My master class in procurement (Big Ticket Procurement Secrets) launched last week. We started the 3-week intensive discussing how psychology can be used to improve your auction revenues. Here is an excerpt from that first class. When considering the auction procurement process and the number of silent auction items needed to hit your goal, it’s impossible to do much without first understanding human behavior. Let's look at both your behavior and your guests’ behavior. The natural behavior ... Read On >
Benefit Auctions Blog
Procurement tip: Keep your auction donation request letter handy
This Thursday is the first class of Big Ticket Procurement Secrets. One subject we'll be studying through the three-week intensive course is auction donation request letters. (Get out your red editing pen! Most letters undergo a major overhaul.) When it comes to getting a good response from your requests, it's not just about what you write in your letters. It's also about the format of the letter, when you present it and what you say (if it's verbally presented). A simple but oft overlooked ... Read On >
Whiners on your benefit auction committee?
This past Saturday night while I was working with the very lovely guests supporting the New Hampshire SPCA, a hacker broke into my website. Some of you alerted me via email and Facebook. I never saw the posts because I was working. Until one of my team members called me on Sunday morning, I was blissfully unaware. When I went to the site, I certainly wasn’t happy. But I also didn’t melt into a pile of tears. I recalled a story about a magician who was headed to Las Vegas for a national ... Read On >
Asking for donations (the right ones) isn’t so easy
Below is a training tip excerpt from the complementary "7 Secrets to Procurement" teleclass I recently held. The telelclass served as a preview to our upcoming procurement intensive in December. Thus far, over 50 students have enrolled in Big Ticket Procurement Secrets to learn all the ins and outs when it comes to asking, selling, and getting donations. If getting items, especially getting "better" items, is your auction pain point, please note that the affordable two-pay option closes in a ... Read On >
Silent auction item ideas for fourth quarter auctions
In light of my 3-week procurement master course in December (Big Ticket Procurement Secrets), today I wanted to share some silent auction item ideas that work especially well for groups hosting fourth quarter auctions. ================ If your fundraising auction is in October, November, or December, be sure to include holiday-related décor among your silent auction items. This past Saturday I worked in Louisville, KY for a nonprofit that had a large silent auction. The holiday-specific ... Read On >