Defining best practices to ensure greater profitability and success for both charity and artist

I’ll be writing about charitable events where artwork is donated by artists, and sold in live and silent auctions. What elements make these events successful or disappointing? How can the artist and the charity maximize the benefits? How can artists contribute, without feeling they are being taken advantage of? I invite artists to contribute their ideas of what makes a successful auction, and what are the Best Practices we can educate and encourage charities to follow, if they want to host a successful auction.