Theresa Farrell is a dynamic force in fundraising, elevating benefit auctions with her unique skills and experience.
With 17 years as a professional ballerina, a decade as an executive director, and a proven track record in raising millions as a development specialist, Theresa consistently delivers outstanding results. Her passion for articulating the mission of each cause she represents creates impactful moments that inspire generous contributions.
As an auctioneer, Theresa’s high-energy approach engages the audience, boosts participation, and makes giving fun. She provides full-service event fundraising consulting, from auction strategy and mission-focused appeals to event logistics, marketing, speech editing, and post-event follow-ups.
Her clients include Equal Rights Advocates, Black Women Lawyers, Berkeley Art Museum & Pacific Film Archive, Girls Inc., Los Angeles Master Chorale, Oakland Ballet Company, Chabot Space and Science Center, Art for AIDS/UCSF, Boys and Girls Club, and many, many more.
Theresa is a bonded auctioneer, a member of the National Auction Association, and a Benefit Auctioneer Specialist (BAS) graduate.
Theresa was a tremendous addition to our 50th Anniversary Gala. She really took the time to get to know our organization and connect with our mission, which enabled her to bring passion, along with strategy, to our in-room fundraising ask. Thanks to her support, professionalism, and energy we were able to blow-past our $250,000 paddle raise goal, a record for our organization. We highly recommend her services!
“Theresa is not only great at what she does, but she loves it — that shows in every step of the planning and execution. She’s incredibly knowledgeable and flexible in applying that knowledge to your auction.
We had a very difficult venue and wouldn’t have raised what we did without her. She worked wonders with a difficult crowd.
Just book her for your next event and exceed your auction goals (like we did)!”
Theresa supported the live auction of our 2nd Annual LA Girls Rise event. We had three great items and knew we had an opportunity to raise significant dollars. I appreciated that Theresa listened to my feedback throughout the process. Even though we wanted to raise a lot of money, we wanted to do it in a way that was respectful of the community we serve and Theresa really understood that. After the auction, we got lots of positive feedback that she was engaging and dynamic and helped get the crowd excited about the auction. In the end, we did really well with our auction and I know Theresa’s energy and enthusiasm was a big part of it.
Theresa Farrell helped to organize our recent fundraiser, and implemented a “Fund A Need” campaign at the event. Her fundraising knowledge is deep and effective, and she helped shape a really lovely party. We handed over the microphone to Theresa during the event to auction off various levels of cash appeals tied to different organizational “needs”. This was our first ever Fund-A-Need campaign, and we didn’t know what to expect. Theresa brought a lively and engaging energy to the process. Her appeals were highly effective and, thanks to her efforts, we exceeded our fundraising goals for the evening! Most surprisingly, many people came up to me to say specifically how much they enjoyed being asked for money by Theresa! All in all, she was instrumental in making the evening a great success.
Theresa is a dynamo of energy who brings the audience to their feet and keeps the heart of the organization center stage!
She brings charisma, positive energy, professionalism, and entertainment to every event and can help you strategize to go beyond the ordinary!
