Wendi Russo, Professional Benefit Auctioneer

Wendi Russo, Professional Benefit Auctioneer Wendi Russo is a Benefit Auctioneer, Emcee and Fundraising Specialist for Inspire Auctions. Contact Wendi for a free consultation today!

She puts the FUN back in fun-raising w/ 20+ years of sales experience and TV Hosting background to share your missions story & reach your fundraising goals! Wendi has a 21 year career in TV with 11 years as a Home Shopping Host with EVINE Live. Her passion for mentoring and volunteering for charitable causes extends back 20 years with Big Brothers Big Sisters and Kinship of Greater Minneapolis. Fo

r the last 10 years, Wendi has been a Wish Granter with Make-A-Wish Minnesota and has enjoyed being a career coach and top fundraiser for Dress for success! A trained and licensed Benefit Auctioneer, Wendi helps you make your event entertaining while exceeding your fundraising goals, using her TV personality and sales skills. A graduate of the Worldwide College of Auctioneering and a Benefit Auctioneer trained by the National Auctioneers Association, Wendi has been blessed to work alongside some of the top female auctioneers in the country as their ringman. To improve her skills as an auctioneer and as a Ringman, Wendi attended the Professional Ringman’s institute in Missouri.

Salud y Feliz Cinco de Mayo! The annual NPH USA fundraiser for Cinco de Mayo was a success! The Core Mission of NPH is t...
05/17/2026

Salud y Feliz Cinco de Mayo!

The annual NPH USA fundraiser for Cinco de Mayo was a success!

The Core Mission of NPH is to support vulnerable, abandoned and orphan, children living in extreme poverty in Latin America through education, healthcare, and family services that build brighter futures!

I’m honored to be a small part of the big impact they make to create better futures for children.

A professional Auctioneer can help you raise more money than you expect at your live auction - I put the FUN back in Fun...
05/16/2026

A professional Auctioneer can help you raise more money than you expect at your live auction - I put the FUN back in Fund-raising!

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05/16/2026

Keeping your live auction fun, creating bidding momentum and encouraging higher bidding with a playful sense of humor can healthy raise more money than you expect with your live auction!

This gentleman did not realize he was bidding against himself- made for a little humor!

05/03/2026

Iwas honored to be the auctioneer for the first Coated of Love Gala, raising money to meet the needs of the homeless in Minneapolis.

Danielle is the founder of 3000 acts of kindness where the Minneapolis convention center is open to the unhoused, giving them haircuts, boots, coats, necessities and prayers. Come join us at the end of this year!

04/16/2026

What makes a live auction item truly profitable? Anything that gives your guests something they can’t buy anywhere else. When you offer exclusivity and scarcity, you create the kind of excitement that pushes bids higher because your event is the only place they can get it.

These are Highly Profitable & Exclusive Live Auction Items

• The “Unbuyable” Experience — You’re offering something no store can sell: dinner with a local celebrity, a private tour of a normally closed historic site, or a glamping-and-animal‑encounter experience at a wildlife refuge. These are unique to your organization and often come with zero overhead.

• Legacy Opportunities — You invite donors to leave their mark by naming a building wing, a community garden, or even a signature cocktail at a local restaurant for a year. These items tap into a donor’s desire for recognition and long-term impact.

• VIP Access & Front‑Row Moments — Think reserved parking for a year, front‑row seats at graduation, or a “Golden Ticket” that lets the winner choose any live auction item before bidding begins.

• Behind‑the‑Scenes Access — You give someone the chance to shadow a professional sports coach, step inside a local business for an insider tour, or experience a day that’s normally off-limits to the public. These items exist only because of your relationships, making them completely exclusive.

Pro Tips to Boost Your Results

• Keep it tight. Limiting your live auction to 6–8 items keeps the energy high and prevents guest fatigue.

• Ask donors about multiple sales. Many donors are happy to let you sell their experience more than once if you ask ahead of time. You can even offer to cover the cost of the experience if bidding reaches a certain level so the donor isn’t responsible for multiple dinners or events. A simple ask like, “If we have more than one bidder at $5,000, can we sell a second dinner if I cover the food and wine?” usually gets a "Yes"

I’d love to hear about a live auction package that crushed it at your event—what did your crowd go wild for?

11/14/2025

I was thrilled to be the Benefit Auctioneer for the South Dakota Symphony Orchestra for the fourth year in a row—helping them to raise money for community efforts composing for kids and a musical series with the Lakota tribe!

Auctions should be fun and interactive!

If you have an upcoming fundraiser that you need an auctioneer for, please reach out to me for a free consultation!

Wendi Russo, Professional Benefit Auctioneer with Inspire Auctions . World Wide College of Auctioneering

I met with the Washington Pavilion regarding the Gala fundraiser I was the auctioneer for. And I loved hearing that we r...
07/26/2025

I met with the Washington Pavilion regarding the Gala fundraiser I was the auctioneer for. And I loved hearing that we raised more money in the live auction and paddle raise than ever before! Now they want to hire me for next years gala!

Entertainment + sales skills + fundraising skills = Success!

I’m looking forward to another banner year on 2026! Let me Inspire your audience to Give in your next charity fundraiser !

07/12/2025

People want fun to have fun at their fundraising events! Here are the top things donors consider key to having fun at an event:

1. Easy parking and registration
2. Cocktails/reception last about an hour
3. No keynote speaker
4. All speeches under 3 minutes (and 2 speakers max)
5. Program completed by 9pm
6. A fun Auctioneer who entertains and interacts with the audience!

My last Gala at the Washington Pavillion received many comments on how much fun their event was with me as their auctioneer this year and we broke last years fundraising record! Reach out to me to book your event and keep it fun!

FUNDRAISER! It was an honor to help raise money as the benefit auctioneer for the Washington Pavillion of Arts 🎨and Scie...
06/18/2025

FUNDRAISER!

It was an honor to help raise money as the benefit auctioneer for the Washington Pavillion of Arts 🎨and Science 🧫 Gala in South Dakota!

The theme was SCIENCE! 🧬 Over 14,000 students a year are educated through programs at the pavilion! I wore my psychedelic suit and kept them laughing and bidding!! We were thrilled to exceed last year’s fundraising levels!

If you have an event that needs an emcee, help with a fund-a-need (paddle raise), or live auction, please reach out to me!

The Cinco de Mayo Par-Tee at was a huge success! I was honored to be the auctioneer for their fund-a-need which excee...
05/18/2025

The Cinco de Mayo Par-Tee at was a huge success! I was honored to be the auctioneer for their fund-a-need which exceeded their goal so can fund more medical treatments for children in other countries like the beautiful Esmeralda!

Esmeralda’s story of being abandoned with a disability was heartbreaking. Her and her sister were living in the park when NPH USA found them and helped give them housing, and education to learn English so they could work in the tourism field and give her a life-changing surgery so that she could walk again. Today she is a joy and thriving, as a teacher of English to children and her country.

NPH USA is amazing work is made possible by the donations at events like this. Thank you for including me in this impactful event!

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Eden Prairie, MN

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