FAQs
What is your process for working with benefit auction inquiries?
When you contact us to inquire about our services, we will spend about 45 minutes asking you questions about your past events. We offer three different packages. We’ll explain what we offer so you can determine what will work best for your group. For instance, some groups simply need “day of event auction services.” Others want help in maximizing their revenue and seek advice on how to do that.
Some organizations immediately ask us to send them a proposal, while other groups prefer that we make an in-person sales presentation to a larger committee. For convenience, proposals and agreements are sent via email.
Once we receive a signed agreement and a deposit, we countersign the agreement and mail it back to you. A signed agreement means we have committed your date to our calendar. If consulting is part of the agreement, we will contact you to schedule our first meeting.
How do you charge for benefit auction services?
Pricing depends on which package you select, and could be influenced by the event date, and size of the gala.
We saw Red Apple perform, and we want to book you for our charity auction. When should we call?
As soon as your auction date has been established, call us. We cannot book an auction without a date, and we cannot “hold” dates without an agreement and deposit. If you have identified a date or a few dates, call us to check availability. Then, book your venue, and call us back. During the busy season, dates are often booked months in advance.
Tell me about the agreement.
Agreements are around three pages. They outline the services we provide, and list your obligations. One point worth noting is that the gala must have a professional sound system. If your group needs help finding the right audiovisual company, we are happy to offer suggestions. Some A/V companies prefer smaller galas; others work with large crowds. Some have special equipment designed to work in complex buildings, like museums.
Do you require us to use auction software?
Although there are many reasons as to why you *should* invest in benefit auction software, it is possible to conduct an auction using a manual process. In large part, the size of your gala, will determine this. For those events which have reached a certain threshold, most of our clients use Auctionpay or AuctionTracker.
