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Shout out to my Orlando friends for their oh-so-creative daytime fundraiser…Spa Invitational! A play on traditional golf tournaments, instead these foursomes indulge in spa activities all day long, with a luncheon fundraising auction and donation appeal. It’s fun, it’s relaxed, and it’s so refreshing, in every way. Well done!!
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Shout out to the Heart Ball for a terrific technique they use across the country. There is one large (maybe 18″ or 24″?) paddle on the table that is to be raised when and only when the entire table gives something in the Fund A Need donation appeal. There’s a lot of hype during the ask about everyone giving something, and celebrating each table as their large paddle goes up in the air! At the one I did, they even had pull-and-pop streamers. You could even use noisemakers, or confetti cannons if your venue will allow. Kudos for a great audience participation incentive!
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I see a lot of great decorations and theming at galas, but this was a first! This Delray Beach gala had the initial reception outside around the pool, and wow was everyone surprised and delighted by the woman in the ball! She was beautiful and elegant, moving gracefully while floating, and dressed in beautiful old Florida style. It was quite a sight!
How can you up your game and wow your crowd?
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I work with a lot of software programs for online bidding, and I recommend that you make sure your software choice makes it easy for guests to set a maximum bid and let the system bid for them up to their requested amount. You’ll see here in Auctria (an affordable online and live event software) that guests can choose how much they want to bid right now AND how much is their limit for this item. You can easily set the system to send alerts each time someone tries to outbid them and thus their bid has been raised to keep them winning. If the bid goes beyond their set limit, they’ll get an outbid notification. Setting a Max Bid is the easiest way for guests to enjoy the night AND win the items they want.
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I worked a beautiful, high-profile event recently that surprised me in one key way: they didn’t want to use bid cards. It’s been years since I’ve done a fundraiser without bid cards. In fact, now that I think about it, I’m not sure I’ve ever done a live auction or Paddle Raise – without the bid paddles.
Why would an org decide against giving attendees some sort of bid card or bid paddle? They didn’t want to come across as pushy. They wanted to focus on the party. There are many great events that are fabulous parties.
One of the first questions I ask groups during the discovery phase is, “Are you having a party, or are you having a fundraiser?” The answer to that question determines how decisions are made.
It was still a great party, and I helped them get creative with their programs so we could identify who was bidding and who wanted to donate.
But next year I hope we have bid cards 🙂
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Something happened recently that has NEVER HAPPENED BEFORE. I created Clerking Sheets for a gala and emailed them to the client ahead of time. They printed those sheets and put them on 3 clipboards. Check and check. They had staff members lined up to fill in the sheets during the live auction and Paddle Raise (on another sheet).
We did the fundraising and sold 4 live auction items (some with multiples) and then got many Fund-a-Need donations at multiple levels.
After the auction I asked to see one copy of the clerking sheets so I could take a photo for my records.
NO ONE WROTE ANYTHING DOWN.
For the first time ever, somehow the clipboards never got into the hands of the 3 staff members told to do it.
Don’t let this happen to you. Make certain to put the clipboards into the recorders’ hands early in the evening and explain their critical role and what time the fundraising will take place. Having 3 individuals assigned to the job has always worked up to this point. (You can also record the fundraising portion to have as a backup.) Plan ahead. And triple check.
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There’s a wonderful group I work with, Jewish Pavilion. I did their gala for many years, but when Covid happened we switched to an online auction, and it’s been so successful that we’ve never looked back.
While they have staff who maintain the spreadsheet of auction donations, I manage the Auctria online auction platform for them, and it’s a big job!
This year we had 370 items! It not only ensures that there are lots of items to interest everyone, but we hold back 100+ items initially and add 20+ new items each day the auction is open. This allows us to email the registered bidders (and those on the email list not yet registered) that “New Items were Just Added!”
Need help with your online auction? I can do that, too.
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I want to give a shout out to LuxGive, a consignment trip provider specializing primarily in luxury private homes instead of hotels or resorts.
I was fortunate enough to go to one of their properties (shown here, St. Maarten within walking distance of Maho Beach) and thus got to experience their entire customer service process for myself.
They were exceptionally flexible in helping me find just the right property from their many gorgeous options. I was pleasantly surprised by how knowledgeable and helpful my booking assistant was. They helped to set up airport transfers and a meeting with the concierge.
Once we arrived, our concierge was fantastic, helping with meal bookings, recommendations and any questions we had. She gave us her cell phone number to chat anytime via Whats App, and that was a very nice personal touch.
The property was exactly as promoted and just as gorgeous as the photos, and we ended up having a wonderful guest experience.
If you’re looking for a trip for your live auction, do give LuxGive a look.
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So a wealthy supporter offers to host a fundraiser at their lux private home? This can add a fresh fundraising opportunity to your annual lineup, but it has its pros and cons.
Yes, it’s a destination venue, as many will want to see the home and rub shoulders with the (sometimes famous) attendees. And typically, the host would cover some or all of the costs to use the space, maybe even cover the cost of the catering.
But private home events are often more of a party with some fundraising thrown in, rather than a focused fundraiser that’s a great party. Typically there isn’t seating for everyone, there’s no easy way to gather everyone to a focal point for any program, auction, or appeal, and the sound quality can be a real issue.
Make sure to spend sufficient planning time on sound, lighting (very important if the program will be outside!), bid paddles (yes, they must have bid paddles) and crowd control options.
And hopefully, the crowd invited to a private home event will have both the means and the intention to support your cause that night and into the future.
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See Part One for 3 things you can do to (hopefully) safeguard your gala and stop this from happening, but, if it happens, here’s what you can do:
(Excerpt from a recent conversation with a client:)
I would
-start by trying to address the exact issue: is the winning bidder just now realizing the blackout or expiration dates? If so, contact the donor to see if you have any wiggle room. Is the amount of the purchase too much at one time? Offer to break up their total into payments. Is the top bidder claiming, “It wasn’t me?” Show him or her your back-up confirmation system, whether clerk sheet, signature, video of the auction, or all 3. Did anyone from your team have a conversation with the winner immediately after the purchase? Your bidder may still back out, but make sure you’ve done all you can, because trying to sell an item after the event can be a headache.
If you’ve tried your best to be diplomatic and solve the issue to no avail, ask the person who no longer wants their live auction item if they’d like to donate the item back and instead make a 100% tax-deductible straight donation to your organization. I’ve seen this done multiple times.
If you still end up with the auction item, you now have to monetize it somehow.
If you don’t get any responses from that, you can put the item on your website or an online bidding platform to find a new offer (or two or three).
As I said to my client, “I’m sorry this happened. Sometimes people are…people.”
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DON’T leave things folded up!
So, scarves.
It’s not a frequent donation, but these were high-end, valued about $80 each, and we had 12 of them!
How to display, how to display, to get the most eyeballs and attract the most bids?
“Don’t worry,” I told my client last January, “I got this.”
And with our hotel contact, we tucked 2 narrow tables into an alcove and draped them in black to make them “disappear,” and then draped 3 easels in an expensive-looking cream stripe to better offset the various scarf patterns. Then we grabbed 2 bamboo poles the hotel had in storage, tied those to the easel rests, and draped each gorgeous scarf. A quick tie with cream ribbon kept each from sliding off the pole, while still allowing guests to touch the fabric and lift upward to see the design.
Sure, you COULD leave them folded in squares, flat and sad on the silent auction table…but that’s only if you didn’t have a Benefit Auctioneer Specialist to help you craft a better display, right? 🙂
Comments are closed - Categories: Consulting, Event Logistics, GALA GAL Case Study, Silent auctions
Try to avoid this at your non-profit, says GALA GAL Jenelle Taylor
A client called today for advice. They’ve planned to feature a safari trip as one of the live auction items for their event in a few weeks. When I read the description a few days ago, I realized with some surprise that this was not a typical sightseeing safari trip – this was a hunting safari!
I’ve seen and sold a number of safari trips, but they’ve always been photo safaris, or – said another way – photo shoots, not actual shoots.
My dad was a hunter, though I am not. Even though I would greatly prefer to only shoot things with a camera, I understand that a portion of the population worldwide shoots for sport and challenge. I’m comfortable promoting this item during the live auction alongside the other trips and experiences.
However, some of this organization’s supporters called to complain today, with the expectation that the trip will be pulled from the auction.
What should you do if some people feel an auction item is controversial?
Whether it’s selling a puppy, dinner with the embattled mayor, a hunting safari or countless other potential hot buttons, how should your committee proceed?
There’s no one right answer, of course. While you may not want to bend to a few disgruntled voices, you also don’t want those voices to complain even more loudly on Facebook or the nightly news if they feel dismissed.
Ask yourself, what could possibly go wrong if we auction this item?
As your committee tries to “think outside the box” for atypical auction items, if you don’t have these conversations early on, you may find yourself – like my client – scrambling to find a solution 1 day before the catalog goes to print.
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What will YOU do when you become a Key Person of Influence in the industry you love?
So many exciting things are happening in my life since last May, and it started with a 1-Day business seminar in Tampa called “Key Person of Influence.”
I am thrilled to be accepted into such an incredibly high-achieving group of professionals, and during this 7-month journey we are going to manifest some crazy, ridiculous, industry-changing new developments. The wheels are already in motion to debut services for nonprofits and auctioneers that I have been dreaming about offering for more than six years.
Stay with me, folks. Big things are coming. Big. Huge.
Entrepreneurs, the 1-day KPI seminar can change your life. I took 15 pages of notes, met founder Daniel Priestley, and leaned in. Get your own goosebumps at Key Person of Influence.
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You may have heard that I got invited to Paradise Island, The Bahamas (made famous by the Atlantis mega-resort) to do an auction last month.
The Purple Paws Live Auction was a first-time event, and yet it was a smashing success, exceeding all expectations and likely to double in revenue generated next year.
Here are 12 of the many things the BAARK! all-volunteer team did so right:
- Awesome Chairperson. Passionate about the cause, well connected, and tenacious.
- Get businesses to underwrite major costs and write sponsor checks.
- Get help from an auction consultant on item descriptions, displays, order of sale, the evening’s timing, volunteer roles, etc. Sarah used the AUCTION! book I sent her, and we talked extensively in e-mails and phone conferences.
- Venue with appeal. Use committee and sponsor connections to get the place folks have heard about but never had the chance to see.
- Sold-out event. Start with a small venue so you can sell out, and use Facebook and social media to really push ticket sales. If you don’t have a mailing list or Facebook Fan Page with hundreds of folks yet, build THAT first.
- Auction items matched to your guests. Nothing random. Each item specifically sought after because of its broad appeal to the attendees. Plan before you ask.
- 100% donations. For a first-time event especially, there’s no point in paying for auction items, as that takes your hard-won donor dollars and gives them away.
- Prepared Buyers! “Bodies aren’t bidders” we say. Sarah and I made sure that the guests were fully aware of the Live Auction Opportunities and How to Bid, using prior e-blasts, displays, handouts, Power Point, and microphone announcements.
- Zippy Schedule. Keep your guests entertained and attentive, with food, games, Live Auction and Fund-a-Need donations all flowing nicely from one to the next.
- Mission Message. The 3-minute video they created was perfect before the Fund-a-Need, showing clearly the huge impact of more dollars and donations.
- Event Support. Well trained staff and volunteers add so much to a great guest experience. We all met in person prior to the event to answer questions and build a confident team.
- A Gala auctioneer. Truly, a fundraising event NEEDS to be equal parts entertainer, ambassador, and marketer. Not only was the audience laughing and smiling the whole time, but they were reminded to give generously to the cause, and 72% of the Live Auction items sold for more than they were worth.
Comments are closed - Categories: Auctioneers, Better Buyers, Charity, Consulting, Event Logistics, GALA GAL Case Study, Live Auctions, Sponsors