Completing the past couple of posts about auctioneers, continuing education, and best ideas, here are some tips from the 13 pages of notes I walked away with from the other presenters at the 2010 Benefit Auction Summit in San Antonio.

• Help your Live Auctioneer conduct a powerful Donation Appeal* by providing him or her with a list of 10-15 bullet points about your organization’s recent accomplishments and examples of what financial donations of various sizes help you to accomplish, such as “$150 provides one mammogram” or “$2500 gives a family housing, food and transportation for 1 month”

*Donation Appeal is also called the Paddle Raise, Cash Call, Fund-a-Need, Direct Donations, among many others. It is a time in the program when an emotional appeal is made (often from a recipient’s personal story) followed by a request for tax-deductible donations. This process is frequently coordinated and led by a Fundraising Auctioneer.

•  Wireless is a kind of magic. Getting it to work in your venue for 350 people is science.  If you’re thinking of doing either hand-held bidding or computerized (wired or wireless) checkout, that requires a “site survey” by a professional. Regular wireless may not work in a ballroom, or not in a foyer; the signal can be less than 10%; overloading and interference from others can render the service unusable. On the upside, if you partner with one of the big names in Benefit Auction technology, most will conduct the Site Survey for you.

Until then, care to share your 2nd best tip? 🙂

(I wouldn’t ask you to share your BEST one!)