One of the more dreaded activities of holding an auction fundraiser is managing registration and checkout -- or, as I like to call it, "Guest Services." Even without auction software, Guest Services is not an impossible task for an auction committee to pull off, but it does require organization, speed, and -- most importantly -- an understanding of the entire process. There are dozens of tasks that must be managed between when the guest arrives at the gala and when they leave at night's ... Read On >
Benefit Auctions Blog
Yes, still print an auction catalog
Printed catalogs disappeared during the pandemic when virtual galas emerged, and some of my clients have questioned whether they need to produce one now that they've returned to in-person events. "They are laborious," they complain, "Can't guests just look at their phone if they want to read about an item?" For live auction items, I'm a believer in having a hard-copy written description -- but it doesn't need to be fancy. (You'll see 3 widely differing examples in the video.) That ... Read On >
Getting more impact from your decor and theme
I don’t often comment on themes, décor, or non-fundraising components of a gala. But today I will. Recently I've been noticing the gifts, décor pieces, and tchotchkes shared with guests at galas. Many of them are tied to the theme of the event. I got to thinking that I should be doing a better job of mentioning these decor elements and tying them into the mission or theme of the gala. I was reminded of a course I took ~15 years ago. It was a “speak to sell” course, teaching would-be ... Read On >
Auction galas are team sports; not solo competitions
I had a client who had a great auction in year #1 of working with them, but year #2 was … blah. The auction wasn’t horrible, but it didn’t hit where I think it should have, given the big gains we saw in year #1. In my estimation, the reason for the change came down to one thing: Resting on one’s laurels. Instead of putting forth the same effort applied in year #1, the client took the attitude that since the auction was so much better in year #1, I would lead it to the same success in year ... Read On >
Conducting a phygital NFT auction
If you work for a nonprofit and an NFT is donated to your charity for the annual auction gala, you might find this video of interest. Back in May 2022, I was part of a "first." According to its organizers, the event I share in this video was the first — or certainly one of the first – phygital NFT auctions in the world. (Phygital = physical + digital) I am not a Web3 or NFT expert. This becomes abundantly clear as I stumble through describing basic NFT terms. Nonetheless, I hope this gives ... Read On >