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The Gala411: ALL Benefit Auction Solutions
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Blogs -
The Gala411: ALL Benefit Auction Solutions
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Written by GALA GAL Jenelle
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Tuesday, 09 March 2010 05:03 |
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Here's this week's 411 on Fundraising: Have you had this happen to you? The non-profit sold corporate tables (tickets in groups of 8 or 10) but then never got the names of the supposed attendees confirmed, and so some (or, horrors, ALL) of the seats at a prime table up front at your auction are empty? Not only does this look terrible for the event organizers, but it wastes valuable real estate where auction bidders could be closer to the stage, and to you as the auctioneer. Because the charity only has "one night, once a year" to maximize the money and exposure they receive during this event, any empty seat is a lost opportunity for both them and you. So, how do you counsel the non-profit in ways to solve this common problem? One of my clients asked me that this week, and I suggested adding the text below to their sponsorship agreements. This politely establishes a clear deadline for confirming attendees and clearly explains the consequences for not doing so. In the final week, then, the non-profit can fill any unclaimed seats with community leaders they wish to woo, media personnel who'll add exposure, or even to deserving recipients who could not afford the ticket price. Want a full house of bidders at your auctions? Help your clients help themselves! See you at the auction, GALA GAL Sample text to add to the Table Sponsorship confirmation letter and all follow-up communications: Thank you so much for supporting our event by purchasing your table(s) for our [date] [event]. As this opportunity for "friendraising" and fundraising occurs only one night per year, we are committed to filling every seat at every table to ensure a full house. If you have available seats at your purchased table(s), we ask you to consider increasing the net value of your donation by offering unused seats back to the [event] Committee in order to allow other supporters to attend. Please note that the names of all your table attendees must be confirmed by the Monday prior to the event. Beginning on the Tuesday prior to the event, the [event] Committee reserves the right to either resell unconfirmed seats at all tables or otherwise assign unconfirmed seats to charity fund recipients, members of the press or dignitaries. We thank you for understanding the necessity of accurate attendee numbers for dining details and accurate names for swift on-site registration. We look forward to receiving the names of all of your desired guests on or before Monday, [date].
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Blogs -
The Gala411: ALL Benefit Auction Solutions
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Written by GALA GAL Jenelle
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Tuesday, 16 February 2010 09:55 |
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Welcome back! It's mid-February. How are you doing on your 2010 goals so far? Have you researched the 20 prospects you said you'd find? Called or e-mailed them yet? Set up (or even held) any in-person meetings with these new prospects yet? Or are you one of those folks who didn't even get around to setting an actual numerical goal, something that could be evaluated, measured, quantified? If you started 2010 saying, "This year we should do more benefit auctions," and yet you haven't made a 10-day, 30-day, 90-day, 6-month, 1-year and 3-year plan, then at the end of 2010 your "we should" may end up as a "we should have" regret. Where will you be at the end of this spring fundraising season, or at the end of the year, if you DON'T actually take the time to make a strategy, what's known as a "strategic business plan" for success? If you don't have a clue how to do this, or you think you don't have time, or you could make the time but you don't have the discipline (!), then continuing education is for you! You've got lots of options: 1. A friend in my Mastermind group this morning mentioned that he'd discovered a sales term he wanted to know more about (personality selling) and so he'd immediately ordered all the books on Amazon on that topic! (continuing education) 2. Take a course, almost any course! This weekend I start facilitating a 13-week financial course, Dave Ramsey's "Financial Peace University". When I took it last fall, it was so well delivered and insightful about all money matters, I knew I wanted others to experience the program too. (Plus, I'm looking forward to seeing it again.) 3. Join a club. Recently two auctioneer friends in Colorado attended their first Toastmaster meetings. One has now joined a club; hopefully the second lady will join too! Toastmasters, the world's largest public speaking organization, is the safest place to fail! Everyone in the room is there by choice, gradually making friends and gradually becoming better speakers. Toastmasters is a go-at-your-own-pace program, with no scoring or intimidation, just support. Whether your palms sweat when talking to strangers or you're used to cracking up crowds of 500, every Toastmaster member practices and polishes whatever skills she/he has on Day One. 4. Look for continuing education courses specifically on Benefit Auctions. The July NAA Conference is not that far off, so set aside the time and money now to sit in some education sessions or take a multi-day course. There is also a Benefit Auction Summit coming up this September 20-21st, so mark your calendars now. And ask me if you would like to interrogate anyone who's been through my BOOTCAMP for Benefit Auctioneers program. Whatever you prefer, just DO something. Today, right now, jot down in the margin of your desk calendar how many outgoing Benefit Auction prospecting calls you will make by February 28th. Just one? That's okay, it's more than you've done so far, right? How about 5? Could you do 9? That's just one inquiry squeezed into each work day. Can't squeeze in that extra 5 minutes to make a Benefit Auction prospecting call? Hmmm, then maybe you should think about getting around to that strategic planning! Happy (shortened) week! Jenelle
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Blogs -
The Gala411: ALL Benefit Auction Solutions
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Written by GALA GAL Jenelle
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Tuesday, 09 February 2010 15:32 |
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Gala411 Readers: The question in my Inbox today comes from a new Benefit Auctioneer in Florida: Hi Jenelle, Do you have the names of any software programs that can be purchased that can be used over and over again? I am looking for software that is good for a check out process, not to mention all the other stuff. REPLY: I have to say that I don't personally know which program to recommend to auctioneers (meaning you) if auctioneers are going to collect and process the charity's funds.
If you intend for your clients to have software that they purchase, then Auctionpay.com (now called Greater Giving) is likely the best, and clients can use it year-round and year after year but still have to pay for it and pay for an annual fee. I suggest Auctionpay's software because it was designed from the ground up only for benefit auctions, not adapted from a typical auction software program that already existed for commercial or residential transactions.
As far as software that the auctioneer might use, that would mean taking responsibility for their database, last minute entries and changes, and possibly even their guest list, and you know what I nightmare that can be. I strongly encourage you to stay out of that mess, as your reputation is on the line and you would be obligating yourself to too many variables out of your control.
If your clients are looking for benefit auction software, they can just Google it. There are many programs, but the only one I personally would recommend is Auctionpay.
If you want other opinions, this would be a good topic to search for on the NAA Forum, Benefit Auctions thread. If you use the search term box I'm sure software inquiries will come up, and if you don't see it you can post your question.
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Blogs -
The Gala411: ALL Benefit Auction Solutions
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Written by GALA GAL Jenelle
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Wednesday, 03 February 2010 22:57 |
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A few days ago I was asked by a fellow auctioneer about the Instant Purchase option during Silent Auctions. Reply: Use caution with the "Instant Purchase" option: when run by volunteers, it often causes more problems than expected due to guest misunderstandings, volunteers not explaining, volunteers not removing the sheet once purchased, etc. If you're not familiar with the Instant Purchase option during silent auctions, think of it like the "Buy It Now" option on E-bay, which is the set price at which you can halt the bidding process by agreeing to purchase the item for a higher amount, typically 100%-150% of value. (Note: Use a phrase like "Instant Purchase" rather than E-bay's "Buy It Now" term.) On paper, this seems like a great option: if bidders don't want to stand around to keep raising their bids, they can buy it outright and be done with it, while the charity gets a good return on that item. The problems arise not with the concept, but with the execution of the idea. To make it successful requires: 1. A PROMINENT place on the Bid Sheet for the Instant Purchase option and price (not in small print at the bottom) 2. Audience education, both on the auction catalog and on display. 3. Trained volunteers by those items which have the Instant Purchase option to verbally educate bidders. 4. Alert volunteers or staff who will instantly remove said bid sheet once it's been taken off the bidding market. 5. Those bid sheets which were pulled off the tables early (before the rest of the table closes) must get delivered to the invoicers. IN PRACTICE, this is what often happens the night of: 1. No one notices the Instant Purchase option on the bid sheet. 2. If bidders notice it, most won't know what it means, often because there wasn't printed directions or because they won't read! 3. Volunteers are milling around and either not knowledgeable or unavailable to answer questions. 4. The bid sheet remains on the table after an Instant Purchase is made, thus sparking a disagreement between the "last" bidder when the table closes and the "highest" bidder which the last bidder knew nothing about. 5. Instant Purchase sheets which are correctly pulled early get set aside in the mania of the night and don't get invoiced at all. If you've got a crowd already familiar with the concept, and you've got an experienced and dedicated set of silent auction helpers who will administer the process correctly, it can work. The question remains, however: If a bidder was willing to pay $150 for a $100 item, would she have paid $160? With Instant Purchase, you'll never get the chance to find out.
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Blogs -
The Gala411: ALL Benefit Auction Solutions
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Written by Jenelle Taylor
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Wednesday, 03 February 2010 22:35 |
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Today's question in my GalaGal Inbox comes from a CAI colleague in Arizona: Question: Have you had any experience with filling in a range of bid amounts ahead of time and then let bidders just write in their bidder number next to an amount? Reply: That's really a preference. Some benefit auctioneers swear by it, and others, like me, would rather let people set their own bid levels, as often serious bidders like to jump up in larger increments, and it's far easier to follow by writing in an amount than trying to draw a line downward and hope the next guy doesn't bid in the skipped boxes.
We always set minimum increment raises, though, proportionate to the value of the item and the opening bid.
In my experience, many of the people/organizations who tried to pre-print the bid increments do so with little to no instruction, often using a computerized software program they don't understand. I've seen groups use $5 increments even if it's a $1000 item; I've seen bid options calculated at 50% of value, then 100% percent of value, then 150% of value and so on - thus those increments discouraged bidding; I've also seen groups rely on the computer to split the bids by percentages, and thus bidding might open at $33.06 and the next level is $47.14, etc. with no rhyme or reason, making data entry much harder.
If you've got a program or staff who can understand and communicate bid increments to the guests in a way that makes sense, I think either way will work!
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