A prospective client called me a few days ago. "We conduct a silent auction, a live auction, and a reverse auction," she said. A reverse auction? That was a new one for me. Perhaps more than any other activity during an auction fundraiser, cash appeals are called a variety of names. Let's describe it so we all understand what it is. A cash appeal is a direct request of the audience, asking them to make a cash donation to fund the organization. The crowd is - in effect - giving a ... Read On >
fund a need
Does a fund a need hurt your live auction proceeds?
One of the first questions I'm asked if a group is conducting it's first fund a need (also called an appeal, mission moment, and a dozen other names), "Don't you think that we'll make less money in the live auction or the silent auction if we also conduct an appeal?" No, I don't. Nor has that proven to be the case at any of the 50 auctions I conduct onsite annually. Instead, my client just raises more money. We raise the same or similar live auction revenue. We raise the same or similar ... Read On >
Seven tips to raise more money in a fund a need
Many auction ideas can help you raise cash, but no other singular activity during your benefit auction will have more financial impact than the cash appeal. It can be such a cash cow that some of my clients have no live auction; they only conduct an appeal. The appeal goes by various names: fund a need, gift from the heart, or any of these other cash appeal names. Whatever you call it, there is a strict protocol to follow if you want to be successful. Here are seven pointers to executing a ... Read On >