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►Working Women of Central Florida
photo of speaker Jenelle Taylor

Thanks to Jessica Rivelli from Working Women of Tampa Bay for the invite to speak!

Did you miss it?

I’m happy to speak to your board, your staff, or civic groups like Rotary, Kiwanis or chambers of commerce.

Of course I can talk about auctions, and how to best support the causes you believe in, but some people don’t know that I also speak nationally on branding and marketing.

Things are changing all the time in social media.

Isn’t it time you got some help?

Call me to chat: Jenelle @ 407-791-1360 cell

►Who’s the “Voice” of your nonprofit?
photo of branding handout

Who’s the “voice” of your social media posts?

I’m a huge, huge fan of Entrepreneur magazine. In fact, if you’re not already following them on Facebook, seriously, click over there and do it right now.

I’ll wait.

It’s that important.

If you want to be smarter about, well – anything – you should be following Entrepreneur magazine on Facebook.

Their posts are 2- or 3-minute reads about stuff you want to know, and I guarantee you’ll see something each week you want to click on and open.

By the way, I don’t get anything for promoting them. I’m just a super fan.

When I was researching for my presentation to the Working Women of Central Florida, I came across this awesome article Entrepreneur mag posted, “22 Statistics That Prove the Value of Personal Branding.”

It’s about how we (people, you and me) connect better with people, not companies, and you’ll do yourself and your organization a 561% favor by letting your employee’s personalities show when they share posts about your cause.

Since you can control the tone, images and message you put out there, sit down and really think about how you want to be perceived. Is your org inspiring? Are your clients beautiful? Are your services useful? And isn’t life just funny sometimes? (NOTE: If you don’t yet know about FUBI, read about it here.)

You can even let different people shine in their elements. If you’ve got a stellar soul who can communicate all you want to say on all your platforms, give him or her a raise! Otherwise, try trusting your inner circle with the platform that best matches his or her personality, and see if you don’t get more likes, follows, and engagement from your fans.

►VIDEO – Selling an Inside Joke!
photo of auctioneer GALA GAL Jenelle Taylor

Sell More Memories, Less Stuff!

This might be my favorite video clip ev-er!

It starts at $100 and you’ll never guess where we end up 🙂

Watch the short VIDEO on my You Tube channel.

There’s a lot I love about this clip – this small crowd of 160 solid supporters, the clear joy of giving in the room, and the fact that I’ve done this event for years so we’ve built this great rapport!

(Sidenote: we really do have the best job in the world.)

Anyway, the winning bidder doesn’t even keep the hat! It’s all in fun, a vehicle for donations, and a few minutes we will all remember as a highlight. Can your event do that?

Sell more memories to make your event a signature celebration of your cause.

Not sure how? Just call me: 407-791-1360 in Tampa.

 

►VIDEO – Only 2 Live Auction Items
photo of charity auctioneer GALA GAL Jenelle Taylor

On the catwalk selling just 2 auction items!

Here’s a quick video on my You Tube channel from May 2017, when I sold just 2 live auction items (and raised double what we’d expected!)

Watch the VIDEO on You Tube, click here

There’s no one perfect answer to how many live auction items you should have.

I always ask my clients, “How long will your crowd pay attention?”

That’s a good place to start!

But it depends on if your event is a weeknight (ends earlier) or a weekend, what else you’re trying to accomplish that night, what your items are, if you have deep pockets and big spenders in the room, and several other factors.

Believe it or not, selling just 2 or 3 items is just as challenging as selling 18!

Call me (407-791-1360) and I’ll help you figure out how many items are best for your event.

►2017 Bookings in full swing!
photo of Jenelle Taylor

It pays to hire a professional!

After a fantastic 2016, the GALA GAL team is looking ahead to an invigorating new year, and we’re looking for you!

Since 2002, I have worked with hundreds of nonprofits across Florida, and trained hundreds of fundraising auctioneers across the country through my private BOOTCAMP for Benefit Auctioneers course.

I’m available to help most any cause, and this year I find my heart being pulled to social justice causes, the underdog, the underfunded and hugely impactful.

If you’re making a difference in the world, I want to use my 14 years of fundraising to increase your impact, raise your revenue, and expand your outreach. You are committed to moving America forward, and so am I. Let’s plan your biggest fundraising auction yet for 2017!

►Auctioneer Style ~ Choose the One You Want to Watch!
Is your auctioneer entertaining?

Is your auctioneer entertaining?

I’ve been working in the auction industry since 2001, and specifically with fundraising auctions since 2002. I’ve been to auction school (Go Nashville Auction School – whoot whoot!) and I’ve been onstage all across Florida conducting benefit auctions since 2007. However, I don’t “chant”. You probably think all auctioneers sound the same, and maybe you can’t even pick out what they’re saying when it all goes by so fast.

My onstage style is quite different. I joke with folks that “I flirt with the audience for money,” and – as you’ll see in this YouTube clip GALA GAL Jenelle sells a South Africa Trip – I talk directly with the bidders, invite the audience to encourage higher bidding, and basically just charm them into staying in the game. At all times, the bidders know how much they’re bidding and aren’t confused, scared, or intimidated, even when we get up above $20,000!

Your guests should leave saying, “That was the best auctioneer I’ve ever seen!”

If they don’t, give me a call 🙂

►More Donations During Your Fund-A-Need
photo of Jenelle Taylor

It pays to hire a professional!

This spring I tried out a fundraising technique popularized by a colleague of mine in the San Francisco Bay area. He calls it The Run Around, and it’s a way to encourage much more participation at your final fundraising level. By taking the emphasis off of the size of each gift and focusing on getting more and more people to give (and give again), you can raise more money AND end your Fund-A-Need ask on an upbeat note with the crowd’s support. Check out this 5-minute clip on YouTube to see how we raised $4200 with a $1500 item. GALA GAL does The Run Around

►Mobile Bidding Considerations
photo of auction display

Auction Bidding is Enhanced by Displays

Today a client asked me

“Quick question – mobile bidding. Does it enhance an auction? Have you seen increased participation (read larger bids) utilizing mobile bidding?”

and I replied:

 Good question!

Typically mobile only makes sense when there are a lot of attendees, a lot of auction items (100+) and the silent auction revenue is $30,000+.

Pros:

IF people use it, they can set max bids and not have to either log back in or walk to a table – most mobile bidding systems can just continue to bid for them up to a set maximum.

Auction displays can take less space

Everyone can see all the auction items if they wish (on a device) without walking around

You can close the bidding later

Cons:

Typically costs $3000-$5000+

Either you have to pay for one of the mobile company’s staff to be on site (could add $1000), or you’re 100% responsible for any kinks or problems. Unless you have a savvy tech person, this could add significant stress.

It can be hard to get people to engage in mobile bidding for several reasons:

 ~Some require downloading an app, though some just have a web address people key in

~Some say mobile is less social, since people move around less and must spend time staring at their phones

~Requires either than people use their cell phone data plans (and battery life) or the club has a reliable wi-fi connection that’s open to everyone; some mobile systems rely on wi-fi and can get bogged down or crash

Results:

Whether or not mobile adds revenue above and beyond the cost of using the technology is a source of heated debate! Just a few weeks ago auctioneers from around the country shared mixed reviews in an online forum. When the technology works as promised,  is adopted by the attendees and gets used, certainly there are benefits to being able to shop from anywhere in the venue and not have to physically revisit a bid sheet.

On the other side, paper silent auctions have worked for decades by generating that person-to-person, last-minute competitive bidding atmosphere, especially when your professional auctioneer is making announcements and making the auction closings fun for everyone in the room.

What mobile definitely does is eliminate the need to clerk, record, tally or key in silent auction purchases once bidding closes, and for some groups, that fact alone makes the technology worth several thousand dollars, just to eliminate checkout!

 There are 10-12 major mobile bidding companies nationwide, all scrambling for footing and market share. All have demos you can do or samples you can view.

Industry software leader Greater Giving has great educational info with just about everything you need to know about mobile here.

Because of the many pros and cons (and how those affect your overall revenue/schedule/logistics), it’s something you should ask your professional auctioneer about as early as possible.

Like this great client of mine did! Thanks for the question, Sara 🙂

►Raffle pricing
poster showing raffle ticket pricing

Fingertips for $40

Recently a client asked me about raffle (Chance to Win drawings) pricing.

“I found this on-line as a guideline to selling tickets. Does this make sense?

Raffle ticket sales:  3 tickets for $5, 6 tickets for $10 and finger tip- to-finger tip $20″

Here’s my take:

1. Raffle chance pricing depends on the value of the prizes to be won.

2. Calculate the math equation: How much do you want the raffle to raise (have a goal),  who will be asked to buy tickets and what pricing feels exciting to them, and how many tickets (at what level) can you expect to sell? PRICE x QUANTITY = MONEY RAISED

3. In the example you found, “3-$5 and 6-$10” are the same odds, so there’s no incentive to spend $10 rather than $5.

4. The PURPOSE of unequal odds (increased chances for paying more) is to wildly slant the odds in favor of those more generous. We want to encourage folks to donate more. In Florida (and other states-check your state gaming statutes*) all chances to win do not have to be equal.

5. So, I like

3 – $10, 8 for $20, or fingertip-to-fingertip for $40.

That way the focus is just on selling $40 worth, and if someone is considering $20, have them grab a friend and get tons more chances by splitting the fingertip-to-fingertip (which might be 40-ish tickets)

If the prize(s) are smaller, you could go with 2-$5, 7-$10, fingertips for $20

*A reminder to always know and follow your state regulations on raffles, which often fall under gambling policies. In some states, nonprofits are limited to one per year or need a special license. In Florida (and other states) drawings are required to have a “no purpose necessary to be entered” option, which is why setting any pricing for a chance drawing must be disclosed as a “suggested donation” See the Florida statute here, and happy fundraising!

►Another reason you need a female auctioneer!
photo of Gala Gal and team

Study says men give more when the person fundraising is attractive

This morning I read a piece entitled “Men Strive To Give More To Charity When The Fundraiser Is Cute.”

Believe it or not, researchers found that both men and women donated more to online campaigns after they saw how much others had given. The men, however, gave an even larger increase to attractive females.

If that happened just by looking at a photo of the female asking for donations, could it be that the effect is magnified in person? When you put a charismatic, attractive female auctioneer on stage and give her a microphone to engage people about your cause, might that increase the competitive bidding in your audience? Think about it, every single time he or she bids again, that’s more dollars raised for you!

Combining the “all eyes on me” aspect of live auctions with a smiling, friendly female face is your recipe for awesome auction results.

Just ask my clients!

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