I had a memorable auction last week in upstate New York. I want to tell you about it and share a couple of observations. But first, let me share a story from my early days in USA's capital. Nearly 15 years ago my parents were visiting me in Washington, D.C. In preparation of their visit, I'd purchased tickets for us to watch a performance at the Kennedy Center. Just a week before they arrived, I also won a prize from a radio station. It included tickets to an afternoon performance at a ... Read On >
Audience Development
Promoting your gala honoree to maximize your exposure
For some nonprofits, the date of the auction gala is determined after careful examination of a single individual’s calendar. This well-regarded person doesn’t (usually) work for the organization, yet still holds enormous influence over the timing of the nonprofit’s largest fundraising event. Dates are checked and re-checked. Venues are called and called again to confirm availability. Who is this VIP? He’s the gala honoree. (“He” can just as easily be a she, family or it, as in the case of ... Read On >
Gala honorees: Three places to find them
One strategy for developing a benefit auction audience is to include an honoree into your program's activities. The person you honor typically brings family, friends, and co-workers to your gala. They all come to see their friend receive the award. FINDING someone to honor can be another challenge. Sometimes it's obvious as to whom you should select. Other times, it's not. If you don't have any ideas, where can you start poking around for potential gala honoree leads? In the video, I ... Read On >
Untapped supporters: Getting people to attend your event
When it comes to getting people to attend your event, the tactics run wild. You might have tried to "steal" guests via the cold-invitation approach. One of my clients poured through the benefit auction catalogs of nearby charities, made note that so-and-so supported THAT event, and then sent them an invitation to their own gala. It was effective. Remarkably, the nonprofit's highest silent auction spender that year came from sending the woman a "blind" invitation. I seem to recall she even ... Read On >
What NOT to do when the auction winner doesn’t pay
At a benefit auction a few years ago, a woman in the back enthusiastically bid in the live auction. She enjoyed bidding a little too much. After buying the trip to Hawaii, her husband let her have it -- verbally. In tears she told my auction team member that she couldn’t buy it. “Ma’am,” my team member gently reminded her, “You’ve already bought it.” “Sell it again,” she cried, “He’ll divorce me if I take it home.” Has this happened to you? If not, you just haven’t run enough benefit ... Read On >