As seen on the shelf in my grocery store: Oprah's Dec 2009 "O Magazine" cover has a teaser in the upper right corner about winning a trip "to the Oprah Show."

I am often asked what is the best auction item to secure for an auction fundraiser.

Easy answer:  Tickets to The Oprah Winfrey Show

In your fundraising auction, Oprah will outsell tickets to the Superbowl, a private helicopter charter to a Relaix and Chateaux property, and even the chance for a Presidential meet-and-greet.

Friends, when Oprah tickets are up against any other auction item, it is — to borrow a WWE term — an Oprah SmackDown.

As one auction guest told me, “Even if you aren’t a huge fan of Oprah, she’s so generous, you might happen to be in the audience on the day she gives everybody some fabulous gift … like a car.”

Last week, Oprah announced she’s leave the show in the the fall 2011, at the end of its 25th season.  But she’s not retiring.  She’ll reappear in some fashion on her new venture, The Oprah Winfrey Network, which will replace the Discovery Health channel.

So right now, I imagine that Oprah and her team are busy planning one heck of a 2-year-long going-away party.  I predict that these last few months of her show will be stellar.  I suspect she’ll include twice as many surprises.  And I know that any group which manages to secure tickets to any one of her final shows will make an awful lot of money for its fundraising auction.  Wahoo!  

My advice: Draft your letter.

1. If you know someone affiliated with The Oprah Winfrey Show — or even someone affiliated with similar shows — always start by asking your contact.  Knowing somebody who knows somebody might be all it takes to get some of the limited VIP audience tickets often set aside for talk shows.
2. If that’s not an option, draft your letter.  Write to the show, explain your cause, and ask for tickets.  You’ll have a better shot if your cause is one that is aligned to Oprah’s beliefs: living your best life, being true to yourself, helping children, etc.  If this doesn’t sound like your charity, save your time (and Oprah’s) by directing your efforts on securing a different auction item.  (For a related post, I talked about the importance researching a celebrity’s interests here.)
   

P.P.S.  If you personally want to secure tickets to The Oprah Winfrey Show, the acquisition steps are different.  I’ll outline the process here, only because I suspect some readers would like to know.

A few years ago, The Oprah Winfrey Show had a call-in process.  It’s since been transferred to an Internet-based reservation lottery system on www.Oprah.com.  Fans can become a (free) member on the site, and — once inside your member profile site — access the Show Reservations area. When the reservation window is open, you are able to submit your request.  (P.S.  At the time of this writing, the window is not open as no shows are being taped in December 2009. The window will re-open in January 2010.)

Within 24 hours of the reservation window closing, the seats are filled by a random selection process.  If you are one of the chosen, you’ll be sent an email.  You’ll have 48 hours to respond to the instructions in order to claim your tickets.  (And by the way … you’ll need to provide the first and last names and ages of all of your guests when you submit for a reservation!  In addition to the lottery, this added level of detail is part of why it’s difficult to get tickets, and why you would not follow this format if you are trying to acquire tickets to be donated to a charity.)

Finally, Oprah’s site makes it clear that only tickets received through the show’s reservation system are valid, and that people should not be paying for tickets.  That said, I do know legitimate charities have received Oprah tickets to sell at their non-profit fundraisers.  Clearly, those tickets are coming through other channels and not through the “en masse” reservation system on the Website.  So although repeated entries through the show’s online reservation might improve your odds of winning tickets for your personal use, those tickets are not likely eligible for sale in an auction fundraiser.

Copyright (c) 2009 Red Apple Auctions LLC

A handful of the non-profit galas I work have a dramatically diverse mix of guests. The crowd is comprised of three distinct groups:

• non-paying clients
• non-paying (or reduced-ticket-price) employees of the non-profit
• paying guests

Although I can appreciate why a handful of “free” guests might be allowed to attend (e.g. a reward to an employee, or asking someone to speak), in a few auctions I’ve worked, the majority of the attendees — the majority! — were non-paying or reduced-paying guests.

Let’s consider three points as to why this might be a bad idea.

1. What is the purpose of your benefit auction fundraiser?

When an event manager is given an assignment to plan any event, the first question they are taught to ask is, “Why are you having this event?” In other words: “What is the purpose of this auction … party … celebration … shindig?”

This concept was pounded into us students during my first class in event management at George Washington University. It’s a critical point because the answer to the question sets the tone for the entire event.

So what happens when you have non-paying clients, non-paying (or reduced-fee) employees, and paying guests?

It confuses the focus.

The “why” becomes unclear because the event is attempting to fulfill three different roles: client appreciation dinner, organizational picnic, and fundraiser.

Which is it? The event can’t successfully be all things to all people, so pick one goal and build the event to meet that goal.

2. The “wrong” people are offered an incentive to attend.

If the goal is to raise money for your cause, a free ticket structure works against the ability to do so. Why?

By not charging employees and clients to attend, the organization is offering those two groups of people an incentive to attend, yet these two groups will help the mission of fundraising the least.

If anything — and I don’t advise this — a “free ticket” incentive would be given to those who can afford to donate to the mission. Clients and employees rarely have the deep pockets needed to help an organization raise significant money, so hypothetically, if anyone was offered free tickets, it would make sense to offer them to business people, thereby encouraging them to attend and support your cause.

3. Unscripted client interaction could prove risky

When you plan a dinner party, you likely put some thought into the people attending and their unique personalities. “I’ll introduce my neighbors Joe and Julie to my friends Rob and Carol,” you might think, “They’ll get along great!”

If you want guests to have a positive experience, you wouldn’t introduce Joe and Julie to your mean-spirited aunt and uncle … or your downtrodden and depressing friend Delores. In fact, you likely wouldn’t even invite your aunt, uncle, and friend to the party because the aren’t a fit for the evening’s plans.

The success of social events like dinner parties (and non profit auctions) depends on the personalities of the guests.

At many fundraising auctions, guests see the event as a way to network with other people like themselves. A widely disparate audience makes networking more challenging and likely decreases donations.

Consider this hypothetical situation: If you operate a soup kitchen, and John Smith wants to interact with your clients, John will likely volunteer in the soup kitchen when you offer opportunities to do so. He is willing to put himself in that environment and serve your charity in that way.

But if you are throwing elegant benefit auctions with a $100 ticket prices, John might not expect to bump into the same people he served in the soup kitchen. It might not upset John (because John volunteers in your soup kitchen anyway), but it might be a jolt to John’s invited guest, Tim.

Tim has heard a lot about your charity from John, but Tim is not the kind of guy who would ever volunteer to serve soup in your kitchen. John and Tim could both be great supporters of your charity’s mission, but — like all of us — they are drawn to different activities.

Guests will certainly enjoy hearing a well-constructed testimonial from a client at an appropriate time in the evening.

But if a guest interacts with a client who doesn’t give a well-constructed testimonial, or who hasn’t been coached, or who hasn’t yet reached their potential from using your non-profit’s services, the interaction could leave a less-than-glowing impression of your fundraising event to a potential donor.

Remember: Plan your auction fundraiser with your end goal in mind. If your clients can make you money at your charity event, bring them in!   If not, reconsider.

(c) 2009 Red Apple Auctions LLC