Printed catalogs disappeared during the pandemic when virtual galas emerged, and some of my clients have questioned whether they need to produce one now that they've returned to in-person events. "They are laborious," they complain, "Can't guests just look at their phone if they want to read about an item?" For live auction items, I'm a believer in having a hard-copy written description -- but it doesn't need to be fancy. (You'll see 3 widely differing examples in the video.) That ... Read On >
live auction
Buyer’s Choice: A tool used to push sales in a charity live auction
One marketing and sales strategy is known as Buyer's Choice. It can be a good tool to use in fundraising auctions. Typically this concept is something a Gala Chair should have heard of, but need not fully understand. The reason being, it's up to the auctioneer to recognize when 2 or more items should be sold in this manner. It’s not up to the volunteer Gala Chair (or Development Director); it's the responsibility of the auctioneer to know and suggest this. Here's a few bullet points to ... Read On >
Do’s and Don’ts of live auction slideshows
Oftentimes the slideshow for the live auction is handed off to a volunteer to create at the last minute. Other times, a staff member is asked to pull one together. Send this video to them. You'll see examples of what you should NOT model, as well as an example of one you could for your fundraiser. https://youtu.be/pVgE8NDhK3Y ... Read On >
Guidelines for ordering your live auction items
Generally speaking, the sale order of the live auction items is best left to your professional fundraising auctioneer. Ordering is both an art and a science, and I personally like to "feel" the flow a bit, shifting items in the spreadsheet to sense if a particular order flows better. But if you are using a volunteer auctioneer at your gala (perhaps a gregarious Board member or other proponent of your nonprofit), this task might fall to you. If so, here are a few guidelines to consider ... Read On >
Is this a live auction item or a silent auction item?
How do you know if an item is right for the live auction or is a better fit for the silent auction? Generally speaking, I encourage you to work with your auctioneer to determine that. But if you aren't working with one, consider these eight pointers to determine if a donation is worthy of the live auction. https://youtu.be/WLyejaEIL60 ... Read On >