"Sherry, how many live auction items do you recommend we sell in our charity auction?" I hear this question regularly and contemplate it in the same way I'd think about prunes: "Will three get the job done? ... Is eight too many?" ;) Here's what I've learned: If the gala's timeline has already been determined, my recommendation doesn't matter. A specific amount of time ... 20 minutes ... 45 minutes ... 70 minutes ... has been allotted. Now I need to work with the client to choose the items ... Read On >
live auction
Silent auction item or live: Where to sell it?
In my consultations with clients, I'm often asked for my opinion about items. "Should we include this airfare?" "Will we make more money if we package THESE together, or THOSE together?" "How should we promote this?" If the gala only has a silent auction, I'm never asked whether an item belongs in the silent auction or live auction - there's no choice! But if the gala includes both components, the "silent versus live" debate surfaces. In this post, I want to discuss how an auction item ... Read On >
Does a fund a need hurt your live auction proceeds?
One of the first questions I'm asked if a group is conducting it's first fund a need (also called an appeal, mission moment, and a dozen other names), "Don't you think that we'll make less money in the live auction or the silent auction if we also conduct an appeal?" No, I don't. Nor has that proven to be the case at any of the 50 auctions I conduct onsite annually. Instead, my client just raises more money. We raise the same or similar live auction revenue. We raise the same or similar ... Read On >
Benefit auction items: How to procure TV passes
One of the most popular types of benefit auction items I sell are those having to do with the entertainment industry, such as “behind the scenes” activities for television shows. When a show donates a "behind-the-scenes experience," it usually means that the winning bidder will get to watch a show being taped and perhaps a tour of the facility. For someone who hasn’t worked in the television industry, a taping can be exciting to watch. Here are some tips on securing these sought-after ... Read On >
Schedule the benefit auction BEFORE the headline entertainment
Are you planning on holding an auction fundraiser with headline entertainment? If so, pay heed to your scheduling. The order of events dramatically affects how much you raise in your benefit auction. Here's an example. For the past two days, I've been representing the National Auctioneers Association (NAA) at ASAE's Springtime Expo in Washington, D.C. (ASAE is the membership association for association staff members. NAA is a member of ASAE.) ASAE has decided to incorporate a benefit ... Read On >