School Auctions, Fundraising Auctions, Charity Auctioneer

Handheld Bidding Devices

[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 >

Mobile bidding for auctions and one impact on onsite auctions

This post is written in conjunction with three other posts examining the best number of auction items for your live auction, silent auction, or online auction.How many silent auction items are best. How many live auction items are ideal. How many online auction items are good. Today's post, sharing an observation about technology. (Specifically, mobile bidding for auctions.)I've written posts about mobile bidding, but not on this topic. This post gives one example of how mobile ... Read On >

Video: How long should your silent auction last?

You've spent hours gathering silent auction items. The baskets are sealed and ready to be sold. Displays are set up. So now, how long should your silent auction last?   Determining how long your silent auction should be open is the question I tackle in today's video blog.       Got ideas of your own? Share them below. ... Read On >

Ready to see bidders “freak out?” Here’s how … don’t include Extended Bidding in your mobile bidding silent auction.

Yesterday I explained the difference between Max Bid and Extended Bidding. I don't want to tell you what to do, but if you don't understand the difference between the two features (and most people won't...), you should read that post FIRST. +++++++++++++ Max Bidding doesn't work that well because most people aren't honest with themselves when it comes to putting in our "real" top bid. We put in a number that we "hope" to buy the item for. We don't put in what we are REALLY willing to pay, ... Read On >