I worked a fundraising gala this weekend in Martha's Vineyard, MA and the nonprofit used mobile bidding in its silent auction. Because it's on my mind, today I'm addressing three conversations that often arise about mobile bidding. ============================= 1. "Mobile bidding" isn't synonymous to "nonprofit auction software." I know, the jargon is confusing. Better to say that mobile bidding is a feature of some nonprofit auction software platforms. Referring to them as the ... Read On >
Mobile Bidding / E-bidding
List of 35+ silent auction software vendors (including mobile bidding)
This is a good post to share with your other Gala Chairs who are seeking to invest or change their auction software, but don't know all the players. ============================== It's been five years since I published a list of silent auction software vendors. Specifically it was a list of mobile bidding software vendors. Back then, mobile bidding had been growing in popularity. Sharing a list of companies selling the tool seemed like a good idea. I struggled with what to name ... Read On >
Selling better sex and other awkward fundraising auction donations
These are real fundraising auction donations that have been sold by nonprofits. Vasectomy Vaginal tightening Various cosmetic surgery, cosmetic procedures, and diagnostics (e.g. injections, tummy tucks, impotence evaluation) Fertility treatment (IVF) I'm fairly certain that every donation received made the gala chair wince, followed by a "How am I going to sell this" moment. Though I have sold these types of donations in live auctions, they don't belong there. First, ... Read On >
[Video] Model this sound system for a silent auction
One of the most difficult venues to hold an auction is in a gym. Though the venue often offers adequate space, it is a difficult place to control audio. By design, gyms are noisy venues. No one wants to sit through a quiet basketball game, so gyms are designed to deflect the slightest utterance. The shape of the building and the hard surfaces reverberate the sound, bouncing it around the room to make the noise louder and less clear. This presents a problem for fundraising auctions. We ... Read On >
[VIDEO] Silent auction layout when using mobile bidding
I'm in the thick of the fall auction season. Last week I was working all across the country, so expect to see more videos down the road -- as I have time to organize them. :) In this first clip, you'll see an auction layout of an event I worked two weeks ago here in Washington, D.C. The organization, Chris4Life Colon Cancer Foundation, is only five years old. Yet the group has already raised a whopping $7 million dollars to fight colon cancer. (Impressive!) They have three core ... Read On >