To support two school auction clients whose galas were cancelled due to COVID-19, I shot videos that they could use as teasers for specific items being sold in an online auction. The goal was to get participants interested in bidding on these items. How did my school auction clients use these videos? They sent the video link in an email blast to their community. They posted and shared the video on Facebook. They added the video to the item description in the software online. It ... Read On >
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Who else loves getting jam-packed gift bags? (This French school’s gift bag was oh-la-la.)
Today I'm sharing a video. You'll get to see the contents of a gift bag from one of my school auctions. But first, let me provide some background on this event. Fundraising auctions -- or at least the kind I blog about on this site -- are a fairly "American" thing -- or so I've been told by those who have attended galas in Europe. One woman who noticed these differences worked for a mobile bidding vendor. She told me that eventually she wanted to return home to London and become a ... Read On >
Raffle Cheat Sheet: A tool that helps volunteers sell more raffle tickets
Last night I worked an event that had about 1,000 guests in attendance. It was a tasting-style event ... the kind that have 50 or 60 restaurant chefs in attendance, each handing out samples of their food and cocktails. As they always do, the nonprofit did an excellent job of recruiting, organizing, and training its volunteers. For instance: All the volunteers were taken on a tour of the hotel so they knew where to direct guests. They could point out the registration and checkout ... Read On >
Classy example of sharing an auction dress code
Last Saturday I worked a school auction in the Washington National Cathedral. The dress code was "Cathedral Dress." Though I've been to the Cathedral many times, I've worn everything from shorts (as a tourist) to a dress (for an organ concert). I wasn't exactly sure what was appropriate to this event, so I asked. I learned that it could be cocktail, but nothing too flashy or bright. Sort of a “business cocktail.” Dress codes are important; you want everyone to be comfortable, and most ... Read On >
When to use “Submit your best bid” for item donations that can’t be sold at the fundraising auction
Earlier this month I wrote about how nonprofits can sell item donations that arrive after the fundraising auction, or arrive before the event, but have a date restriction preventing the item from being sold at the auction itself. Typically these are donations for a sporting event, concert, or festival. If you run enough auctions, this situation is likely to happen to you. There are a few approaches for converting these donations into of these tickets to the highest bidder. For example, ... Read On >