Here's a clever way to ensure guests keep their auction bid card as they mingle during the silent auction reception. One of my client's included key information on the back of each paddle. The guest's name Guest's table number Schematic diagram of the ballroom, with highlighting on the table at which the guest would be seated. (Notice that the guest's table is highlighted in yellow to make it easy for the guest to locate.) An introduction of the auctioneer Information about ... Read On >
Bid Number / Paddle
Using the auction bid paddle as a sponsorship opportunity
Some nonprofits will print a guest's bid number on both sides of an auction bid paddle. The benefit of this approach is that regardless of which side of the paddle is shown to the auctioneer, the bid number is viewed. Another idea is to sell the space on the back of the bid paddle. The back of the bid paddle can be combined with other benefits and offered to a single sponsor at a high commitment level, or it can be sold as a standalone benefit to a company underwriting a specific ... Read On >
Reusable auction bid paddle sticks: Good for storage and sponsors
I have an old video (it was my first video ever) that educates on what makes for a good fundraising auction bid paddle. It's hideous. It has all the markings of a first-time video, including awkward speaking, less-than-perfect audio, and bad hair. But the content is good. Even 9 years later, people comment on the video, thanking me for the information that helped them decide on a good bid paddle for their fundraiser. One idea the video doesn't share is the idea of reusable bid ... Read On >
Part 3: The raging debate on silent auction bid numbers versus names
This is a 3-part blog post, explaining why benefit auctions should identify guests with bid numbers instead of names. The first post looked at the benefits of using numbers in a Fund a Need. The second post examined the use of numbers in the live auction. Today we'll turn to the silent auction. +++++++++++++++++ Why you should use silent auction bid numbers (not names) on your bidding sheets. Why do this? It's an easy answer. Because you'll raise more money. A big ... Read On >