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Why a Mastermind Group?

September 5, 2022 - Author: Jenelle Taylor, CAI BAS
lightbulb on notepad

In the past few weeks two auctioneer friends and I have been forming a Mastermind group, which is a lot more than brainstorming, and definitely more than a chat session.

I first learned about the structure of true Mastermind groups from Chicken Soup for the Soul author Jack Canfield. Much like his preferred model, we designed our group for the purpose of continuing the high-level discussions we’d had in late July at the Summit. We have 17 members from more than 10 states representing many of the largest fundraising markets.

For the first 30 minutes we stick to a predetermined topic, sharing successes and recommendations from all across the country. For the second half, we solve problems, issues, or concerns for each other, sometimes devoting all thirty minutes to one member.

It’s a thrill to spend time with such a powerhouse group, and it has added a Zoom to my calendar that the highlight of my day! I highly recommend you look into a Mastermind with folks you respect. Brain. Trust. That says it all.

Comments are closed - Categories: Consulting

Continuing Education – does your auctioneer do that?

August 10, 2022 - Author: Jenelle Taylor, CAI BAS
logo from NAA Conference & Show

Continuing education helps me help you. This year’s topics at the Benefit Auction Summit included trends in nonprofit marketing, adding humor to the stage, new techniques for the Fund-A-Need Paddle Raise part of the program, and ways to highlight your nonprofit’s mission even more.

Curious what I learned this year? Give me a call and let’s chat!

Comments are closed - Categories: Consulting

Summit Summit Summit Time…

July 31, 2022 - Author: Jenelle Taylor, CAI BAS

Ahhh, it’s that time of year again, the annual Benefit Auction Summit hosted by the National Auctioneers Association. This is the time each year when many of the top fundraising auctioneers in the country get together for 3 days of top-tier education and networking. While our classes are good each year, it’s our time catching up with each other that really pays off.

Hours of socializing inevitably lead to shop talk, and I learned what’s been happening with events in California, Texas, Atlanta, Minneapolis, Chicago, Portland and much more. This really does add important tools and techniques that I bring to you each fall.

In addition, we got to meet with new vendors, learn about the latest consignment trip offerings, and even win prizes (I won the drawing!)

I haven’t missed a Summit since its inception in 2010, and I’m thankful for 3 great days to head into Fall 2022 with joy.

Comments are closed - Categories: Continuing Education

That’s a Wrap!

June 5, 2022 - Author: Jenelle Taylor, CAI BAS
gift wrap red ribbon

Yup, that’s a wrap on the Spring 2022 fundraising season! I am thankful to have worked with several nonprofits I’ve not had the chance to partner with so far. It is still fun every time to meet a new group of passionate devotees and learn all about their mission. It’s invigorating and refreshes my hope for goodness in the world!

One trend I saw this spring is several large nonprofits switching things up for 2023. Two of my biggest auctions (where their annual gala makes up a huge portion of their revenue, and broke records in 2022) plan to diversify their events next year, perhaps replacing the annual gala with intimate patron parties. Typically, big-ticket galas can and do generate great revenue, entertain guests and share mission moments, they take A LOT of planning and many hours of staff, committee, and board time. So how does an org decide when that annual gala is worth it (and when it’s not)? We can do the math and crunch the numbers, but sometimes you just go out on a limb and try something new.

What about you, your org? Are you freshening up your gala each year, adding additional fundraisers, or making a break in pursuit of something totally new?

Comments are closed - Categories: Consulting, Event Logistics

►Your auction answers

March 18, 2022 - Author: Jenelle Taylor, CAI BAS

EVERY AUCTION ANSWER!

I recently did a webinar for the Volusia-Flagler chapter of AFP (Association of Fundraising Professionals). Rather than bring my agenda, I showed up to solve yours! I’m sure you’ve had many of the same questions those participants did. Check it out here, and call/text/email me anytime when you’ve got any kind of question about your gala.

Got questions about how to do better online auctions, pros/cons of hybrid auctions, what are the must haves for a knockout live auction? I have been solving problems for nonprofits since 2002! Whatever challenge you’re facing, I’ve already solved it for someone else. Bring your toughest questions (as many as we can fit in an hour!) and I’ll offer you multiple ways fundraisers across America make their auctions more profitable and more polished. If you plan and conduct any type of charity auction (online, silent, live) you won’t want to miss this. 

Comments are closed - Categories: Consulting

►Fix Your Live Auctions

February 2, 2022 - Author: Jenelle Taylor, CAI BAS

Today, 2/2/22, I’m excited to be doing a live webinar with the fabulous Auctria fundraising platform. Tune in at 1:00 EST here, or if you’re reading this afterward, here’s the link to the webinar – it turned out great!

In-person auctions need an upgrade: tune in for exactly how to do that.

Comments are closed - Categories: Consulting

Fresh Photos!

December 10, 2021 - Author: Jenelle Taylor, CAI BAS

A shout out to Rinat Halon Photography in Apopka for my fresh new headshots and the various photos that capture all the aspects of my day-to-day as GALA GAL. I’ve got a lot of favorites, but this one has gotten the most buzz!

Comments are closed - Categories: Consulting

►Galas – Back in the Ballroom?

October 14, 2021 - Author: Jenelle Taylor, CAI BAS
Photo of a charity auction bid card

Are in-person galas coming back? If so, are they coming back in the same way, or has everything really changed for good?

There’s a lot of discussion among the auctioneers who are members of our private Facebook page for professional fundraisers. Just as you are probably doing within your nonprofit, we’re talking A LOT about 2022, what events will look like, and if hybrid is here to stay or will be deemed too costly or time-consuming for the payoffs.

We think virtual events ARE here to stay even if maintaining viewership over time will likely get harder. However, over and over again these past 18 months we’ve seen virtual events across the country raise as much (or even more) than the previous in-person galas they replaced. Whether or not that continues to be true remains to be seen, of course, but the thought is intriguing.

What does that mean for the future of in-person events? As auctioneers, we know there will always be a place for a talented stage personality engaging the crowd to give more. But we think we’ll be auctioning fewer items, seeing shorter programs overall, seeing fewer printed catalogs, and seeing more time for socializing.

In the next couple of months I’ll be doing some webinars and how to create more prepared attendees who are eagerly anticipating your auction.

Watch this space or follow my LinkedIn for updates.

Comments are closed - Categories: Consulting

►I Believe…

September 7, 2021 - Author: Jenelle Taylor, CAI BAS

Recently I attended (virtually) my 10th consecutive Benefit Auctioneer Summit hosted by the National Auctioneers Association each fall. This is always a time of great camaraderie and learning for the small handful of folks nationwide who spend the majority of their time helping nonprofits raise more money.

This year we were fortunate to learn from Coach Burt (Coach Micheal Burt) about “I believe” statements: making it clear to the world who you are and what you stand for. So, after much reflection, here’s what I believe as the founder and head of GALA GAL, Inc. Future-Focused Fundraising:

I believe:~ whatever problem you’re facing, I’ve already solved it for someone else
~the more successful we can be,
 the more lives you will change
~no matter your mission, 
more people need to know about you

Comments are closed - Categories: Consulting

►Hybrid How-to

August 27, 2021 - Author: Jenelle Taylor, CAI BAS
outdoor gala

Ahh, here we are, approaching the Fall fundraising season, and we’re not quite where we thought we’d be. Or at least where we hoped we’d be.

So many of my nonprofit clients have carefully, hopefully, even joyfully been planning in-person galas…and yet in city after city in Florida (and in some parts of the country) the biggest galas with the largest audiences are stepping back to 100% virtual.

If you’re moving forward with a hybrid event – maybe you’ve limited your in-person attendance, switched to satellite parties, or changed your seating arrangements – I understand your desire to ease your annual event back to (what used to be) normal.

I’ve done the hybrid thing, complete with one camera on a zipline across the tent! If you’ve got questions, let’s chat.

Comments are closed - Categories: Consulting, Event Logistics, Live Auctions, Virtual Gala

►They Provide Trips?

August 1, 2021 - Author: Jenelle Taylor, CAI BAS

Consignment.

You know, the companies that spam you, flood your Inbox trying to sound appealing and not pleading (but often failing), cold-calling, name-dropping (“we just worked with ________ auctioneer/organization”).

I’m not saying there aren’t trustworthy consignment partners out there, it’s just…there.are.so.many. Somehow – in a field that was already crowded with companies with basically identical trips and price points – lately even more wannabes have sprung up. Or maybe they’ve just gotten more aggressive.

So, how do you decide? First off, do you need to pay for an auction item? or multiple items? To keep the most money that your guests spend (ideally, 100%) then the auction items you offer must either be 100% donated or fully underwritten (paid for in advance) by a benefactor.

If you’re having trouble securing 100% donated items, ask your fundraising auctioneer what they’ve seen other groups do successfully. I typically share 8-10 ideas for 100% donated auction packages that sell for thousands of dollars.

If you decide you need more or flashier auction items, then make sure you’re checking out at least 3 consignment providers, and you’re asking questions, not of them, but asking others about them: success stories, horror stories, customer service wins and fails, ease of or problems with booking desired dates, alternate destination options, blackout dates, extensions and more.

Since most of the consignment companies seem so similar, put them on the spot and ask, “What is true about your company that can’t also be said by one of your competitors?”

Consignment can add money to your proceeds, but, let’s keep ’em honest.

Comments are closed - Categories: Charity, Consulting, Event Logistics, Live Auctions

►Tech. Production. HELP!

May 10, 2021 - Author: Jenelle Taylor, CAI BAS
Jenelle in studio

One thing we’ve learned in the past 18 months (and I hope you didn’t have to learn the hard way) is that your production team is EVERYTHING. Sure, there are fundraisers over Zoom. In some cases, bidding happens in the chat box. But all of these events rely on tech.

I’ve seen costs for event production this year from $3000 to $50,000. Crazy range, right? That means you need to get at least 3 quotes, and you need to learn enough to communicate what you’re asking for, what you envision. Will your speakers need a TelePrompTer? Will you need an afternoon in advance to pre-record some segments or speakers? Will you need a dress rehearsal? What about editing for your videos? Planning to film on-site or in their studio? (Do they even have a studio??)

Conversations with multiple vendors will help you learn the tech speak you need to get an accurate proposal and cost estimate. If you’re still not clear, reach out to a nonprofit whose online program you like to find out what it took to get that result.

Or, you can call me. I’ve got a list of specs compiled from the various streaming events I’ve done.

Comments are closed - Categories: Consulting, Event Logistics, Live Auctions, Technology

►Writing Your Speech

February 2, 2021 - Author: Jenelle Taylor, CAI BAS

Your fundraiser is a conversation (hopefully an entertaining yet emotional one) with your supporters. If you’re the ED (Executive Director) or CEO or Board President, you may have to craft a series of inspiring stories or “Mission Moments.”

Here’s the framework I use when I help my clients write, revise and edit (yup, that’s something I include that most other auctioneers do not):

Project:

Date:

Speaker:

Purpose:

Objectives:

Tone:

Desired Audience Response:

General content:

Format:

Future uses of end product, if any:

Figuring out the tone you want to create, the emotions you want your listeners to feel, and any future uses of the content/video – do these 3 things before you start writing. It will make your message cleaner, tighter, more impactful and more valuable over time.

Call me if you need help!

Comments are closed - Categories: Consulting

►Fall 2021 Events

January 25, 2021 - Author: Jenelle Taylor, CAI BAS
photo of an online charity fundraiser

Based on what I am seeing (and hearing from other auctioneers across the country) I am hopeful that supporters’ generosity will continue as 2021 continues and that a sense of optimism will only grow.
While in 2020 the buzzword was “virtual,” there is no doubt that the most-used event phrase of 2021 is going to be “hybrid.” The great news for us is that we have 5-6 months to learn the pros and cons from spring events in case we decide to combine the best of both models.

In practice, what we envision as hybrid events -and what many people think will become the new normal – likely is not, for 2 reasons: added cost and added planning. My guess is 50% of orgs that host annual in-person fundraisers will try a hybrid event in 2021 or early 2022, but that only 30% of those who try it will opt to make it their ongoing model. To do a hybrid event well (as opposed to solely live streaming the program, which won’t have the same appeal for at-home viewers) will require planning the in-person event and paying for that in-room technology while also planning a distinct but thematically connected steaming “tv show” of sorts, with all the requisite planning and cost. I suspect planning what amounts to dual events simultaneously will prove to be more than most already overtaxed teams can manage, especially given that even more responsibility may fall to volunteer chairs and committee members due to COVID-related staffing cuts.

Confused? Frustrated? Overwhelmed? Worried? Stuck?

I can help you and your nonprofit figure out what fundraising steps to take next. We’re all about Future Focused Fundraising. Let’s figure out your next best step.

Comments are closed - Categories: Consulting

►Virtual Galas Work!

December 16, 2020 - Author: Jenelle Taylor, CAI BAS

Here’s a review from an October online gala:

I have been chairing/co-chairing our Sarasota/Manatee area Annual Gala for eight years.  October 4 was our first VIRTUAL meeting. 
As you might imagine, my co-chair and I were new to the entire process.  Jenelle took us by the hand and guided us through the amazing learning curve.   
This was not the first time I worked with Jenelle.  She was our live auctioneer in our 2019 event.  
She was personally responsible for raising more money that we would have been able to do on our own.  She knows what she is doing and always open to learn more!
 
Jenelle charged us a flat fee.  Robin and I were fascinated by the amount of time she spent with us and how available she made herself.  
She more than earned the amount she charged us in the last month alone!
 
Jenelle is a true professional, with an amazing amount of patience.

-Lucy

Comments are closed - Categories: Auctioneers, Charity, Consulting, Virtual Gala

►Live Auctions & Virtual Galas

August 31, 2020 - Author: Jenelle Taylor, CAI BAS
photo of one hundred dollar bills

When we started pushing events online 5+ months ago, the “2-screen” experience was typical: view the live streaming program on one screen while bidding/donating on another. This approach has been used successfully (in some cases very successfully), yet questions arose. Were we losing any bidders due to 2-screen viewing?

So the scramble was on…all of the sudden, “1-screen solutions” were being feverishly promoted and created. The thought was, if viewers could bid on the same screen as the livestream program, well, that would just solve everything, right? I mean, it would be *just like an in-person gala, wouldn’t it? What could go wrong?

Curiously, (but – in hindsight – to be expected) new challenges arise with 1-screen online event software. “Latency” emerges as a buzzword. During an in-person bidding experience – say, in a ballroom – every audience member receives the auction bidding info at the same time and anyone can raise a bid paddle. However, for online virtual galas, numerous inequalities arise. Are viewers on laptops, smart TVs, tablets or phones? How fast is their internet connection? Which cable or phone provider? 

And, perhaps we really can’t replicate the in-person bidding experience virtually for other reasons.

Most benefit auctioneers would tell you that it takes an average of 3 minutes per item when selling from the stage. While other types of auctioneering calls for liquidation and efficiency (selling 1-2 items per minute), charity fundraising auctions necessitate entertainment and mission reminders along with the selling.

And one of the main reasons fundraising auctioneers like myself get hired is audience engagement/stage presence. While we are highlighting the best features of that item and asking for bids, we are doing 2 other CRITICAL things: scanning the faces and reading body language. Based on our observations of the audience, we decide when to ask for a different dollar amount, add more package details, or mention how another bid helps the NPO do their mission. All while staying mindful of our tight timeline, looking out for distractions in the room, etc. 

Now, in the Virtual Gala world of today, all of those critical audience cues are gone. People are either bidding exactly at the moment we’re asking – or they’re not. And we can’t know why. Is it a technology issue? Viewers aren’t interested in the item? Or some are interested, but got distracted just this minute? Or the auctioneer isn’t compelling? 

Thus, it’s *Much harder to know when to call an end to the bidding. And, for viewers isolated in their own homes versus watching the action with friends at a gala table, non-bidders are even more disconnected from the auction. Doesn’t that make their attention span even shorter?

So do we close each “live” auction item after 2-3 minutes of real-time bidding, or “check in on the bidding” and leave it open?

Discuss and decide with your fundraising auctioneer. Your decision affects all viewers, and, very likely, your $ raised.

Previously published on LinkedIn.

Comments are closed - Categories: Consulting, Live Auctions, Virtual Gala

►Get $10,000 each month from Google?

August 5, 2020 - Author: Jenelle Taylor, CAI BAS

Have you heard of the Google Ad Grants for nonprofits? https://www.google.com/nonprofits/offerings/google-ad-grants/

Ad Grants provides access to $10,000 USD of in-kind advertising every month for text ads.

As stated (verbatim) on their website, most of my nonprofit clients are eligible:

“To request a Google for Nonprofits account, you must be a nonprofit charitable organization in good standing, and meet the full eligibility requirements in your country.

Please note, some types of organizations are not eligible and will not be verified. Please confirm your organization is:

  • Not a governmental entity or organization
  • Not a hospital or healthcare organization
  • Not a school, academic institution, or university (Google for Education offers a separate program for schools)

Whether targeted online ads are completely new to your NPO or already helping you gain support, $10,000 a month in essentially free money is huge. Take the leap that helps you learn!

UPDATE: One of my NPO clients just told me they use a firm called Nonprofit Megaphone (“they’re awesome”) to manage this Google ad grant.

Comments are closed - Categories: Consulting

►Virtual Galas – Start Here

May 25, 2020 - Author: Jenelle Taylor, CAI BAS

When the world changed in March 2020, the days of fundraising galas in hotel ballrooms screeched to a halt, at least for now, and the whole new world of Virtual Galas sprung up to fill the financial and social gap. While I believe ballroom galas will come back some time in 2021, I understand that you need help now. I’ve been immersed in virtual galas for months now; I’ve seen more than 30 different types of online events and identified 26 variables. While the transition might seem overwhelming, I assure you, we can do this. If some groups in California could pivot their event in 36 hours (and break records!) then success is possible, and I can help. I’m planning multiple VGs right now and will add more as the weeks go on. Please reach out to chat and I’ll show you the 5 things you must do when planning a virtual fundraiser. We can do this, but let’s get your event planned sooner rather than later. Who knows what lies ahead.

Comments are closed - Categories: Virtual Gala