Tips to Reduce No-Shows at Your Benefit Auction

By Sherry · Monday, July 6th, 2009

An empty table means lost revenue at a benefit auction.

This past spring, one of my clients experienced a higher-than-usual 9.5% no-show rate at their auction fundraiser If all of the no-shows had been seated together (they weren’t), it would have amounted to over three empty tables.

A significant number of no-shows impacts your charity auction. First, you’ve likely already paid for the food so that is an incurred expense. Second, fewer guests means fewer people to bid on merchandise. Third, if it’s obvious there are a number of guests missing, it may have a negative affect on the guests who are present. “Where is everyone?” will be the question of the hour.

To reduce no-shows, here are some auction tips:

Communicate with your attendees regularly. Consistently send e-mail updates to registered guests. Remind them of your mission, your gala activities, and so forth.

Promote your fundraising auction up to the very last minute. “We’ll see you in three hours! Don’t forget to bring your auction catalog!” might be your last message. If you are using an autoresponder email system, you can create as many emails as you want and have them automatically sent at the time and day you choose. It’s a time-saver! I use this company, which offers non-profits discounted pricing (3 months free with a 25% discount thereafter).

Create a last-minute incentive to attend. Announce that a sponsor has just made a wonderful donation, and you have “a special gift” for the first 50 registrants that night. If the gift is something truly worthwhile, advertise it! “The first 25 bidders to arrive will receive a Tiffany key chain (valued at $45).”

If volunteers tend to be your no-shows, bribe them. Offer them food or a special (free) raffle drawing only open to volunteers. One organization I worked with in Washington, D.C. offered volunteers the chance to win two concert tickets to a performance of their choice. The bucket was in the volunteer room with paper slips and a sign telling volunteers to enter.

Are you a non-profit who has struggled with no-shows?

If so, what strategies have you used that work well?

Please post them below.

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