Everyone appreciates some appreciation, so my advice to auction committees is to give it to them.  Don’t overthink the task. Grab a pen, the phone, the keyboard … or even a video camera and just say thanks.

Here’s my example of taking a moment to pause and let someone know their actions were appreciated.  I arrived home after a long – a 9 hours long – road trip to find a wonderful box of goodies waiting for me.

A charity auction client was celebrating a gala’s success and sent me a package .  A thank you was in order – my Mom would have been proud.  But I didn’t pick up a note card or send an email, I grabbed my video camera.

Watch the video.

I wanted to share my appreciation and excitement at that moment. There’s no better way to do that than a quick video.  It’s a peak behind the curtain at some behind-the-scene operations, and a genuine expression of how much I appreciated the gift. I didn’t rehearse, I just shared my thoughts for a couple of minutes – and said thanks.

Your school or non-profit could lift the curtain for the occasional short video and say thanks to donors.  Imagine staff saying thanks after they have just opened the day’s mail.  What about the excitement in the office when an auction chair shares an update on sponsorships?

Your nonprofit can create its own reality show by sharing appreciate in a video immediately when the news is delivered.  You’ll be able to capture the initial, unrehearsed thank you on video and share it with your community.

© 2011 Red Apple Auctions Co. All Rights Reserved.

P.S. Want some help landing lots of great items to say thanks for?  I have procurement help, claim your free charity auction item guide.

This silent auction space at the Marriott Washington Wardman Park would have accommodated (with minor tweaking) a flash mob entrance.

I’ve enjoyed watching flash mob videos, especially those in New York City where I’m familiar with the venues.  Even just two weeks ago I stumbled across a flash mob on Bondi Beach while researching an Australian trip for a charity auction.

But I’d never thought of using the concept to seat guests at the auction.

In a June 2011 Chronicle of Philanthropy article, gala guests were encouraged to sit down via the incorporation of a flash mob dance routine during the reception.

The organization, Tipping Point in San Francisco, had 900 guests to seat.  Staffers and volunteers practiced a dance routine to capture guests’ attention and lead them into the ballroom.

A few years ago, I saw something similar while attending an extravagant Middle Eastern-themed ~50-person wedding held in a small museum in Old Town Alexandria.  The entire wedding was to die for.

(Of note:  Neither the bride nor groom were Middle Eastern; she was just creative.)

One element:  When the bride and groom kissed, another show began.  A silk curtain parted behind them, a belly dancer emerged, and guests were teased forward into the other half of the museum where food rapidly appeared.

It made an impression.  My date for the night and I both still talk about the magic of that wedding.

I’d suggest that successfully using the flash mob concept at your charity auction requires two elements, in addition to the flash mob itself.

The curtain opening signaled guests to follow the dancers and "move."

First, your venue needs to have a large entryway that dramatically appears to beckon guests forth.

At most of our galas, guests are asked to leave the reception area – which is usually a hotel hallway – and enter the ballroom through multiple sets of double doors.  Without the grand entrance, the magic is lost.

(Watch the video at 2:43 to see the dramatic end to the San Francisco performance.)

I can think of two D.C. venues where the idea would work well:  Marriott Washington Wardman Park and the Building Museum.   Both have large, rectangular ballrooms with high-ceilings.  Divide the ballroom in half (as I’ve seen done for some of our auctions), hang a curtain between the two spaces, and part it with flare when the mob invites guests to dine

Second, invest in a great A/V company. The sound needs to be loud.  Listen to the video again and think about your own venue.  Some groups won’t pay for that quality of audio in the reception area.

Here’s the formula:

One well-executed flash mob + strong audio system + the right entrance = rapidly seating guests at the charity auction

The bigger your gala, the bigger the action needed.  This 900-person event had a 100-person flash mob, great A/V, and a dramatic curtain/entrance.  The tiny wedding I attended pulled off a similar concept with one belly-dancer.

My advice:  Do it right, or don’t do it.

© 2011 Red Apple Auctions Co.  All Rights Reserved.

P.S. Want more charity auction help?  Start with this free gift to help you with procurement.

Some A/V companies offer more avant-garde speakers, like these which are often used for benefit auctions in local museums.

My recent articles in Benefit Auction Ideas (my twice-a-month ezine) have focused on suggestions for great benefit auction themes.  Today I’m moving this theme concept in a new direction.

Some elements of your gala are optional; others are required.  Having a theme is optional.  Offering items that people want … and guests with money to buy them … is required.

A sound system falls into that latter category.  It’s required, even for small crowds.

(I once used an at-home “toy” karaoke sound system for an auction of about ~30 people.  For that size of crowd, it worked.)

Sound systems are usually nothing to admire aesthetically, but there’s nothing to say you can’t get creative and have your sound system support your auction’s theme.

And I love the idea that an optional benefit auction element (the theme) is supported by a required element (the sound system).  It’s that old adage of killing two birds with one stone.

Check with your A/V company to see what’s available.  Do they have speakers that resemble something else?  Maybe they have speakers that look like boulders, which is perfect for an outdoors-y or caveman theme.

What about speakers that conveniently tuck into potted plants or blend into foliage?  That would be great for your jungle, tropical, and Hawaiian themes.

One A/V company here in the Washington, D.C. area gets a lot of mileage from these speakers.  The company uses these at virtually all benefit auctions held in museums.  The round, fluted column pedestal of the speaker matches the Ionic column style found in so many of D.C.’s landmarks (WWI monument, Jefferson Memorial, the White House, countless museums).  These also work great in school gymnasiums where they fit in beautifully with a “Night at the Museum” theme.

To be clear, I’m just as happy when a client uses “speakers on a stick,” which are those boxy-looking black speakers common at galas.

But if you’re trying to visually improve your benefit auction, finding the right audio speakers might be next in your bag of tricks.

© 2011 Red Apple Auctions Co.  All Rights Reserved.

P.S.  Don’t forget about Benefit Auction Ideas. I mentioned that earlier in the post.

These speakers are stationed in the silent auction of this school auction.

Note to readers:  I recently wrote this article for Charity Golf Events newsletter.  Enjoy!

Growing up, I remember an advertising slogan used by Coty perfume.  “If you want to capture someone’s attention, whisper.”

You might attract a lover with that approach, but you’ll never attract a bidder at your benefit auction.

Auctions require a professional sound system that enables the auctioneer’s voice to be heard with clarity and distinction.

Contrast this to the sound required for a band.  Unlike a music concert in which an audience finds it acceptable to hear the melody and feel the beat, a successful auction is dependent upon bidders understanding the numbers.  Guests will sit on their hands if they don’t know what the auctioneer is saying.  Sound systems designed for a band blend the instruments for better overall sound; sound systems for auctions support the clarity of a single voice.

If you’re planning a post-tournament auction, here are answers to the most common audio questions I hear.

Q:  Where should we put the sound system?

A:   Wherever you plan on selling something.

In the silent auction area, the auctioneer will be making announcements about raffle tickets, closings, and “please make your way to a dinner table so we can start the program.”  During the live auction, your auctioneer will cry bids for the sale.

If all of your group’s activity takes place in one room, you’ll only need sound for that room.  But if the silent auction is in one area and the seated post-tournament dinner with live auction is in another, you need sound in both areas.  Depending on the equipment, that might be two different sound systems or one sound system with speakers run by wires to the other location.

This was a good sound system. See the speakers lined up in the silent auction?

Q:   Can’t the auctioneer just shout?

A: Not an option.

An auctioneer’s voice is his profession.  If I shout at your benefit auction, I can’t work the next day at someone else’s event.  Don’t ask the an auctioneer to perform without a microphone.

Q:  We’ve got a DJ.  Can we use his sound system?

A:  It’s not ideal, but it might work.

From a cost and complexity perspective, I understand the desire to use the DJ’s equipment.

The smaller the crowd (think 200 and fewer), the better the odds that it will be fine.  Fortunately most of the golf tournament auctions we work tend to be in the 150-180 guest range and – when used – the DJ systems have worked.  But if you’ve got a larger event, beware!  DJ systems are designed to support music, not an auctioneer’s voice.

Q:  Do you (the auctioneer) have a sound system we can use?

A:  Some will and some won’t.  Auctioneers who have a system often charge a nominal fee to rent it, which – bonus! — is often less than the cost of using an outside company.

It will just depend on how elaborate your event is as to whether this idea will work.  Sound systems are often one of the first elements to be set into a room. Tables and decor are placed around the wires and speakers once the system is set up.  Sometimes room set-up is scheduled the day before or very early on the day of the tournament.  As most auctioneers wouldn’t arrive onsite until shortly before the golfing ends, setting up a large sound system might be cumbersome at that time.

Q:  Will the auctioneer spec (specify) the equipment or brands?

A: Most probably won’t. If the auctioneer isn’t bringing her own equipment and you’re using a professional sound company, a good A/V company will know how to support the event.

In general, you’ll want to have what is called “multi-source” sound, meaning you want to have sound fill the room from multiple speakers … not one or two speakers blasting from the front of the room.

Your quality audio system will go a long way in encouraging guests to keep raising their hand at the auction.

© 2011 Red Apple Auctions Co.  All rights reserved.

P.S.  Get fresh ideas for your gala in the FREE Benefit Auction Ideas.

A gobo created this fireworks image on the wall.

Lighting can make a stunning difference in the ambiance of a charity auction.

But if that’s not in the budget, there might be elements of lighting that could probably be managed by an enthusiastic volunteer.

I’m not suggesting it would be easy … nor am I suggesting it is ideal … but I’ve no doubt there are some volunteers out there who like to dabble and play.  And if I provided an idea what could be done with lighting via this blog post, that might be all of the encouragement you need to get started.

So that stated, I want to introduce you to a lighting tool you can consider incorporating into your next fundraising auction.

Gobos can be used to add ambiance.

To create an underwater world, the lighting company used a large gobo on the left which looked like water, and a small image on the right which looked like (to me) a cluster of three amoebas.

Do you know what a gobo is?

A gobo is a template that is attached to a lighting source in order to project an image onto a wall, floor, ceiling, or – really – even into smoke or the clouds in the sky.  The template has a pattern cut into it – like the starburst pattern in the photo above …. or an image of a candle … or the profile of a head — which allows the light to be projected into that shape.

Another example:  As a child, I loved playing with Lite-Brite. A black piece of paper was put over the toy’s light source.  I would take colored plastic pegs and push it through the paper to create an image.  Wherever the paper was pierced, the light would shine through.  Once I pierced enough of the paper, a recognizable image was created.  Well, the black paper in the Lite-Brite is sort of like a gobo.

A pattern has been cut out of some material — plastic, glass, or metal — to create an image.  Once the light source is behind it, the light passes through the gobo and forms an image onto the projected area.

The type of material used to create a gobo depends on the type of light used.  Obviously if you are using plastic to create your gobo, the light source better not get to hot or it will melt the plastic … or even worse, start a fire.

There are hundreds of gobo images available.  Maybe thousands!  Companies like Stagespot sell stock gobos and create custom ones.  When I worked in the corporate world, we had gobos made of our logo so it could be projected around the facility during company events.

If you wanted to go super cheap, you could probably ruggedly cut a gobo out of a soda can.  I’m not an expert in such matters, and will let you handymen (and women) figure that one out.

© 2010 Red Apple Auctions LLC.  All Rights Reserved.

P.S.  You could save a lot of time from Web surfing if you had great content like this delivered to your inbox directly.  Sign up for Benefit Auction Ideas.

This non-profit helps adults and children, but they used a key slide to focus on the "kids" portion of their program.

To read Part 1 on “Using Kids to Raise Cash,” click here,

Over the past few months, I’ve offered several tips on how to manage your charity auction in a bad economy.

You can use all kinds of techniques to ensure your auction revenues remain strong in a bad economy, but one solid strategy of raising money – regardless of the economy – is to show guests how their donation impacts children.

Children (and animals, to a large degree) seem to have a universal appeal and you can tap into that at your auction gala. 

Many organizations benefit kids in one way, shape, or fashion, so if you have an angle that you can incorporate into your event, consider doing so.  Even when the children aren’t attending your benefit auction, you can still successfully incorporate them into the fundraising plan.

This post covers two strategies:

3.  Let a Powerpoint slide tell the story

In a ballroom, Powerpoint slides can provide imagery.  At this gala raising money for heart-related causes, a child’s photo was displayed with the text, “Nora Grace’s heart was mended by Dr. Bill Hammill, and she hasn’t stopped dancing since.”

Plus side: Easy to create. One slide can be broadcast on multiple screens so everyone can see.

Negative side: Unless a speaker specifically refers to the slide, guests might never bother to read it.

4.  Reach out and call (or text) someone

Guests were encouraged to text scholarship recipients while dining.

This idea incorporates older kids into your gala.  Granted, these kids might have outgrown their “cuteness factor,” but they have the added advantage of being able to thank donors with an added degree of articulation!

One fundraising auction was raising money for college scholarships.  As you can see in the photo, each table had a table tent listing a student’s name, general information, and his or her telephone number (I’ve blocked out the phone number in this photo). Over dinner, guests were encouraged to text or call the student to chat and say, “Congratulations on your scholarship!”

Plus side:  It’s as high-touch as you can get without having the recipient attend the event.  It brings a donor directly into contact with the recipient of their donation.  I love that!

Negative side: Coordinate in advance. Recipients need to know they could be called. Not all recipients will be choice candidates to speak with a donor.

Kids can make a splash at your event — and help you raise dollars! — even when they aren’t physically present.  Use these ideas to get to your donor’s heartstrings.

©2005 – 2010 Red Apple Auctions LLC

P.S. As great as this information is, it’s old news.  I shared these ideas months ago with readers of my FREE e-zine, Benefit Auction Ideas.  Subscribe here.