SINGAPORE, July 11, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Helping Hand Group (HHG) has won the Asia Responsible Entrepreneurship Award 2016 (Small Medium Enterprise Corporate Social Responsibility category) with its program -- Last Donor Standing. Company founder, Richard Ernster, accepted the award (24 June) at a ceremony held at the famous World Resorts Sentosa in Singapore. This is the first time HHG has been nominated and won this prestigious award.
Last Donor Standing (LDS) was developed by Helping Hand Group to create a new and fresh approach in the charity auction sector. It gets the whole room involved by having the auctioneer ask all guests to stay standing through rounds of bidding for an item and continually increasing the asking price until it sells. It also allows for more than one successful bidder if the item -- such as a holiday -- is available to be booked on several dates which in turn means the charity receives multiple donations.
Speaking on behalf of the group, CEO Adam Herodotus said he was delighted that HHG had been recognised for this prestigious award and hoped it would encourage other organisations to think outside the box when it comes to corporate social responsibility.
"All of our auctions aim to raise as much money for charity as possible," he said. "Our clients have really embraced the concept of LDS and have added it to their events in addition to other fundraising activities -- whether it be Ballot Bidding® or Live Auctions."
HHG Management spent four months creating, developing and refining and then putting final touches on the implementation of Last Donor Standing. It was ensured that the project aligned perfectly with the core ideals of Helping Hand Group, in terms of no-cost to clients, ability to raise significant sums for Charity / CSR projects and finally, good financial outcomes for the business.
Adam Herodotus added that it was important to ensure that there were measurable targets and evaluation of Last Donor Standing. "We set targets on how many clients would take up the new format, how many guests would engage in the process and did the outcomes meet expectations for the client."
The impact was substantial with LDS reinvigorating the charity auction market easily surpassing previous outcomes (from other fundraising methods) of one or two sales of a specific auction item. This became six, eight, or sometimes ten of each item selling, with each sale generating a donation for the Charity / CSR project.
Whilst the entire Helping Hand Group business is wholly focused on CSR and Charity, the innovation of Last Donor Standing aides plans for expansion, by opening the door to new businesses that may have become tired of the perceived 'old methods' of Live and Silent Auctions.
As Adam Herodotus explained, "The project continues unabated, with very high expectations. Within Helping Hand Group we are always developing other unique auction ideas all geared to the same objective - to raise as much money for charity as possible."
For further information, visit www.helpinghand.com.au/lastdonorstanding or check out the video at https://youtu.be/Gd57fd-jTv0.
ABOUT HELPING HAND GROUP
Founded in 1997 in Sydney, Helping Hand Group has raised and donated over $85 million for leading charities, community groups, schools and sporting clubs, by providing memorabilia, artwork, fine wines, holidays and experiences for fundraising through silent or live auctions. It has operated auctions in 15 countries and has affiliations with nine offices across six countries. For more information, visit: www.helpinghand.com.au
