I. Evaluation
a. What do you hope to accomplish with a fundraising auction?
i. Thank donors and volunteers
ii. Raise needed funds
iii. Increase donor base
iv. Increase volunteer base
v. Increase community awareness for your cause
b. Does your organization have the necessary resources?
i. Start-up capital
ii. Staffing
iii. Volunteer support
iv. Time
v. Will you need input from other organizations
vi. Professional consultation
c. Does an auction compliment the mission of your organization?
II. Plan and Name Your Goal
a. Establish a realistic financial plan
i. Consider all possible expenses and revenue
ii. Estimate attendance figures
iii. Be realistic in your assessment of participation
iv. Set an expense budget and stick to it
v. Outline the worst case scenario
vi. Establish the break-even point
b. Develop a step-by-step action plan
i. Plan training for volunteer needs and know your sources
ii. Evaluate possible locations for your auction gala
iii. Layout a game plan for reaching your target audience
iv. Plan for publicity
v. Recruit a planning committee and solicit their input on the plan
III. Get the Word Out
a. Involve as many as possible in the planning process. Let others share ownership of the event so you will get more support and have a more successful auction.
i. Sell your board on becoming involved
ii. Contact current constituents and volunteers
b. Recruit new volunteers
c. Reach out to the media
i. Personal invitations
ii. Write press releases
iii. Organization newsletter
IV. Post Event Evaluation
a. Goal Evaluation
i. Did the auction accomplish the goals you established (financial, new donors, community awareness)? Why or why not?
b. Support Evaluation
i. Did you have the support you needed from constituents, your board, the media, and volunteers? Why or why not?
ii. Did you have the sponsorship support you planned? Why or why not?
c. What would you have done differently?
d. Layout a skeleton action plan based on your evaluation to refer to when planning the next auction.
i. Have committee chairs give written reports
ii. Should this be an annual event?
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