Category: fundraising

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Top 3 Things you should have Your Auctioneer do prior to your Fundraising Auction Event

If you aren’t using a professional benefit auctioneer at your fundraising event then you should be!  Here is a blog about why you should:  Hiring a Professional Fundraising Auctioneer & Consultant?

Once you have selected your professional fundraising auctioneer, here are the top 3 things he/she should be doing for you prior to the event date.

1.  Assisting with the creation of your event timeline.  This is the back bone of your entire event and a poorly organized timeline can spell disaster for the success of your fundraising event.

2.  Putting your live auction items in the most effective order so that funds can be maximized during the live auction.  There is a special formula for success based on the type of items, value of items and whether or not items can be sold multiple times or not.

3.  Organizing a winning fund a need.  This is the single most important fundraising aspect of your event and must be done at the right time with the right levels and flow.

Professional fundraising auctioneers are not just a person that gets up on stage and calls an auction.  We are highly trained professionals in the area of charity auction events.  We have seen it all and know what works and what doesn’t.  Select an auctioneer that you are comfortable with, based on their knowledge and experience, not on what their price is.  You will see great results with the correct person for your organization.

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

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Giving in 2015 and involving Millennials


I recently attended a presentation sponsored by the Giving USA FOUNDATION entitled “The  Annual Report on Philanthropy for the year 2015”.

We were informed that 2015 was a year of steady and strong giving, explaining that the total contributions for 2015 where $373 .25 billion.  88% of the total contributions came from individuals, bequests, and family foundations. The individual contributions were up 3.8% over 2014, family foundations giving increased 6.5% and bequests were up 2.1%.  2014 and 2015 combined saw giving increase 12.2% which is the largest two-year increase since 2003 – 2005.

I am including a graphic that presents many other interesting facts about our giving in the year 2015. The graphic was created by the Giving USA Foundation.

Now with individuals being the greatest source of contributions it is extremely important we discover the most effective way to involve the next generation of donors, the Millennials. During this same presentation we heard from a panel of experts involved with philanthropic organizations. One of the subjects they discussed and I felt important to share with you is how to encourage and motivate Millennials to participate in the many aspects of fundraising for your charitable organization.The panel pointed out that Millennials don’t give to organizations, they support causes and because Millennials are so connected through Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and other social media, they have the ability to influence so many of their friends for your cause.  In order to take advantage of this fact it’s important you use social media not to sell your organization but to tell the world about your cause by sharing stories and pictures and featuring people who have benefited from your service. If the millennial is moved by your message and connects to your cause they will become an influential voice to all their friends and family via social media.

Blackbaud also reported in their Generational Giving Report that 50% of Millennials share information about charities they support with their friends on Facebook.
It was also pointed out that with the millennium’s being 18 to 32 years old, the best way to excite them about your cause is to encourage them to volunteer. In the beginning volunteering their time and energy is the path to Millennials becoming your loyal donors.
With the Millennials being the largest generation since Baby Boomers we can certainly see the importance of connecting your cause to this generation.
Written by Connie Waddell, BAS of Elite Auctions and Fundraising Services
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The Ultimate Fundraising Auctioneer

Check out this new “movie trailer” video showcasing Elite Auctions and Fundraising Services.  We are so proud to be in this exciting business and LOVE our nonprofits and schools for the good they bring into each community we serve.  If you need a professional benefit auctioneer and consultant we would be honored if you considered us!

 
Written by Mike Grigg, AARE, BAS of Elite Auctions and Fundraising Services
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How important are recorders for your live auction and fund a need?

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One of the most important jobs at a fundraising auction event are the recorders.  These are the people that are logging in the winning bid amounts and donation amounts from the live auction and fund a need.  They will also be the people running the recorder sheets to the check out personnel.  Sounds simple right?  We see more mistakes made here than almost any other volunteer job… it is a tragedy because this is where serious money can be lost!
 

Here is the formula for success with your recorders: 


  1. Don’t have volunteers that like to drink alcoholic beverages handling your recording.
  2. Assign this job to three people with identical recorder sheets to prevent missed bid amounts or bidder numbers.
  3. Have pre-designed recorder sheets that are simple to understand.  Lay out your live auction sheet in the same order of the actual live auction and let recorders know if there are any items that have the potential to sell twice.  Design your fund a need sheet in columns with the same levels your professional auctioneer will be asking your guests to give.
  4. Make sure that the three recorders check each other’s sheets and combine to one sheet for the checkout personnel.
  5. All recorders need to be placed in a quiet corner close to a speaker, so they can hear, and just listen, logging in data based on what the auctioneer says.  DO NOT HAVE RECORDERS TRY AND FIND THE BIDDER NUMBERS THEMSELVES; THIS IS A RECIPE FOR DISASTER!
  6. Have the recorders meet with the auctioneer prior to the event to go over the system.


Written by Mike Grigg, AARE, BAS
EliteFundraisingAuctions.com
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How many items should we have in our live fundraising auction?


How many live auction items should we have?  This is one of the most popular questions asked when planning a fundraising auction event.

In a standard “Gala style” event with silent auction, welcome speech, live auction and fund a need there is what’s called a “Golden Hour”.  I would suggest that an hour for a live auction at a fundraiser is a bit too much, but it is a good rule of thumb to keep your live auction no more than one hour long.  I really like to be more in the range of 30-45 minutes if possible.  

Now, that brings up the question: “How many items does that mean we can sell?”  A good professional fundraising auctioneer will take around 3 minutes per item (including the item description).  If you do the math that means that 15 items are the most you should be selling, but ideally you want to stay between 8-10.  Be careful of filling the auction with lower quality items just to say you have ten items!  I would rather have quality, not quantity in the live auction; even if that means having an auction with 4-5 items.  You only have a short attention span with your guests, so make it count!
Written by Mike Grigg, AARE, BAS
EliteFundraisingAuctions.com
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How to hire a professional fundraising auctioneer… What should I ask when determining which auctioneer to hire?


DON’T FORGET TO TAKE YOUR AUCTIONEER’S ADVICE WHEN IT COMES TO MAKING MONEY AT YOUR EVENT!
Hiring a professional auctioneer for your charity, benefit or fundraising event is an essential element to maximizing your organization’s profit.
www.elitefundraisingauctions.com
Here are some questions that can be asked to determine whether or not the auctioneer is reputable…
1.  Do you specialize in charity auctions?
Auctioneers that specialize in charity, benefit and fundraising auctions are going to be best equipped to handle all aspects of your event from the silent auction, live auction and the fund-a-need or appeal.  There are many proven “tricks of the trade” that a professional charity auctioneer will know vs. a volunteer or non-charity auctioneer.
2.  Are you bonded as an auctioneer in the State of California?
Auctioneers that conduct business in the State of California are required by law to be bonded by the state.  If the company you are interviewing is not bonded by the State of California be very cautious to proceed with them.  Check your state laws regarding auctioneers if you are not conducting your auction in California.
3.  Are you a member of the National Auctioneers Association (NAA) and your State Auctioneers Association?
It is not manditory that auctioneers be members of the NAA or their state associations, but all auctioneers that are members of both associations are required to follow a code of ethics while practicing as a legitimate auction company.  Do not do business with auctioneers that aren’t members of both associations because they may not be looking out for your best interests.
4.  How many successful auctions have you completed and how many years have you been in the business?
Choosing an auctioneer that has not conducted more than 50 successful auctions and been in the auction business for at least 5 years may not be in your best interests.  In order for auctions to have a positive outcome they must be handled by an auctioneer that has the
proper knowledge and experience, which can only be gained by conducting a multitude of successful auctions over a legitimate time period.  (Pictured right: Mike Grigg, AARE, BAS of Elite Auctions and Fundraising Services on stage taken by Henry A. Barrios The Californian)
5.  Do you have any auction videos that I can view?
An auctioneer should be able to show you videos of him/her in action.  If he/she does not have videos, request to attend one of his/her upcoming auctions so that you can see how he/she works with the crowd to entertain, raise money and how his/her overall personality will mesh with your organization.
6.  What type of training have you had regarding benefit auctions?
There are several different training courses and designations that an auction can complete.  The National Auctioneers Association has the Benefit Auctioneer Specialist (BAS) designation that less than 1% of fundraising auctioneers hold.  It would be a huge bonus if your auctioneer had this designation.  Ask them if they attended auction school to learn his or her chant as well.  An auctioneer that is new to benefit auctions or doesn’t have any training might not be the best choice for your event.
7.  Do you charge for your services?
Auctioneers that don’t charge for their services are not going to take your event seriously.  Many times they are not charging because they don’t value their ability to maximize your profit.  Ask the auctioneer what their fees are and use your judgment in determining if their cost is fair.  Remember, good charity auctioneers are the line item in the budget that make you money… It does not cost, it pays to have a professional benefit auctioneer.  They will pay for themselves with the extra revenue they will achieve vs. a volunteer.  Volunteers, weathermen, comedians, etc. are not trained as auctioneers and will lose thousands of dollars for your cause… they will cost you far more than hiring a professional with their lack of experience and consulting knowledge.  “Having a volunteer or unqualified auctioneer handle your event is like having your accountant work on your car.”

*Remember, a good charity auctioneer has a lot of tips that can maximize your event’s profits using a multitude of different techniques.  Auctioneers that have conducted a lot of auctions have seen many different money-making ideas and know what works and what doesn’t work (i.e. timeline, types of auctions, what order to put your items in, fund-a-need, etc.) 

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What You and Your Board Should Consider when Having a Fundraising Auction

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?
Visit https://elitefundraisingauctions.com for more information.  
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Professional Fundraising Auctioneer VS. Professional Auctioneer

So you’re having a fundraising auction event and you need an auctioneer… one of the board members says:  “My uncle is a world champion cattle auctioneer and he is willing to donate his bid calling services.”  The rest of the board says that’s spectacular and your event proceeds with a great cattle auctioneer at the helm.  After the event your guests say things like: “I couldn’t understand the auctioneer, he was speaking so fast” or “I wanted to bid but I couldn’t understand the auctioneer.”  These are very common problems that occurs at fundraising events all the time and are easily preventable. 

Cattle auctioneers and many auto auctioneers have quick chants with minimal filler because their job requires them to sell a ton of items as quickly as possible to “professional” bidders that understand a super fast chant.  The vast majority of fundraising auction attendees have never been to an auction before and will have no idea what a “fast-chanting” auctioneer is saying.  

What happens when a bidder doesn’t understand the auctioneer?  THEY DON’T BID!!  What happens when they don’t bid?  YOUR CHARITY RAISES FAR LESS MONEY!!  You have to ask yourself if it is worth a “free” auctioneer when he or she is raising you significantly less proceeds for your non profit or school.  

Here is an example of a ten item auction that could potentially happen without a professional fundraising auctioneer in control of your live auction:

Item 1:  His and Her Bicycles worth $350 sold for $150 because audience couldn’t understand auctioneer.

Item 2:  Flat screen television worth $1,000 sold for $600 because audience couldn’t understand auctioneer.

Item 3:  Box of wine worth $500 sold for $300 because audience couldn’t understand auctioneer.

Item 4:  Trip to Napa Valley worth $1,500 sold for $900 because audience couldn’t understand auctioneer.

Item 5:  African Safari worth $4,500 sold for $3,000 because audience couldn’t understand auctioneer.

Item 6:  Latin dinner and dance party for 10 worth $2,000 sold for $1,200 because audience couldn’t understand auctioneer.

Item 7:  Nice Men’s watch worth $1,000 sold for $550 because audience couldn’t understand auctioneer.

Item 8:  Puppy worth $900 sold for $600 because audience couldn’t understand auctioneer.

Item 9:  Dinner for two with wine at nice restaurant worth $300 sold for $200 because audience couldn’t understand auctioneer.

Item 10:  Firehouse dinner worth $200 sold for $150 because audience couldn’t understand auctioneer.

In this example the loss was $4,600!!!!  This doesn’t include improperly running the fund a need at all and it has already cost you nearly $5,000.  We have consistently seen results like this and far worse with volunteer auctioneers and auctioneers that don’t specialize in fundraising.   
ARE YOU REALLY GETTING HIS OR HER SERVICES FREE OR ARE YOU SACRIFICING FUNDS RAISED THAT WILL FAR EXCEED WHAT YOU WOULD PAY A PROFESSIONAL FUNDRAISING AUCTIONEER.

  1. Experienced fundraising auctioneers know how to interact with the audience and drive the prices of your items to their full potential.  It is a proven fact that experienced auctioneers can easily attain 15%-50% higher for your items.

  1. Experienced fundraising auctioneers have a passion for their profession and understand that their performance reflects the quality of their public perception.  Having a volunteer call your auction is like having an accountant work on your car.

  1. Experienced fundraising auctioneers understand that the main goal of any event is to raise money, whether it be for a charity, business, or organization.  Auctioneers make giving money fun, emotional and competitive! 

  1. Experienced fundraising auctioneers understand that keeping the audience entertained and having fun is the key element to a successful auction event.  According to a National Auctioneers Association survey, FUN is the number one reason why people attend auctions.

  1. Experienced fundraising auctioneers have all of the necessary tools to make your event unforgettable.  Good auctioneers are always training and educating themselves about the latest trends in the business.

Written by Mike Grigg, BAS, AARE of Elite Auctions & Fundraising Services (https://elitefundraisingauctions.com)
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Top Ten Biggest Mistakes Made at a Fundraising Auction Event

10.  Poor item display and lack of power point slides or video to spotlight items during the auction.

9.  Poor lighting

8.  Using no or small print bid numbers

7.  Not making adequate announcements during silent auction

6.  Starting the live auction too late 

5.  Not enough or no ringmen (bid spotters)

4.  Beginning the live auction after the sit down dinner is over

3.  Insufficient sound system

2.  Not using a fund a need or doing a fund a need incorrectly

1.  NOT USING A PROFESSIONAL FUNDRAISING AUCTIONEER AND CONSULTANT!!!!!!

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Plated Dinner or Buffet at Your Fundraising Auction Event?


Benefit Auctioneer, Mike Grigg with Elite Auctions & Fundraising Services discusses the importance of a plated dinner versus a buffet style dinner at your fundraising auction event.  If you must do a buffet use food stations intermixed with your auction items.  Try to avoid having a buffet at a fundraising auction event. There is a clear winner here… just watch to find out!