I should clarify that I don’t think “sticky-note marketing” is a *real* marketing term. I use it to refer to the practice of putting notes onto silent auction items to remind guests of why they should buy it. It’s similar to putting a sticky-note on a document; you’re calling attention to it. In this case, you’re reminding guests of one possible use of the item.

“A great item for Dad!” exclaims a blue note.

“Here’s your Mother’s Day gift!” proclaims a pink card.

If you’ve got a silent auction this weekend, be mindful that Valentine’s Day is next week.

One of our school auctions this past Saturday used attractive pink and red hearts to showcase jewelry items. There was no overt mention of Valentine’s Day, but the hint didn’t go unnoticed.

It’s simple, effective, and fetching marketing in your silent auction.  It works!

© 2012 Red Apple Auctions Co.  All rights reserved.

P.S.  Though this blog post covers a marketing tip, most of my readers begin their silent auction journey in procurement.  Get a free tool to get started:  Auction Item Guide™ “What Sold Like Heaven in 2011.”

Cigars sell.

You might not like smoking.  You might like pipes but not cigars.  You might smoke cigarettes, but hate cigar smoke.

It matters not.

Unless you’re the big spender procuring and buying ALL of the items at your nonprofit auction, check any righteous attitude you hold and do what’s best for the cause — procure some cigar-themed goodies to raise cash for your charity.

The February 2012 issue of Cigar Aficionado (which landed on my doorstep last weekend for no apparent reason) lists the best cigars of the year.  Maybe your local cigar shop will donate a few?

The issue also reviews what is presumably the largest cigar celebration in the world, The Big Smokes.  The Big Smokes are held in Las Vegas in late October and New York City in late November.  It might be worthwhile to send an email to the organizers to see if you can get two complementary admissions to either event.  Build a package around it.

And what about accoutrements?  Humidors, cutters, a subscription to the magazine … all of those sell at auctions.  (The above photo is from one of my auctions last fall.  The humidor was the first item to receive a bid in the silent auction.)

See what you can procure and watch how quickly it disappears from the silent auction table.

©2012 Red Apple Auctions Co.  All rights reserved.

P.S. If you’re seeking other item ideas for your nonprofit silent auction, claim your free copy of “What Sold Like Heaven in 2011.“  It’s hot off the press!

A parent seeking donations for their school’s charity auction becomes concerned about whether she should be including the school PTA’s tax ID number on the auction donation letters, forms, and so forth.

It’s easy to understand the concern.

We’ve been warned about putting our birth date on Facebook, cautioned against using our social security number as a computer password, and shake our heads when we recall that our social security number used to be used as our driver’s license number.  Stories of identity theft fuel our fear.

But this tax ID number is readily available in the public domain.  And as you’ll have greater success in your procurement efforts if you include the number on your letters, you’ll want to find it.

Perhaps the easiest way to locate the number is to go online.  Here’s how I have helped my clients find their 501(c)(3) number.

1. Visit www.Guidestar.org and log-in.  You’ll need to create an account (it’s free) if you don’t have one. You can look up some information without an account, but you’ll need it for this task.

2.  Enter the name of the charity you want to find.  The easy-to-use screen will help you narrow down your search.

3.  Click on the organization you seek.  The page will load with a number of publicly filed forms.  Click on “Forms 990s and Docs” tab.  The 990 forms are in PDF format.

4. Open the most recent 990 PDF and find the entry underneath “Employer Identification Number.”  (I’ve always seen it in the upper right side of the first page.)  Voila!  That’s the the tax ID number which defines your organization as a 501(c)(3).

I’ve also been told that you can look it up on the IRS site.  That makes sense to me, but as I’ve always been able to find what I needed on Guidestar, I haven’t fooled around with the IRS site.

If you’ve found another easy way to locate the tax ID number for your charity auction donation letters or forms, please share it below.

© 2012 Red Apple Auctions Co.  All Rights Reserved.

P.S.  Get educated and fully inspired in your charity auction procurement with this 60-minute .mp3 tutorial to accompany the free “What Sold Like Heaven in 2011″ auction item guide.

And if you’ve been reading my blog for a while, you know I’m a numbers person. I like to measure results and make decisions based on numbers.  There’s nothing like seeing the answer in data and going for it.

So this week, I’m giving you the most popular blog posts of last year.  Consider it your insider’s guide to what was hot among charity auction and silent auction planners. The list spans from the nitty-gritty of silent auctions to the fun and fabulous.

BLOG POSTS

• Silent auctions: The good, the bad, and the ugly
• New silent auction ideas for displaying your jewelry
• Come to your senses to sell silent auction donations
• Looking ahead to 2011: Trends in Benefit Auctions – technically, this is a 2010 blog post but only for 4 days and auction chairs were definitely thinking 2011 with it
• New silent auction ideas could include a flip book
• Three ways to pamper the 40+ crowd at your silent auction
• Silent auction tips: Consider entertainment, stimulation & staging
• Which Is Better: An Auction Underwriter or Auction Sponsor?

VIDEO POSTS

One principle of learning that hasn’t changed since grade school is that some people learn by reading and some people learn by hearing or seeing.  For those in that second group, here are a few popular videos auction planners were tapping into.

Happy viewing…

• VIDEO: Encouraging youth to attend your benefit gala
• VIDEO: Are You Boring Your Charity Auction Guests by Only Talking About Your Mission?
• VIDEO: A dirty little secret about growing your benefit auction gala
• VIDEO: How to accelerate your benefit auction check-out line

Hope you find a nugget or two in last year’s popular blog posts and videos.  You could be the hit of your next  auction planning meeting, whether it’s just a silent auction or a full gala.
P.S.  If you really want to knock the socks off your committee, dig into the auction item guide and be the hit of the procurement conversation.  Sign up for the F*R*E*E charity auction item guide at www.redappleauctions.com
© 2012 Red Apple Auctions.  All rights reserved.

© Juriah Mosin / photoxpress.com

I’m predicting three trends for 2012 benefit auctions, and two of them involve execution.

No, nothing that harsh.  I’m talking about the other kind of execution, when we are getting stuff done.

We’ve heard a lot in the past couple years about trends in technology, but I think 2012 is the first time we are going to see some of these ideas in action.

First – for better or worse – mobile bidding will become more widely adopted in the silent auction.   Vendors have been touting electronic bidding through mobile devices for a solid two years, but the high cost, the long planning life of a gala, and the fact that committees take time to research and absorb new technologies meant it wasn’t as widely used.  2012 is the first year we’ll see mobile bidding adopted at numerous events, especially in metropolitan areas.

This fire is fueled by the many new vendors pouring into this space.  Prices are falling and the technology is improving.  The mobile bidding of the past – and by “past” I mean 18 months ago – has morphed into text bidding.  Instead of giving each guest a bidding device upon entering the gala, guests will be encouraged to use their own cell phone and bid through a downloadable application or via text.

Moving forward, I don’t think you’ll see auction guests carrying around event-provided devices and key cards as much as you’ll see committees encouraging guests to use their own phones to bid.

The second nonprofit auction trend of 2012 rests with online auctions.

Online charity auctions have steadily gained in popularity over the last 10 years, but I think 2012 is the year when they will start to combine with the onsite gala auction experience.   This merge could take several forms.

For instance, the final bid price achieved in the online auction might become the starting bid in the silent or live auction held onsite.

Or online bidders could be invited to place bids – in real time – during the live gala auction.  This last technique has a proven history in commercial auctions but is generally new to the benefit auction scene. Warning to auction chairs: this adds considerable complexity to the onsite gala. But at times, it would be worth the heartburn.

And finally, no nonprofit auction trend forecast is complete unless it covers food.  In 2012, food trends will continue to spill over into charity auctions.  Small, mini, and petite is what I expect to see on serving trays and buffet tables.  The invasion of cake pops, mini cupcakes, and bite-sized delectables will give a fresh look to a gala’s dessert menu.  (It also means I have less guilt about polishing off three desserts.)

I’ll be taking notes this year as my team and I work onsite at more than 55 charity auctions around the USA.  Stay tuned!

(You can hear this story “live” in my free call, “The Five Myths Holding You Back From Making Big Money at Your Auction Fundraiser.”)

About 8 years ago, I’d been paid by a Pennsylvania art company to conduct an all-art auction.  As a hired gun, I was to arrive onsite at a given time and conduct the event.

First I was accosted by the disgruntled client who was extremely unhappy with the type of art that had been shipped to them.  “This doesn’t fit our crowd!” one of the committee members said.

Whoops, too late.

Then I unintentionally insulted the truck driver.  He reacted strongly, “hissing” at me all night as he moved artwork.  Later I learned that he’d been in a bad mood long before I’d arrived, thanks to a confrontation with the auction committee.

The auction was rough with few bids (argh, that art selection), but I managed to get through it, despite my nervousness.

I wasn’t out of the woods.  As I tallied the auction results, it became clear that all of those consigned pieces and the resulting “no sales” had taken a toll on the evening’s hoped-for revenue.  The nonprofit was required to pay a certain amount of money onsite, but the auction committee was adamant they wouldn’t pay.  In their mind, the art company made egregious errors.

I cried all the way home.  All 3.5 hours.

If I could go back to that night and tell my younger self everything I know now, the first 3 years of my auction life would have been much, much better.

If you’re working on a benefit auction, you’re likely struggling.  You’re doing it the hard way, without realizing it.

You see, after interviewing dozens and dozens of auction chairs, I’m spilling the research beans.  This is how women like you answered the question, “If only I’d known X.”  It’s what they’d tell their younger pre-auction self.

On October 27 I’ll be hosting a free call to reveal The Five Myths Holding You Back From Making Big Money at Your Auction Fundraiser.” These are the misconceptions of auction planners that hurt their event’s profitability.

I’ll also be sharing details of how you can get involved with my next Profitable Auction Blueprint® course, which will launch in November.

I’ll see you there!

P.S.  Lines are limited by my teleconference company, so don’t delay in signing up!  Register here.

© 2011 Red Apple Auctions Co.  All Rights Reserved.