Capital Benefit Auctions. DC's go-to benefit auctioneers.
For more than a decade, Capital Benefit Auctions has been the trusted auctioneer and emcee partner for Washington, DC nonprofits — from groundbreaking research hospitals to independent schools and after-school programs that change lives.
Our work has helped secure tens of millions of dollars for local causes. Some nights become legend: $201,450 raised in 90 seconds at Sidwell Friends' Fund-A-Scholar paddle raise. A Key School paddle raise lifted from $15,000 to $78,000 in a single year. The energy, the humor, and the genuine love for the mission are what unlock that kind of giving.
CBA is more than an auctioneer. Partners get help with event planning, acquiring top-tier auction items, paddle-raise seeding, and using the right technology to keep the night moving. The result is a fundraising experience donors thank you for — and a number your board will not forget.
To equip nonprofits with the strategy and the stage they need to fund the futures their missions promise.
Serving DC-area nonprofits as auctioneer and emcee since 2013.
Raised on stage for hospitals, schools, and community causes.
Verified rating on The Bash, plus a roster of repeat clients.
The people behind the strategy.
Karen Wrege
Karen Wrege founded Capital Benefit Auctions after a career that took her to the highest levels of federal leadership. As Chief Information Officer of the U.S. Department of State, she managed complex, multi-stakeholder systems at scale — and discovered that the disciplines of systems thinking, data analysis, and strategic communication translate directly into the world of nonprofit fundraising.
What Karen brings to a benefit gala is not instinct. It is architecture. She built the Capital Benefit Auctions analytics engine to surface what years of fundraising data actually reveal: which auction items are underperforming, where the paddle raise ladder is losing momentum, how much revenue an organization is leaving on the table — and precisely what to do about it.
Since the early 2010s, Karen and the Capital Benefit Auctions team have helped DC-area nonprofits — from independent schools and research hospitals to conservation groups and community foundations — break their own fundraising records, year after year.
Today, Karen offers the same data-driven strategic review to nonprofit organizations nationwide through Capital Benefit Auctions' Event Fundraising Consultation service.
George Tsamouras
George Tsamouras is Capital Benefit Auctions' lead auctioneer and emcee — the voice in the room on the night that matters. Trained as a professional benefit auctioneer, George combines high-energy delivery with genuine warmth and mission fluency. He reads rooms, holds momentum, and executes the strategic plan Karen has built with precision and grace.
Together, Karen and George operate as a fully integrated strategy-and-stage team. The result is a fundraising experience that donors talk about — and numbers that boards remember.
Your next gala can be your biggest yet.
Book a 30-minute strategy call. We'll walk through your goals, your room, and the specific levers we'd pull to lift your paddle raise.
Book a Strategy Call