagine that Oprah and her team areneed to provide the first and last names and ages of
busy planning one heck of a 2-year-long going-awayall of your guests when you submit for a reservation!
party. I predict that these last few months of herIn addition to the lottery, this added level of detail is
show will be stellar. I suspect she'll include twice aspart of why it's difficult to get tickets, and why you
many surprises. And I know that any group whichwould not follow this format if you are trying to
manages to secure tickets to any one of her finalacquire tickets to be donated to a charity.)
shows will make an awful lot of money for itsFinally, Oprah's site makes it clear that only tickets
fundraising auction. Wahoo! My advice: Draft yourreceived through the show's reservation system are
letter.valid, and that people should not be paying for
1. If you know someone affiliated with The Oprahtickets. That said, I do know legitimate charities have
Winfrey Show -- or even someone affiliated withreceived Oprah tickets to sell at their non-profit
similar shows -- always start by asking your contact.fundraisers. Clearly, those tickets are coming through
If you're trying to get some of the limited VIPother channels and not through the "en masse"
audience tickets often set aside for talk shows,reservation system on the Website. So although
knowing somebody who knows somebody might berepeated entries through the show's online
all it takes to them.reservation might improve your odds of winning
2. If that's not an option, draft your letter. Write totickets for your personal use, those tickets are not
the show, explain your cause, and ask for tickets.likely eligible for sale in an auction fundraiser.
You'll have a better shot if your cause is one that is