By Payton Potter, Fundraising Assistant.

I recently had the incredible opportunity to work on the South Carolina Wildlife Federation’s (SCWF) Wild Summer Nights Online Auction, held from July 19th to July 21st, 2024. This annual event has become a beloved tradition, raising essential funds to support SCWF’s diverse array of programs and initiatives. This year, we were able to offer an exciting array of items, from unique outdoor experiences to beautiful handcrafted goods. Seeing the community come together to support our cause was truly heartwarming.

Working on the Wild Summer Nights Online Auction was an incredibly rewarding experience! As the fundraising assistant, I had the unique opportunity to connect with many of our donors and hear their stories. One particular highlight was how enthusiastic many of our returning donors were and their willingness to contribute to our wildlife conservation mission. It was moments like this that allowed me to see firsthand the dedication and passion of our supporters. It gave me a backstage view of how much work it takes from our staff, donors, and members to help preserve South Carolina’s beautiful outdoors!

Image Caption: Payton Payton is working toward her Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Studies at the University of South Carolina.

Image Caption: The Whistlers by Larissa Lord.

It takes a lot to organize such a large auction especially in a big state like South Carolina. There were a lot of color coded spreadsheets, emailing, phone calls, and item sorting this summer. It sounds a little silly but one of the highlights was receiving donations in the mail addressed to me and adding them to the collection. We were lucky enough to receive over 130 items from donors all over the state! Fundraising for a nonprofit is not for the faint of heart, but it was extremely rewarding to see all the hard work pay off to raise nearly $92,000!

Overall, it takes a village and it was wonderful to be a part of SCWF’s network for the summer. I feel incredibly lucky for all the opportunities this summer as a fundraising assistant and to have worked closely under strong women here at SCWF.

Thank you to everyone who participated in this year’s event, and a special thank you to all our donors. Your support makes all the difference!

To view the list of auction item donors, click here.