Virtual galas have their own jargon, and one word that quickly became a common term in spring 2020 was the word “latency.” For the purposes of a virtual gala, it refers to the delay between what is happening "live" and what the audience sees via the livestream. The term is most discussed when we talk about two-screen solution virtual galas because it requires that we change the format of the live auction. And by "change the format," I mean we don't have a traditional live auction and ... Read On >
Benefit Auctions Blog
Run your own (auction gala) race
When I started my business, a friend advised me to hire a coach who was no more than five years further along in their business than I was. That way, the coach would still remember the challenges and fears relevant to someone like me. The coach would be able to share tools and strategies appropriate for me -- a solopreneur -- instead of techniques more appropriate for someone operating a business with several employees. Similarly, when planning your auction gala, it doesn't make sense to ... Read On >
Predicting proceeds: Forecasting auction results at your virtual gala
A common question from those planning a virtual gala is how much they should expect to raise from their auction. If you've run an in-person gala in past years, you can use your past yield results to project your revenue. Projections will differ, depending on the type of virtual gala you'll be hosting. If you've not hosted an in-person gala, your projection will be more of a shot in the dark -- yet I'd still encourage you to host a virtual gala this year. Your sunk costs are considerably ... Read On >
Best of live raffle for in-person and virtual galas
The Best of Live raffle is often a good one for in-person fundraising galas, but I find it particularly helpful in virtual galas when we might not be selling the same number of items in the live auction as we typically do in a standard event. Earlier this month a client wanted to educate their Board on this raffle, so I recorded a video describing it. If you're new to the raffle, or just curious as to why I like it for a virtual gala, watch the video. https://youtu.be/zfHDGwZMNU4 ... Read On >
The big push at the end — the email campaign in the final hours
I've talked about the tricky matter of determining guest count at a virtual live gala. And I've also covered three tips for boosting virtual gala attendance. Today I zero in on one suggestion relevant for boosting attendance at your virtual gala -- email marketing. This isn't the year to go light on emails. The day and time of your virtual gala is more easily forgotten than your in-person gala. That's why it's important to remind guests multiple times of when your event is ... Read On >