What benefit auction ideas rocked in 2010? What should you expect to see more of in 2011? Trends in gala auctions do exist, though it takes longer for some ideas to gain ground. But having attended ~50 auction fundraisers this year and consulted for dozens more, I'm noticing some ideas growing in popularity. Let's cover the top five benefit auction trends for 2011. 1. Cocktails Whether selling cocktails or serving them, the concept is a hot commodity. Some groups opt to sell a ... Read On >
Benefit Auctions Blog
Offer delivery to attract bidders to large benefit auction items
Last week I wrote about selling holiday trees in your gala. I didn't include an important piece of information that can really cripple the sale of those benefit auction items: delivery. Auction guests often look at trees -- or any large cumbersome item -- and think, "How would I ever get it home?" They admire it, but they won't bid. In fact, they'll often talk themselves out of bidding because getting the item home seems like too much work. To address this concern, offer delivery to the ... Read On >
Holiday trees increase benefit auction revenues
If you're looking to boost benefit auction revenues and your event is late November or December, your acquisitions strategy could include decorated holiday trees. Here are some ideas. 1. At one school auction gala, one of the live auction items was a tree decorated with 100 $1 scratch-off lottery tickets. Not only is the winning bidder buying a lovely tree, but with a hundred scratch-off tickets, the bidder could be taking home a goldmine. 2. At another school auction, the student-decorated ... Read On >
Using auction games to motivate volunteers
Got problems getting auction volunteers energized to do what is needed to be done? Here’s one tip: Give volunteers something new and creative to learn which also solves a problem your auction is experiencing. Volunteers will remain engaged if they believe the solution you are sharing is 1) fun and 2) will solve the problem. When it’s fun to solve the problem, volunteers will do it. I’ve written before about Volkswagen’s “The Fun Theory” project. The group conducted tests to see if they ... Read On >
How auction games will get you publicity
I refer to auction games, raffles, and activities as the “bells and whistles” of benefit auctions. It's an understatement to call them revenue generators as they do more than make you money. These are the fun add-ons designed to address specific problems, involve the crowd, trigger fun, attract press, and (yes) make you money. Today’s post addresses the “attract press” piece. Many groups seem decent at securing post-gala publicity, but it's the pre-event recognition that will help you ... Read On >