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Should I use Mobile Bidding for the Fund a Need?

As mobile bidding becomes more an more popular at fundraising auction events we tend to get this question quite frequently: “Should we use mobile bidding for the fund a need?”  The simple answer is NO!

While mobile bidding is a spectacular way to maximize funds in your silent auction, it just does not perform well with a fund a need (aka: paddle raiser, fund a cause, etc.).  I want to reiterate that I am specifically writing about the fund a need aspect in regards to mobile bidding.

Here are the top three reasons why mobile bidding is not effective for your fund a need:

1.  People give to people and by having everyone looking at their phone screens the personal feeling is taken
out of the giving process and it becomes much less emotional.

2.  A fund a need is driven by a “community” effort to come together and fund a specific need of the organization.  The sense of community is taken out of the equation by everyone focused more on finding the correct button to push rather that engaging and cheering on each other to accomplish that goal.

3.  Accountability.  Mobile bidding is much more discreet and it allows people that would otherwise give a larger amount to “cheat” a bit and give less.  People are simply not as inclined to give big in such an impersonal way with no recognition.

Mobile bidding is a fantastic tool for the silent auction but please let your audience hold their bid paddles up high and show you what they can do when the spirit of giving is out in the open and they are united in funding that specific need.

Please visit EliteFundraisingAuctions.com to find out how we can take your fundraising event to the next level!

Written by Mike Grigg, AARE, BAS of Elite Auctions and Fundraising Services

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Top 3 Reasons why You should have a Live Auction at Your Fundraising Event

Bidders

Live auctions are an essential element to any successful fundraising event and by overlooking this element you may be leaving BIG bucks on the table!

Here are the top three reasons why you should have a live auction at your fundraiser:

1.  Live auctions are FUN!  A survey conducted by the National Auctioneers Association determined that the number one reason why people attend live auctions is because they are fun.  You can’t have a FUNdraiser without the fun!  People will keep coming back for years to come if they have fun at your event, and with the right people in the seats this directly equates to more revenue.

2. Live auctions bring the big dollars!  A live auction with the correct 7-10 items will many times eclipse a silent auction with 50 items in revenue generated.  If you want to tap into the larger donors in the crowd, a live auction with higher dollar items is a perfect way to accomplish this.

3.  Live auctions provide a spectacular marketing opportunity!  Leading up to your fundraising auction event you should be taking advantage of as many marketing opportunities as possible to advertise your event.  When you have great live auction items you should be advertising these as well as the event itself.  If you go on a local news station’s broadcast then talk about some of your top live auction items that will be sold at the event to create a buzz.  Remember, don’t just focus on the party… focus on the fundraising.

Written by Mike Grigg, AARE, BAS of Elite Auctions and Fundraising Services

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Hiring a Professional Fundraising Auctioneer & Consultant?

What you think you’re paying for:
  • Someone who can call an auction
What you’re actually paying for:
  • Someone who can get on stage and maximize your items’ values while promoting your cause
Plus:
  • Provide consulting throughout the year for your event
  • Design and conduct a winning fund a need
  • Answer any questions surrounding your fundraising efforts
  • Provide professionally trained bid assistants
  • Organize a timeline to maximize your event revenue
  • Put your auction items in their most effective order
  • Training on donor development
  • Training on procurement
  • How to set up your venue to maximize returns
  • Auction event marketing techniques
  • Access to several revenue enhancers to increase your event’s bottom line
  • How to run the most successful silent auction
  • Which items you should be obtaining for your audience
  • How to effectively check-in and checkout attendees
  • Committee consultations
  • Volunteer training
  • Access to exclusive auction items
  • Licensed and bonded auctioneers
  • Event follow-up meeting


Still think that hiring a professional auctioneer is expensive?

YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR – So if you hire a cheap auctioneer or go with a volunteer, don’t be surprised when your results aren’t what you wanted!

Please share this and help spread the message so that non-profits and schools can raise the most revenue possible for their great causes.
Written by Mike Grigg, AARE, BAS of Elite Auctions & Fundraising Services
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How should volunteers be utilized at my Fundraising Auction Event?

Volunteers are an extremely important part of your
fundraising event!!  Here are a list of “jobs” that your volunteers need to be placed in for optimal success from Mike Grigg at Elite Auctions & Fundraising Services:

  • Live auction and fund a need recorders.  We recommend that you utilize three volunteers in this position to eliminate errors when recording winning bid amounts and donation amounts.  Make sure your professional auctioneer has a “pow-wow” with the recorders prior to the live auction and fund a need.
  • Selling raffle tickets or entries to games.  Always put your volunteers in teams of two to maximize their efficiency.  If you have raffles or games going on at your event then send out 2-3 teams of two to sell those tickets or buy in opportunities.  You want aggressive volunteers that are going to sell not just stand in a corner and chat with friends.
  • Check-in and check out.  You will need several volunteers to assist with checking in and out your guests.  This number varies dependent upon how many guests you have coming to your event.
  • Silent Auction Assistants.  You will need about two volunteers per silent auction table to answer questions, assist with set up, and shutting down silent auction.  These volunteers will need to be able to get bid sheets off the table as soon as auctioneer closes the silent auction, and then move items (if needed) to the proper check out area.
  • We recommend that you use professional ringmen rather than have volunteers as your bid spotters.  Professional ringmen are trained to get the best result from your bidders and leaving this up to volunteers simply causes more chaos than assistance.
  • Obviously, you will need volunteers to help with setting up and taking down your entire event as well.

Volunteers that are not used or managed in the proper way can cause more problems than they help with, therefore make sure you have a manager in charge of training your volunteers.  Also, don’t give each volunteer too much to do; If you overwhelm your volunteers they become less effective.  Good luck with your fundraising events and always make sure to hire a professional auctioneer/consultant to maximize your fundraising results!

Written by Mike Grigg, AARE, BAS with Elite Auctions & Fundraising Services

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Signs Your Organization might be ready for Benefit Auction Software


Imagine an event night with seamless transactions and automation systems that track bid packages, bids, and donor activity. Many nonprofit organizations are managing their single largest fundraising event on Access or Excel spreadsheets. This can create certain challenges like version control if there are a number of people managing the events details.  It might be time to consider software if your organization:

  1. Has high volume of new volunteers each year. Software maintains history
  2. Has multiple people who need to enter attendees, donations, items etc. – Cloud software can have unlimited users and real time updates
  3. Needs to sell tickets and take donations online – Software reduces data entry
  4. Is not able to tell its auctioneer or board which part of its auction raises the most money
  5. Is not able to tell your auctioneer or board the average % of value your silent and live auction delivered at an event
  6. Doesn’t know what sold well the year before
  7. Doesn’t know who its most generous donors are
  8. Has long lines at check-in and out and spends weeks afterwards collecting the money
  9. Doesn’t know who was thanked from the event guests to coordinators
  10. Needs to reduce the stress of its volunteer and paid staff

There are many types of software out there.  Determine what actions your organizations need to be able to do.  For example, do you need a website to share information about your event? Do you need to take donations, ticket sales, preview your catalog, sell sponsorships and display your sponsors?  Do you have one person entering and managing auction data or a team?  Once you’ve answered some of these questions, start comparing and contrasting software to your list of musts.

A PC version is nice for one person but when an organizations has multiple people managing auction details,  an online version means multiple users can work at the same time. Furthermore, the IT team doesn’t have to install it on a network.  Information is available 24/7 for the auction team.

Software helps you keep the history of the event to hand off to next year’s team.  Also, software that runs reports helps organizations measure areas of success and opportunities to improve.  Lastly, it can help with quick registration, entering winning bids and checking attendees out quickly.

It might be time for software if you’ve recently said, “I’ll never volunteer again!”

Debby Roth-Bush, Greater Giving for Elite Auctions& Fundraising Services

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Checking In and Out Guests at a Fundraising Auction Event & Where Guests should be Seated


When guests arrive at your event make the check in process simple by dividing them alphabetically by last name or company name in about five to seven different check in areas.  This will help cut down on long lines and crowd size.  
I highly recommend collecting credit card numbers upfront at check in and assigning bidder numbers to each person.  This will make check out much easier and more efficient.  If people are not willing to give credit card numbers upfront explain to them that their check out process may take a little longer.  You can even have VIP check outfor those that submit credit cards upfront as an incentive.  Come up with a perk that VIP check out can offer your guests.  You could deliver their items to their tables or they could simply have a special checkout line.

In order to have the most successful fund-a-need, silent auction and live auction, assigning

bidder numbers is a must.  It will help tremendously to have everyone identifiable by bidder number rather than name, and it will dramatically cut down on the amount of runners and people having to collect information throughout the event.  The fund-a-need alone can almost not be done with a big group if bidder numbers are not assigned to each person.

Guests with the means to support your cause should be strategically placed at the front of a room or near the auctioneer.  These guests will more than likely bid several times and it helps to keep the flow of the auction if the auctioneer can easily find them.  Let the auctioneer know where the guests with the means to support will be sitting prior to the start of the auction, and don’t hesitate to introduce the auctioneer to the high rollers so he can build some rapport with them.
Written by Mike Grigg, AARE, BAS
Elite Auctions & Fundraising Services 
EliteFundraisingAuctions.com