Celebrity Charity Auctions: Six Winners' Stories
What do you really get when you win a meet-a-celebrity charity auction? It’s easier than ever to find out. Last July, Matthew Pohlson and Ryan Cummins founded Omaze, an online celebrity auction site that aims to democratize the process with a small-donor approach: Anyone can buy a ticket for five bucks, and the winner is picked in a random lottery. Omaze joins Charitybuzz, the first major online celebrity auction site; founded in 2005, it uses a more standard model—the highest bidder wins. Charitybuzz has more than 75,000 registered bidders. Also in the game is EBay Celebrity, which began in late 2011 as part of the megaportal’s charitable platform, GivingWorks. On Omaze and Charitybuzz, 80 percent of proceeds from the auctions goes to the appointed charity, and 20 percent goes to the company to cover its own costs. EBay donates everything but a small PayPal fee.
Do the meetings live up to the hype? Six winners share their stories of celeb close encounters.
Winners: Scott Steuber, commercial real estate broker at Cushman & Wakefield, and Travis Heard, director of business development at Brand Sense Partners, Los Angeles
Site: Omaze
Paid: Free—a friend, who paid about $50, gave it to them
Scott: A close friend of mine won the prize and wasn’t able to go, so he gave it to me as a gift. I’m L.A. born and bred and a huge Dodgers fan. We met at Wolfgang Puck’s restaurant at the Hotel Bel-Air. I actually thought there’d be a few more people there, but it ended up being a very intimate experience, which was a pleasant surprise.