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.

You have 6 seconds to perform.

Last month I spoke at the Missouri Meetings and Events Expo “Boot Camp” in St. Louis. During the cocktail reception, I wandered by an activity that might be included among your silent auction ideas.

A green screen was set-up in front of a camera. Fun props were piled on a table nearby. In essence, the subject (moi) selects a background and then “performs” in front of the camera for 6 seconds.

Record A Hit had several backgrounds.  I selected the St. Louis arch, given our location. Next I had to think of what I was going to do in front of the camera for 6 seconds.

Groups can perform, but more than 4 or 5 won't fit.

Some guests sang and played air guitar; others danced or interacted in silly ways. I scanned the room for the fun Doubletree sales rep I’d met earlier but — not finding her — decided I needed to handle this performance solo.

I opted to pretend like I was at a Rams game cheering on the team … which really is pretending as I have as much interest in football as I do cooking.  Which is to say, zero interest.

The two videos at the bottom of this post and my photos will give you an idea of the book’s progression.

The images are assembled into a booklet.

If you’re seeking some new silent auction ideas, this activity would work. You might consider charging, depending on your fundraising gala.

You’ll want to check with Robert Broms of Record a Hit, but I think he told me that a 3-person crew can complete 75 booklets in an hour.   Knowing that, small auction galas would likely be a better fit, or — if you’ve got 1,000 people attending your benefit auction– you’d have to bring in more crews to create the books. I can see parents wanting to take this home to show the kids.

Flipping through the book creates a motion picture.

It took about 5 minutes for them to complete my flip book.  With the cutting and assembling required, there is more handiwork involved than creating a typical portrait.

But on the flip side (pun intended), that would be enough time for your guests to bid in the silent auction.  “Go bid on those silent auction items over there,” the team would tell your guest,” and we’ll have this ready in 15 minutes.”

If more than one copy of the flip book is assembled, it takes longer.  Had I performed with my Doubletree friend and we’d both wanted copies, the wait time would be longer.

Your silent auction ideas could include a flip book.

I’ve written before about the best silent auction ideas for entertainment, but not posted them on the blog.  To ensure you don’t miss future ideas, subscribe to my free e-zine, Benefit Auction Ideas.
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© 2011 Red Apple Auctions Co.  All Rights Reserved.

This attractive display is supported by great signage listing the wines. Kudos!

Last time I counted, there are 157 points you need to meet in order to ensure your silent auction will rock. Covering all of those would make for a hideously long blog post, so I’m going to talk about a mere three points.

I’m calling it “the good, the bad, and the ugly.”

The Good

One of the smaller auctions I work has about 200 guests. Year after year this group has consistently managed to make their silent auction adorable. How do they do it?

One point they do exceptionally well is to offer fetching displays with clear signage.

Take a look at these 12 wines, none of which are overly expensive. Tagged as “Screw Top Elegance,” the fun box flirts with bidders.  But the nonprofit doesn’t rely on that alone.  They provide clearly displayed signage listing the wines to make it oh-so-easy for guests to understand the package.

Why is this bad? Because you think the candlesticks are for sale, and they aren't.

The Bad

Two years ago I worked a silent auction in a five-star property. Many aspects of the evening stung my heart. The committee was short on volunteers so despite securing some nice donations, many items never reached their sale potential.

Case in point: Look at the right photo. See those lovely candlesticks with the bid sheet in front of them?

Stop before you bid.

Read that bid sheet and you’ll learn that dance lessons — not candlesticks — are for sale. Those candlesticks were part of the hotel’s decor and happened to reside on that table.

Deceiving displays confuse guests.

Even if you get high bids, you risk complications at check-out when a guest says, “I didn’t bid on dance lessons. I bid on candlesticks.”

The Ugly

How many items can you fit on an 8′ table?

More than I ever dreamed!

Yikes! This is clearly a few too many items for this silent auction table.

Crowding and doubling up items on a table isn’t a good way to present your packages.

Sometimes our auctions are limited by the amount of space we have.  Either we need to ante up and rent a larger venue, or scale down the auction.

When presented with this silent auction table, guests can become overwhelmed.  Some won’t stop to look at any of the items … others might stand in one spot forever, preventing others from viewing.

Space it out to spiff it up.  You’ll have a stronger bottom line performance.

Want more help and FREE training teleclasses?  I publish that information in Benefit Auction Ideas.  You also enjoy 100 silent auction item ideas … for free!

© 2011 Red Apple Auctions Co. All Rights Reserved.

Here's an attractive (and fairly common) way to display a necklace using a box.

Auction volunteers looking for creative ways to display jewelry in the silent auction will appreciate this approach.

Most often I see necklaces draped over a box.  Sometimes it’s the same box the piece will be packaged inside when sent home later with the winning bidder.

Boxes work well enough, but I recently spotted a couple of other silent auction display ideas you could use.

Anyone who has heard me speak knows that my background was working in corporate marketing and sales.  I’m always pulling concepts from that realm into the auction.  This latest inspiration is no exception.

Look at the right photos, which I cut out of my latest Wisteria catalog.

Photo credit goes to Wisteria. And if you like the necklaces, head over to their fab online store at www.Wisteria.com.

If you check with your volunteers, surely one has a large scallop shell at their home.  You can see from the ad that a scallop shell can be used to elegantly frame a necklace or bracelet.

Similarly I’d bet that a conch shell would also be an attractive display.  You could use the nubby / pointy parts of the shell to elevate a ring or other piece.

And who doesn’t have a nice vase sitting at home?  With a bit of tape to secure the necklace, a vase could serve as a beautiful way to set off a pretty strand of pearls, stones, or glittery diamonds.

For other helpful ways to plan and promote your silent auction, get your FREE Benefit Auction Ideas.  Silent auction ideas … delivered to your inbox!

© Red Apple Auctions Co.  All Rights Reserved.

The description overlooked providing a date OR day for this activity. We wrote it on the left-hand side.

This is Part 2 of a series examining how missing information on silent auction descriptions costs you revenue in your auction fundraiser.

My floor team are outstanding sales support in any auction.  They find an item and work it until it has bids … or until they have outright sold it to a guest.

But if a silent auction description is lacking key information, my sales reps must leave their post to find someone in the marketing department who knows about this item and can provide the missing details.

Here are some additional common omissions on silent auction donation descriptions.

Guests want to know if the gift cards for chain restaurants are good for ANY of the restaurants in the chain, or only ONE of the restaurants in the chain.

If a guest sees that Morton’s Georgetown has donated a $100 gift card, the first question they ask is, “Excuse me, but could you tell me if this $100 gift card will work at the Morton’s in Tyson’s Corner? Or what about in Boca Raton … I’ve got a sister in Boca who loves Morton’s.  But I just don’t want to drive into Georgetown to use this …. so I’ll bid on it if it works anywhere. Do you know if it works at any Mortons?”

Argh!

If it was in the description, we would have immediately got her to bid on or buy the item.  Instead, we’re chasing down information. Now she might walk off elsewhere, we’ll never find her, and she’ll never come back to bid.

Guests want to know the day of the event, as well as the date.

Tickets to sporting events and theater performances often list the date, but they don’t always mention the day. Yet many of us schedule our lives around days more than dates.

“I take the kids to dance class on Monday afternoons,” remembers the Mom.

“I have my computer class on Thursday nights,” remembers the Dad.

If you provide a day as well as a date, it helps guests decide on whether they are interested in bidding. If they have any doubt about it, they won‘t bid, so it’s important to provide the information upfront.

Guests want to know what is included.

At one auction, my team was scrambling to uncover information on a salon donation. It was being sold in a school’s silent auction and the description was vague.

“A $150 gift card for salon services.”

At first glance, it sounds great.  But two guests were inquiring as to whether the salon focused on cutting hair or esthetician services. What kind of a salon was it?

There was no “menu of services” on display and we had no idea. So during the course of the silent auction, we are researching this item, instead of focusing on the more important task of sales.

On the positive side, at least these guests were asking questions. Often guests won’t even bother to ask … they just won’t bid. This is why complete descriptions are important.

Note: This is the second blog post on this subject.

(c) 2005-2010 Red Apple Auctions, LLC

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