This will come as no surprise to you, I’m sure, but scoring a couple of tickets to the uber-popular franchise’s traveling exhibit would be a suh-weeeeet item to add to your silent auction fundraiser.

Harry Potter, The Exhibition has been making the circuit showcasing all the cool stuff that goes into making the wizardry onscreen.  Chicago and Boston were on the calendar earlier this year.  Ontario, Canada is its current home, but the exhibit will be back stateside to open in Seattle on October 23, 2010.

The exhibition seems to be held in science centers and museums.  If you’ve got one of those in a zip code near you, give the place a call.  The official Harry Potter, The Exhibition website promises “more locations coming soon” but only lists two.  Perhaps your museum is on the calendar but it’s not yet updated on the website.

The tickets would be snapped up in your silent auction, especially given the marketing push underway for the first part of the final installment of the movie series (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows), due to be released in November 2010.  (The second and final part will be out in July 2011.)

For other magical ideas to sell in your silent auction (or live auction) fundraiser, get my FREE Auction Item Guide, listing the top 100 items selling OVER value in benefit auctions.

© Red Apple Auctions Co.  All Rights Reserved.

Congratulations to the finalists.  There are several non-profit and associations listed, even in the traditional categories– huzzah!  And some of them even had a live or silent auction as part of the festivities.

Based on my observation of the Washington, D.C. awards, BizBash has traditionally favored event “glitz” over event “financials” (i.e. a large glamorous fundraising event will earn more kudos than a simple event that makes more net profit), so – if you’re placing bets – I’d lean towards that.

Meanwhile, I’ll be waiting with bated breath.  Winners will be announced at BizBash’s Expo on August 19 at the Merchandise Mart.

Good luck!

© Red Apple Auctions Co.  All Rights Reserved.

Photo is from the website http://www.mixonwheels.com/v1/

I received a random email blast for which I’d not signed up.  AKA, spam.

But I check most emails before I delete them, and the words “Silent Party” caught my eye.

Thinking it was something related to a silent auction, I struggled to understand the press release.  Baffled, I looked at the photos … then clicked the website videos.

Aha, I got it.

For those of you planning a silent auction for 20-somethings (Millennials), this might work for you.

Let me explain this better than the press release.

There’s a souped-up Hummer that will drive to your event site. Inside the Hummer (official name: “Mix On Wheels“) is a full-fledged DJ sound booth.  It will blast music and lights to get your dance party started.  Two DJ’s run the portable sound show.

But assume you’re in an area with stringent regulations on decibel levels.  If loud music isn’t allowed, how can you have a dance party?

Photo is from the website http://www.silentpartyusa.com/specification.php

To solve the problem, the company (official name:  “Silent Party USA“) gives all 1,000 of your party-goers headsets.  The only people who hear the dance party (or any other announcements) are those wearing headsets.

Can it be used for your benefit auction geared towards Millennials?

It might be fun.  I wouldn’t bother having a live auction with this, but there’s usually multiple activities taking place during a silent auction anyway.

Have the silent auction and make announcements through the headsets … directly into the ears of the guests.

(This is my favorite part.  Headsets on every auction guest has got to be the best sound system ever for an auction.)  As the silent auction closes, the music gets more intense and draws everyone to the dance floor.

It might work, sort of pulling technology into your silent auction in a newfangled way.

© 2010 Red Apple Auctions Co. All Rights Reserved.

P.S.  Don’t leave my blog without claiming your free gift!  It’s my top 100 items sold in benefit auctions.

Benefit Auctioneer Sherry Truhlar sells at a gala.

When groups are looking for fundraising ideas, many add a silent auction to an existing event. I’ve heard of and seen silent auctions at all types of fundraisers and friend-raisers: dinners, fairs, golf outings, networking events, sorority meetings, and church functions.  The silent auction is casually added to the mix of activities with the hopes that it will generate some needed funds.

And it does.  Sort of.

Make no mistake, people LOVE silent auctions!

Many people like them because they are hoping to take home “a deal.”

They like to poke around in the silent auction, seeing what’s available that they might be able to pick up at a discount.

Silent auctions are also popular because they are unobtrusive.

Items can be displayed on a table somewhere and are often (sadly) generally ignored until pick-up.

Unlike some auctioneers I know, I’m the first to admit that live auctions don’t work at every fundraiser.  Some of the auctions my company works each year are silent auctions only.  And to be honest, I wouldn’t recommend that those charities incorporate a live auction into their event unless they are prepared to make some changes.  A live auction won’t work in their current set-up.

But if you are thinking of adding a silent auction to an existing event because you really need to raise more money, here’s my advice.

Look at your existing event.  If there’s a way to add a live auction into your event, do that. Don’t add a silent auction. 

A live auction will make you a lot MORE money for a lot LESS work. (And don’t you think that sounds good?)

Here’s just one example.

A few years ago, one of my clients decided to add an auction to an established spring fundraiser.  They were planning on incorporating a silent auction into the event, but changed their minds after one of the volunteers suggested calling me.  We held a live auction (no silent auction) at their festive, carnival-type event.  It went better than they hoped. 

It earned almost 3X what they had expected.

Five years later, this charity decided to incorporate an auction into their fall fundraiser.  They wanted to try a silent auction on their own.  After the event, they called me.  “We’re going to have a live auction at the fall fundraiser, too,” they said, “The results were a big disappointment.  We didn’t raise nearly what we’d hoped and it was a lot of work.”

So the next year (in 2009), we conducted two live auctions for this charity: one at their carnival-like spring event, and another at their hoe-down fall event.  That hoe-down fall event, which was held during the deepest part of the recession, earned double the funds raised in 2008.  That is the power of a well-crafted live auction.

Friends, I personally love silent auctions (hey, I like to shop, too!).

But I’m being frank.

If the goal is fundraising and your event allows for it, opt for the live auction.  It will pay off for you in the end.

© 2010 Red Apple Auctions LLC

P.S.  If this post was helpful, you’ll *love* my e-newsletter and FREE gift:  Click here to subscribe to Benefit Auction Ideas.

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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This stunning (and it was!) hand blown glass vessel and tripod had a value of $6000. It saddens me to say what it sold for, so I won't.

I’m going to make a bold statement:  Avoid selling traditional art in your live auction, unless you are an exclusive art auction.

Traditional art pieces — items like sculptures, paintings, drawings, and mixed media which are produced by a professional artist who makes his or her living from selling artwork – are risky auction items for the standard, non-art benefit auction.

Art is too subjective.  What I like, you don’t.  What fits my home décor, doesn’t match yours.  Art has limited appeal, and the goes against the most general of fundraising auction strategies which is to select auction items with broad appeal.

Are there exceptions?  Of course! 

Your school can sell artwork made by the children.  And an arts organization whose entire focus is on art may have an art-loving and art-buying crowd (although even art auctions can be tweaked).

Despite best intentions, sometimes art is included in the live auction.  Perhaps a respected donor insists that you sell her artwork, or a renegade Board member has a best friend who happens to be a “great” artist.  What do you do then?

Consider these auction tips:

This local artist's painting was the first item to sell outright in the silent auction.

• Well-known local artists will sell better than non-local artists.

An Orville Bulman reproduction had aggressive bidding activity in Palm Beach, FL fundraiser.  A Sara Linda Poly landscape sold immediately at the highest price point available in Arlington, VA.  These local-to-the-area artists enjoyed great sales, but switch these two pieces of art to the other location and watch the bidding suffer.  Your guests will enjoy supporting local talented artists.

• Ask for a piece with an achievable price point for your audience.

An artist might regularly sell his pieces for $10,000, but if your audience is a $2000 top-end crowd, you’re going to have a lot of work ahead of you to get that piece to sell close to value.  Give the artist a price range of what your audience typically spends on various items so he can select something appropriate.

• Never put art in the live auction just because the artist suggests you should.

Artists want to protect their reputation.  They don’t want to sell a piece for less than a given price because they are afraid it will affect the value of their other artwork.  Some make a donation with the stipulation that the item can’t sell unless it reaches a given price.

On the flip side, your charity isn’t concerned about the artist’s reputation.  You merely want the money to support your cause!

If you are offered a piece of art with this stipulation, you might be better off to decline the donation because the piece might never sell.

Earlier this year I worked an auction where the same piece of art has been for sale three times in a silent auction!  No one would buy it for the mandated price.  The print has become a ball-and-chain donation. The event manager is now the responsible agent for the item, moving it from storage to venue each year, and taking responsibility for protecting it from damage.   The audience has seen that same print for three years in a row.  Can we say, “BORRRRing!”

© 2005 – 2010 Red Apple Auctions LLC by Sherry Truhlar

P.S. As great as this information is, it’s old news.

I shared these ideas months ago with readers of my free e-zine, Benefit Auction Ideas.  Subscribe here.

Charity auctioneer Sherry Truhlar with Santa during a live auction fundraiser. (Photo by Greg "Fritz" Blakey of www.FritzPhotoGraphics.com)

As part of my auction consulting services with clients, I’m often asked for my opinion about items.  “Should we include this airfare?”  one will inquire.  Or, “How should we promote this?”

If my client is only conducting a silent auction, I am never asked whether an item belongs in the silent auction or live auction – there’s no choice!  But if the auction fundraiser includes both components, the “silent versus live” debate often arises.

In this post, I want to discuss how an auction item can be affected by its placement in a silent section versus the live auction.

A good silent auction item gets an outstanding display at this auction fundraiser. It's a visit with Santa.

One of my clients has a wonderful patron who looks like Santa Claus.  He’s a friendly guy (although the photo above isn’t necessarily his best shot) and looks remarkably like Santa.  All around the world, people stop him to comment on his resemblance to St. Nick.

In 2008 the charity created a fun auction item package in which this patron agreed to dress as Santa and attend a holiday party.  The item sold in the live auction almost $2000. It was so popular, we might have even sold it twice.

In 2009, the item was moved into the silent auction.  There were two active bidders, and it sold for around $600.

Why the difference?  Marketing. There are specific marketing techniques that should be used for silent auction items, and a different set of marketing techniques that should be used for live auction items.

But even when those are followed, there will be a difference in sale price because of the method of sale and the marketing to support it. Putting an item in the live auction will always garner it more money than what it can bring in during a silent auction.

Keep this point in mind as you structure your fundraising auction to maximize revenue.

(c) copyright Red Apple Auctions LLC

Yes, yes .. I know they are fruits. But you could just as easily put vegetables in the display glass to make a (healthy) centerpiece.

Say what?  Auction item ideas … for vegetables?

A group asked me about vegetables recently, so I thought some of you others might be wondering, too.

It’s not that crazy of an idea.  I already broached the topic (sort of) this past summer in my post Four Ideas for Farm-to-Table Donations.

Here are some benefit auction ideas for those not-so-lowly, rich-in-antioxidants vegetables.

* Centerpieces

See the photos for ideas.

* Decor

Use them as a “display” when showcasing auction packages, both in the silent auction and the live auction.  For instance, if you’re selling cooking lessons, or the opportunity for a chef to visit your home and prepare a meal, having a few potatoes and fresh green beans on a cutting board might get the idea across.

* Silent auction item

A fall-themed centerpiece used gourds. This could also work as simple decor in other parts of the auction.

Put veggies in a basket and sell it as “A Farmer’s Market Special, without the trip to the market.”

Or if you’ve got an auction donation such as a crock pot, juicer, cookbooks, or cooking pots, throw some veggies into the auction package to make the display look less sterile.

* Live auction item

CSA’s are hot!  It’s a growing trend.

If you can get a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) group to offer you an annual subscription, that might be sexy enough to become a live auction item in your benefit auction. I’ve got a couple of clients who could easily sell this donation in a live auction and bring good money.

Or another option … that CSA donation would also be an excellent raffle item. It’s not gender-specific, and it’s something many people wouldn’t necessarily think to buy, but would enjoy it.

Now it’s YOUR turn.  Any other ideas on how to use vegetables in an auction fundraiser?

(c) 2009 Red Apple Auctions LLC

A hand-written one-time-use bid board is placed at the check-out area of this auction. It lets guests know if they won.

Some organizations deliver purchased merchandise to each guest while they are seated at their tables.  But most organizations require guests to pick-up their auction items at the end of the evening. Here’s a silent auction idea to save you some time.

A common question my team fields from the guests is, “How will I know if I won anything in the silent auction?  If I didn’t win anything, I don’t want to stand in the check-out line.”

How can you easily let bidders know if they won?

There are several ways to let winners know.  The simplest way is to use signage.

Signage can be reusable or one-time use.

This reusable bid board was placed near the check-out area. The circled bid numbers alerted guests that they needed to pick-up an item.

Reusable auction signage is made of a material (a chalkboard or white board) that allows winning bid numbers to be circled and erased each year.  In contrast, signage meant to be used once is constructed of posterboard or foamcore.

Signage should list the winning bid numbers in numerical order. This allows a bidder to quickly scan the list and see if he’s a winner.

The signage should not list the names of the winners or the items they won. That information is unnecessary to the purpose of the winning bid board.  In fact, the only reason a guest’s name would be listed is if the organization isn’t using bid numbers.  (And if your group isn’t using bid numbers, why on earth not?  The benefits of using bid numbers are well established.)

Place the auction signage in areas easily seen by guests.

1.  If guests must exit the main area from a common door (such as guests leaving from a single ballroom door), the signage can be displayed just outside those doors.  Guests will view the sign as they walk through the door on their way to coat check and check-out.  I recommend stationing a volunteer or two next to the sign to draw attention to it, just as an airline will station a representative outside of the jetway to alert offloading passengers of gate changes.

2.  The signage can also be posted near the check-out area itself.  Put the sign on a easel so it’s at eye-level or a little above for easy viewing and reading.

At this large event with several hundred guests, the winning silent auction bid numbers were listed on a Powerpoint slide and displayed on the A/V screens. Guests knew whether they'd won any items in the silent auction long before the live auction started.

In addition (or in place of) signage, your event can make use of A/V screens by displaying the winning bid numbers on the screen.

A volunteer will need to create a Powerpoint slide once the high bidders are finalized.  Save the slide to a handy zip drive and run it over to the individual handling the A/V equipment.  He can easily upload the slide and display it to the crowd.  While guests enjoy their meal, they can see whether they had the winning bid in the silent auction.

Like this idea?  Click here for more silent auction tips.

And here’s a silent auction idea for an item (maybe a tad crazy) worth reading.

(c) 2009 Red Apple Auctions LLC

Popham Caustics I by John Harris. This 26" x 26" oil on linen inspired some generosity.

Here’s a feel-good story.

Tonight I worked at a small auction fundraiser.  The crowd was around 80 guests, and they had 12 hand-crafted art items.  There was no silent auction or raffles.  There was no sit-down dinner.  My crew stayed at home, and I worked alone.

I arrived with my bag, took a few photos of the space, and then started to admire the hand-crafted, high-end art items they had for sale.  When guests arrived, I mingled.

The advantage of small auctions is that I have more time to visit with the guests.  REALLY visit.  I’m not talking about chit-chat on auction items, but really start to talk.  We women in particular are good at picking up on those “good energy” vibes and we start to think, “I want to hang out with this person!”

After the auction, I heard this story — from three different guests – about one of the attendees. It is a lovely story, and I wanted to share it with you.

This particular gentleman – I’ll call him Mr. X – was standing in the back.  As bidding progressed on some earrings, the competition narrowed to one man and one woman.  The price rose … and the woman backed out.  She clearly wanted the jewelry, but couldn’t go beyond a particular point.

As I was ready to sell them to the gentleman, Mr. X stepped up to the side of the woman and bid.  Then bid again.  And again.  And again.  Then … SOLD! … to Mr. X.

Later, a photo-realistic oil painting  of water by artist John Harris came up for sale.  Mr. X became an active bidder.  The piece was popular … many bidders jumped in to play … the bidders narrowed to two … and Mr. X won the battle.

As he paid for the merchandise (which was in the four figures) and the volunteer handed him the earrings, he pointed in the direction of the woman he had stood beside.  “You can give those earrings to her,” he said.  When presented with the gifted earrings, the woman was stunned and ecstatic!

Turns out the painting was also a gift, for a friend’s father who was dying and always loved the water.

One of the auction attendees knew this man personally.  She said this gentleman makes it his life’s mission to give 50% of his earnings to charity.

And I don’t mean only government-registered, tax deductible, 501(c)(3) charities, but any charity.  Down-on-their-luck folks… sick friends… the poor … the tired … the mangy dog …. anyone he perceives as needing a friend.  His generousity reached national attention over 10 years ago when the media heard his story and he was featured on a 60 Minutes segment.

To honor his decision to donate half of his income, he lives a modest life.  In addition to his full-time job, he maintains a second job editing textbooks.  He doesn’t look for the publicity, but media tend to find uncommon stories like his.

There is no moral here.  I’ve no auction tips.  Just a fun story about human compassion and love.

(c) 2009 Red Apple Auctions LLC