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.