Summer Olympics in Paris, 2024: How to get the Hottest Lot in Your Auction this Year

The auction lots that sell best are those that offer access to your bidders. Access to that which they could not otherwise obtain or access to relationships they wouldn’t otherwise be able to build. Professional sports championships and – every four years – the Summer Olympics usually do exceptionally well in most auctions.

And while the Summer Olympics are always popular, in 2024 the Olympics are going to be in Paris, one of the most desirable destinations in the world. If you could acquire tickets to the Olympics now, and build a package around them for next summer, it would be a huge addition to your auction in 2023.

Obtaining tickets is always a challenge. You can register for a drawing to “win” the right to purchase tickets by registering on the Paris 2024 website. They will be drawing winners until March 15th, and offering each winner a finite amount of time to purchase tickets for various competitions.

The list of available sports and rounds of competition are varied and very few Gold Medal opportunities are going to be offered in this drawing. But you could still easily build a very compelling Summer Olympic package for as little as $30/ticket.

Tickets to the Olympics may also be available to high-level Visa card holders. It is worth exploring perks and offers to see if any of your supporters are able to get tickets for you.

Once you have the tickets, accommodations are the next obvious challenge. As of this writing (2/15/23), AirBnb had not implemented surge pricing yet for Paris. I was able to find a number of flats and apartments available in very reasonable price ranges. Hotels are currently only booking through June of 2024, so pricing remains to be seen .

Is this all a long-shot? Yes. Would it be worth it if it came through? Absolutely. The best auction lots, after all, offer access to the otherwise unobtainable, and the Olympics are the pinnacle of hard to get events.

The Top Trends in Fundraising Auctions in 2022

During 2022 we saw a return to in-person fundraising almost exclusively, and as the year progressed certain trends emerged in fundraising auctions. Now that the year is officially over, let’s take a look at the biggest trends:

Tardy Crowds

People waited longer to commit to attending fundraising events. There were a few events that sold out immediately, but most events saw a nerve-wracking portion of their crowd wait until the last minute to purchase tickets. It seems that post-pandemic, people are less willing to commit to an in-person event in advance. One possible explanation is virtual events required little or no pre-commitment, and people became accustomed to that. Or some people are still nervous about committing to anything, given the climate.

However you look at it, last-minute registrations are always a nerve-wracking challenge, especially with a catering deadline looming. Knowing that 15-25% of your crowd may wait until the last week to register doesn’t make it psychologically easier to deal with, but it does give you advanced warning that you should plan on some strategies to work with it.

Smaller Crowds

Less people were ready to return to in-person fundraising events. Some people may not have felt comfortable being extremely social, instead choosing to stay home and avoid crowds. Others may have simply moved on from the organization or event. Whatever the cause, most events saw a downturn in the number of attendees.

Smaller crowds did not mean lower proceeds in 2022

Loud Crowds

It started as a novelty as the first in-person post-pandemic events took place: Even though crowds were smaller than pre-pandemic, they were also louder than they’d ever been before. At first, we thought it was simply because people were happy to be back in person for the first time in years, but that energy carried throughout the entire year. Every event was louder than it had ever been before. Crowds weren’t just happy to be back in person in February, they were thrilled to party together in March, July, and November. There may have been less people in the room, but they were happier and more motivated to be there.

More Philanthropic

Smaller crowds? Yes. Louder? Absolutely. But also, more giving. On the whole, people donated more per-person than we saw pre-pandemic. Smaller crowds were able to achieve or exceed results from pre-pandemic events, sometimes with a radical reduction in crowd size.

San Francisco’s largest food and wine event reduced its crowd from 1,000 to 500 people and raised as much as it had pre-pandemic. A South Bay event with a slightly smaller crowd than “normal” experienced a three-times increase in giving. These are both extreme examples, but they represent a wealth of other events that had similar experiences. Overall, people who were willing to show up did so, with a passion.

Auction Lots Returned to Normal

Our answer to the perennially popular question “what are the hottest lots right now?” started to sound very familiar to clients who have worked with us for many years. Because what was hot in 2022 was very similar to what was hot in 2019.

Trips regained their popularity as travel increased. Dining and entertainment reemerged as some of the most profitable auction lots in live auctions. Experiences were popular again, as were relationship-based lots. One of the hottest categories of auction lots last year were buy-in parties (aka sign-up parties, buy-a-spots, etc.), which made a huge comeback post-pandemic.

You can see great examples of what was hot in 2022 in our annual list of the “Most Exciting Lots of the Year.”

The Death of Hybrid

The final trend of 2022 was the disappearance of virtual and hybrid events. You can read about this in more detail in this blog post, but the short version is people wanted to be back in person, not attending events virtually.

What will 2023 hold for fundraising events? Stay tuned for our next post on predictions for the upcoming year.

What Became of Hybrid Events?

When the pandemic first struck and virtual events became the go-to method for conducting fundraising auctions, hybrid events seemed to offer so much potential. Hybrid events offered many promises, including the capability to bridge the divide between attendees eager to be back in the room together and crowds that still wanted to remain socially distant.

Two years later, what became of hybrid events? The short answer is they never lived up to their promise. The long answer is slightly more nuanced. Once in-person fundraising became an option, would-be supporters were separated into two distinct camps: those who were ready to be back in person, and those who were not.

Hybrid galas never truly took off

The at-home crowd seldom met financial expectations, let alone donated or spent enough to justify cost.

The people who wanted to be in-person were really ready to get out of the house and leave the virtual world behind. They were eager to gather, eager to party, and eager to support the cause. If they couldn’t get tickets to attend an event in person, there was no way they were going to log on to a virtual gala: they simply wouldn’t attend.

Those who chose to remain socially distant were less likely to purchase tickets for an in-person gala, obviously, but they were also less likely to log on for a virtual event. Multiple times we witnessed organizations work really hard to appease the “at-home crowd,” only to see tickets sales flag for the online event. And on those rare occasions when there were a decent number of online attendees, we seldom saw the level of participation we were hoping for from the online crowd. Simply put: virtual crowds did not donate or spend much within the hybrid model.

Which leads to the final reason hybrid events didn’t succeed: cost. Adding a hybrid component to an in-person event at least doubles the associated AV costs, and more than doubles the workload for event planning staff. And if the virtual crowd isn’t going to show up and spend money, those costs simply are not worth it. We saw a fall ’22 event spend over $15,000 on the virtual component of their hybrid event, only to have 12 people log on to watch the show.

This isn’t to say that there were not successful hybrid events; there were. We participated in hybrid events where the online audience generated over $155,000 in the fund-a-need, adding 33% to the overall take. And another event where the at-home crowd donated more than the in-person crowd. But these events were the exceptions, not the rule.

By the time crowds could gather in-person again, they were all-in or all-out, there was no middle ground.

The Most Exciting Auction Lots of 2022

After two years of pandemic, 2022 marked an almost complete return to in-person fundraising, and the re-emergence of live auction “irrational philanthropy.” Crowds were excited to be back in the room together, and auction committees pulled out all the stops to put together creative and enticing auction lots, making it the perfect time to bring back our annual tradition of recapping the most exciting auction lots of the year.

The types of lots that succeeded had varied greatly through the first two years of the pandemic. This year, trips were back in full force, as people started traveling again and pent-up demand for vacations revealed itself in bidding behavior. In-person entertainment opportunities also reclaimed a top spot in auction popularity and profitability. People really want to be social, engage and interact. It follows that buy-in lots (also known as “buy-a-spots,” “count me ins” or “pay to play parties”) have emerged as one of the most popular and exciting live auction lots in 2022.

Get creative! The most exciting auction lots don’t have to be expensive, they just need to offer exclusive access to experiences, relationships or both.

This year’s list of exciting auction lots includes a sampling of each of the above, as well as some experiences and relationship-based lots. For the purposes of this list, “exciting” is an arbitrary assignation focused on each lot’s uniqueness, creativity, and the buzz generated at the event. Sale price impacts the decision, but only relative to how other lots sold at the same event. I have, however, included some opening bids and final sale prices for the very first time in this series.

Knowing where bidding started and where it ended up can help understand how exciting the bidding was for some lots. The single most exciting and memorable auction lot of 2022 was a lot that underscores how sometimes it is not the content of the lot, but the intentions of the bidders that makes for an exciting auction.

But comparing pricing between events can become a dangerous, and ultimately unhealthy, practice. Don’t get hung up on how much other events make, and instead utilize this list to create fun and exciting lots of your own! The goal of this list is to help inspire creativity (and profitability!) at your fundraising auction.

And with no further preamble, here are the most exciting fundraising auction lots of 2022 (click on the + symbol to the right to expand each lot’s description):

• Sushi, Sake, and Karaoke

  Treat 50 of your closest friends to an exclusive Karaoke and Sushi Party at The Center. Sing your favorite songs from the main stage, enjoy sushi boats from local favorite Way Yum Sushi and drink chilled Soto Sake.

  Hosted by professional singers and The Center's own Rachel and Brynn.

  Opening Bid: $1,400

  Sale Price: $7,000 (X2)

• Name the Baby Otter!

  The honor of naming the Museum’s new baby river otter could be yours! You will also get an exclusive behind-the-scenes tour from the wildlife team plus a special encounter with the baby otter. Find out why a group of otters is called a romp!

  Opening Bid: $500

  Sale Price: $12,000

• Last Last Chance for Dinner from Chef Philippe

  Our beloved Head of School is returning to a well-deserved retirement. Before his departure, he is giving us one last chance at his coveted dinner. Over the years, between his lots at Gala and SDV, Philippe has dazzled and delighted guests with 36 dinners.

  Philippe’s dinners have become a cherished tradition and are famous among the school community. Now, it’s the last one ever, for real this time! Philippe will be returning to retirement, permanently. Here’s your final opportunity to enjoy this part of the school’s history.

  As with his management of the school, Philippe brings equal parts efficiency, skill, and grace to his kitchen masterpieces. You will be treated to a sumptuous gourmet meal, prepared by Philippe in the intimacy and comfort of your own home. Enjoy a delicious dining experience where Philippe will also personally select the perfect wine to accompany each course, and he will guide you through his wine choices.

  This is not your run-of-the-mill dinner party. This is a wine-paired treasure! Philippe personally hand-carries wine back from France, specifically for this dinner. He is extremely knowledgeable about wine and puts great thought and care into his selections, just as he does with his culinary creations. This evening is sure to be a feast for your palate!

  Don’t miss out on this truly special experience before it’s going, going… GONE!

  Opening Bid: $2,400

  Final Sale Price: $42,000

• Big Brothers & Big Sisters 49er Match Gift

  Being a Big is a big commitment – a commitment that can stretch a big’s creativity and budget. Bigs truly bring out the best in their Littles by exposing them to new experiences. And the responsibility is usually on the Bigs to fund these ventures.

  Except for now: right now we are looking to you to partner with us to help send Matches to a 9ers game. For a home game in the upcoming regular season, your $1,000 donation will provide transportation to and from the game, a pair of seats for one Match, and food and drinks at the game.

  Thanks to BBBS supporter JK and the 49ers!

  Donation amount: $1,000/match to send them to the 49ers game

• Ruby Mountain Heli-Skiing Adventure

  Imagine a mountain range that fuels your soul makes you feel alive. With 15 peaks above 11,000 feet of elevation, the jaw dropping Ruby Mountains are an off-the-beaten path gem offering more than 200,000 acres of skiable terrain with an average dry snowpack of 300 feet. With wide open glaciated bowls, limber and white bark pines, and aspen forests, there is terrain for everyone.

  So remote you will be helicoptered into this backcountry skiing adventure. With a limit of 16 people per tour, and 4 to 1 guide to client ratio, the Ruby Mountain Heli Skiing guest experience provides a private atmosphere with attention to detail, on the mountain or at the lodge.

  The latest equipment is included with your stay. All guests are provided access to some of the best powder skis and poles currently on the market, along with airbag backpacks from Scott, transceivers from Mammut, and all required avalanche equipment.

  Truly escape the crowds at our privately owned lodge at the base of the Ruby Mountains, located at 7,000 feet with inspiring 360 degree views of the Ruby Mountains to the south and east and the Great Basin Valley to the north and west

  From the moment guests arrive at the lodge they are welcomed by our staff with a friendly and warm greeting. Get settled in your room, set up with skis and gear, enjoy a handcrafted cocktail from the Ruby 360 Bar overlooking the Great Basin, meet the guides and talk ski conditions and indulge in our nightly dinner service with anticipation of sitting in an A-Star and flying into the Rubies in the coming morning.

  This package for two includes 3 nights lodging – double occupancy, all meals, designed and prepared by renowned chef Francy Hoyer and her team, ski equipment rental, Elko Airport shuttle, and complimentary Great Basin or Ruby Mountain beer are included.

  Vertical guarantee of 15 runs, with option to ski up to 18 at no additional charge. Season runs from mid-January through mid-April.

  The guests would be responsible for any extras such as the arrival night dinner, bar tab, single room upgrade, extra skiing, store purchases, etc.

  Opening Bid: $6,000 Value: $11,992

• 2023 Masters Weekend

  Enjoy a once in a lifetime experience at the 2023 Masters Tournament at the Augusta National Golf Club!

  This all-expenses trip includes:

  • Two (2) people to enjoy tickets for either either Saturday; April 15th or Sunday; April 16th

  • (2) Delta Business Class Vouchers.

  • Airport Transportation

  • Overnight accommodations for one night at a luxury guest house

  • Daily meals

  • Special Gifts.

  Opening Bid: $5,000 Value: $15,000 Final Sale Price: $36,000

• A NAPA Galactic All Star Wine Trip

  Two Couples will be flown first class to NAPA and then enjoy 4 days and 3 nights at the exclusive Cardinale Villa. This beautiful home is on the grounds of the fabulous Cardinale Winery in Oakville, California.

  Promontory tasting!!! This "can't get access" winery is a very special experience. Promontory, owned by the Harlan family is hidden in the hills of Oakville and is one of most beautiful sites in NAPA. Promontory is truly a world apart from the Napa Valley that most people experience. Within this secluded canyon there are two distinct fault lines, roughly demarcating the boundaries between volcanic, sedimentary, and metamorphic soils. This diverse geology is stretched across 500 feet of elevation, on a multitude of dramatic slopes and panoramic exposures.

  Bryant Tasting- Don and Bettina Bryant have built one of NAPA's most incredible wineries on the Western Slope of Pritchard Hill. This rare opportunity to try these beautiful wines will truly be an out of this world experience. Bryant Estate wines are currently harvested, blended, and produced entirely by hand from grapes planted and grown on the original 13-acre estate, as well as on neighboring vineyards on Howell Mountain, Las Posadas, and Madrona.

  Cardinale- during your stay the Winery will host you and your guests to a lunch and wine tasting of the wonderful Cardinale Wines. Cardinale was born in 1982, with a mission to produce a singular Cabernet Sauvignon from the highest quality vineyards in NAPA Valley. All sub-appellations of the region were to be considered, and grape sources change from year to year to create the most distinctive wine from each vintage. Made by the extraordinaire Chris Carpenter for over 20 years, Cardinale is a NAPA All Star!!

  The Matheson- the hottest new dinner, wine and entertainment venue on the planet - is located in Healdsburg and is owned by everyone's favorite Healdsburg native and Chef extraordinaire Dustin Valette. You will enjoy a chef inspired meal prepared by Dustin and his team and get to enjoy the soon to be "out of this world" famous Wine Wall where you can sample up to 50 wines from all over the worlds by the glass!!!

  Private Limo Service- during your stay in NAPA you will be chauffeured to and from your wine tastings in a private car.

  Opening Bid: $15,000 Value: $25,000 Final Sale Price: $60,000

• Dinner for 8 by Stuart Brioza Chef/Owner of Atomic Workshop Presents Restaurant Group Featuring State Bird Provisions, The Progress, and The Anchovy Bar

  For this memorable evening, Stuart brings his celebrated cooking style into your home. A locally focused and seasonally driven menu will be complemented by exceptional wines and the genuine hospitality of our service team. Expect a truly priceless experience!

  All food and wine costs are included.

  Value: $5,000/Private chef and wine experience — Priceless

  Opening Bid: $5,000 Value: $5,000 Final Sale Price: $100,000 X2

• Paella Party for 20

  Enjoy great food in a beautiful location with live entertainment. 20 lucky bidders will be able to buy into this party catered by local favorite chef Antonio Asayrian at the beautiful Szabo vineyard in Penn Valley.

  Buy-in: $150/person: 20 people

• TAKE ME TO CHURCH

  Enjoy camping under the sun and the stars as you paddle your way down the Middle Fork of the Salmon River.

  On this gorgeous 3-night, 4-day rafting excursion courtesy of Sonoma’s own Lombardi Wines and Middle Fork Rafting, owned and operated by the historic Middlefork Lodge, you and seven of your friends are invited to join winemaker Tony Lombardi in discovering the rugged beauty of the Frank Church Wilderness, a 2.3 million acreage nestled in the heart of central Idaho.

  Along the way you’ll imbibe some of Tony’s most beloved cellar selects, including the very rare and extremely coveted Lombardi Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir, a 60-bottle annual allotment not sold on the open market. This one-of-a-kind river experience accommodates eight guests and includes chartered airfare for your party in addition to food and wine pairings for all meals. Here, in the heart of the undiscovered American West, you’re guaranteed to find your highest self.

  Opening Bid: $25,000 Value: $50,000

• Michelin Dinner Party for 10 from Truffle Shuffle

  Take this in...an all-inclusive luxury-ingredient-filled private dinner party for you and your ten closest friends in your home prepared by Michelin-trained chefs. This experience will include canapés and cocktails, a coursed dinner for 10, and wine pairing.

  Truffle Shuffle founders, Jason, Tyler, and Sarah met while working together at The French Laundry and have taken their passion for cuisine and hospitality into the start-up world launching Truffle Shuffle in 2018. Truffle Shuffle is now backed by Shark Tank's Mark Cuban.

  Opening Bid: $4,000
  Value: $10,000
  Final Sale Price: $24,000 X3 ($72,000).

• NetJets….Fly Me to Albany {BAHAMAS, that is}!

  Embark on an unforgettable trip to Albany, Bahamas, with NetJets, our official sponsor for private jet airfare and the worldwide leader in private aviation. Eight guests will enjoy three nights at the oceanside luxury resort community located on the beautiful island of New Providence in The Bahamas. Combining inspired design, luxury amenities, warm hospitality, and a stunning natural landscape, Albany, Bahamas, is modern island living at its best.

  Rated by Forbes as one of the most exclusive resorts in the world, Albany is a 600-acre oceanside luxury resort community located on the beautiful island of New Providence in The Bahamas. Albany and its rare collection of amenities provide an exceptional way for residents and visitors to enjoy the pleasures of island life. For families, businesspeople, and couples alike, Albany is a quiet island getaway, sportsperson’s paradise, elegant retreat and genuine community.

  Opening Bid: $25,000 Value: $50,000 Final Sale Price: $60,000

• Carmel-by-the-Sea Getaway

  Whisk away to Carmel for a relaxing mid-week getaway for two. Stay two-nights at the elegant Carriage House Inn, tucked away on a quiet side street just south of Ocean Avenue. Enjoy lunch for two at the lodge at Pebble Beach with expansive views of the iconic 18th hole.

  Treat yourselves to a romantic dinner at Anton & Michel Restaurant. And don’t forget the wine tasting! Visit Bernardus Wines for a Reserve Wine Tasting of five Bernardus Wines hand-selected by winemaker Dean De Korth. Drop in to Wrath Wines to pick up two bottles selected just for you. And last, but certainly not least, take home a case of Dahlkemper Farms olive oil.

  Opening Bid: $1,300 Value: $2,600 Final Sale Price: $300,000

I’ve included that final “bonus lot” because it was, quite honestly, the most exciting lot I sold all year. Sometimes it isn’t the value of the lot, but the commitment of the bidders that creates excitement, and it serves as a good reminder that it isn’t just what you have to sell, but who you have to bid on it. So create exciting auction lots, and bring in the bidders to make that excitement happen.

Virtual Galas are Boring

I’ve been shocked this year by how many times I’ve heard event committees tell me that they are worried about holding a virtual gala because virtual galas “are boring.”

“Really?” I always ask, “what virtual galas have you been watching?” And when they say, “All of them” I understand.

If you don’t care about the organization, virtual galas are boring.

If you have no direct connection to the cause, virtual galas are boring.

If you don’t know any of the names of the people who are bidding or making pledges in the fund-a-need, virtual galas are boring.

And especially if you are watching on your phone while doing other things, virtual galas are boring.

At its core, a virtual gala is the opportunity for a community of supporters to come together and make great things happen for the cause they believe in – just like an in-person gala. Have you ever found yourself at a gala for a cause you didn’t know? Sitting at an empty table, listening to speeches by people you don’t know? Sounds boring, right?

A fundraising gala, virtual or otherwise, is a communal celebration. Most virtual galas have an extremely focused target market. Yes, we are trying to make them entertaining and engaging – but for believers or those who have been invited by a believer to attend.

Which is why whenever I encourage clients to watch any of the events I’ve done, I tell them to turn down the sound and skip through the program. I want them to get an idea of what sort of look and feel works for them, not get bogged down in content. Because if you don’t care about the content, watching anything will get boring.

We were working on a virtual gala for a non-profit this year, and the board insisted that the event be no more than 45-minutes long. They were worried about it being boring. So we trimmed the program down, cut out a bunch of great content, and brought the gala in on-time.

When it was over, the overwhelming feedback from the board was, “Wow, that was great! Why did you make it so short?”

Have some faith in your message and your supporters. Your virtual gala won’t be boring. Your crowd won’t be bored by helping you to change the world. They never are.

Case Study: Manhattan Wine Auction Virtual Gala

The Manhattan Beach Education Foundation normally holds its “Manhattan Wine Auction” in early June. A crowd of 2,000 people spends the afternoon enjoying wines from 70 vintners and food from 50 chefs on six tennis courts, before settling in for a 28-lot line auction. Netting over $1,000,000 annually, the Manhattan Wine Auction is a significant source of income for Manhattan Beach’s public schools.

The 2019 Manhattan Wine Auction: the stage is set for over 2,000 attendees

As soon as the pandemic struck, we knew there was no way they could hold anything akin to their normal event in 2020. And the money the wine auction raises is extremely important, as executive director of MBEF Hilary Mahan notes, “Although we have a robust donor campaign, the Manhattan Wine Auction is the only fundraising event hosted by our organization each year and raises significant money for our schools.”

We reached out to Hilary and her team in mid-March to encourage them to consider holding a virtual event this year. There were a lot of concerns, not the least of which was attendance and participation. “I was concerned that our stakeholders would not embrace tuning into a livestream show,” says Mahan. “It just didn’t sound as appealing as our traditional in-person event. But our need for funding was still prevalent…and Greg assured me that he would partner with us to make it happen.”

The first step was to partner with an audio visual company who could produce the show and broadcast it to a streaming platform. MBEF chose to work with The Lux productions based on the fact that they were one of the first AV companies in California to create a virtual gala solution for non-profit events. MBEF also brought in event planner Beth Sandefur to help produce the virtual event.

“We collaborated on ways to guarantee an audience, reach virtual attendees prior to and during the event, and maximize the attention span of our audience,” says Mahan.

One of the ways MBEF engaged its attendees was to create six different virtual tasting events to be held immediately prior to the main gala. These varied in price from $75 for a beer tasting with a brewmaster to $400 for a high-end wine tasting with a vintner. “The goal was not to make a lot of money on the virtual tasting,” says David Brennan, Director of Development & Partnerships, “but to get our community members involved at 6pm with the hope they would transition over to our 7pm live stream event.”  

And it worked! MBEF sold over 250 virtual tastings on a per-household basis, which means approximately 500 people participated. And over 1,000 screens tuned into their livestream. Their fund-a-need raised over $550,000 during the stream, and brought in another $100,000 over the course of the next week. “We could not have been happier with the results!” says Mahan. “Our event netted just $25,000 under what our in-person event typically does, raising over $1M for our schools.”

The 2020 Manhattan Wine Auction virtual event was a stellar success, tripling previous years’ fund-a-need totals and raising over $1,000,000

Two of the key factors of MBEF’s success were committing wholeheartedly to the concept of a virtual gala, and getting their stakeholders to buy in to the concept. The number of people who watched the stream is roughly equal to the number of people who normally attend the event in person. MBEF did great work in making the virtual gala fun and accessible and working hard to get their crowd to be there. And they did it all in under eight weeks.

It's (Still) Time to Go Virtual

If you’ve been holding out hope that you will be doing your spring 2021 event in person, I’m here to encourage you to embrace virtual. Even with multiple vaccines on the horizon, there is little hope that we will be holding full-scale, in-person fundraising events in the Bay Area in March, April or May of 2021.*

It’s hard to believe it has been over eight months since we last did an in-person fundraising auction. And it’s even more challenging to think that it will be another seven to eight months before we are able to start doing in-person fundraising again.

This should not stop you from raising money next spring. Virtual fundraising events are successful and continue to engage, entertain, and raise significant amounts of money. In the past eight months we have had multiple events raise over $500,000 onstream, and a handful have cracked the million-dollar mark.

Equally importantly, we’ve received overwhelmingly positive feedback from attendees who appreciated the opportunity to engage with and support their favorite organizations. Virtual galas are not the same as being in person, obviously, but they offer creative and unique ways to tell your story and engage your crowd.

Whether you’ve done an event virtually or not, you can benefit from the wealth of experience that 2020 has forced upon all of us in the fundraising auction industry. We have spent the last eight months working with numerous event planners, audio-visual companies, and non-profit organizations to figure out what works (and what doesn’t) in a virtual gala.

Virtual galas aren’t magic – they still take lots of advanced planning and hard work. And there is still time to plan and implement a successful virtual gala this coming spring.

I miss seeing people in person, and I miss gathering as a community to raise funds for important causes. But if there is one lesson I’ve learned in 2020, it is to make the most of what the world is currently giving you. And this coming spring, virtual is going to be all the rage again.

 *As of this writing the majority of the Bay Area was “Purple” and the 49ers were preparing to play their “home games” in Arizona because the county of Santa Clara had placed contact sports on the “no” list.

The Four Phases of Fundraising Auctions in 2020

This webinar covers the four phases of fundraising galas in 2020, from current virtual galas to what galas will look like as social distancing protocols are eased region by region. The 20-minute presentation was followed by 40-minutes of live Q&A.

The Four Stages of Virtual Galas

What does the future hold for virtual galas – and possibly in-person galas – in 2020? It’s the $64,000 question on everyone’s mind right now, and while our crystal ball may not be crystal clear, we have some solid guesstimations. Based on what we’ve seen so far and conversations with our virtual gala partners The Lux Productions and Beth Sandefur Events, we envision four phases of virtual galas.

And though these virtual galas may differ in implementation, they all share one key component: the ability of your at-home crowd to interact with you and your auctioneer in real-time. Fundraising in a virtual environment works best when a crowd has a sense of community and feels a sense of urgency to their participation. Pre-recorded asks and online-only auction lots with no live encouragement raise between 30-50% less than a truly live, interactive virtual gala.

Phase One: 100% Virtual Galas
We are currently in Phase One of virtual galas: completely virtual galas, conducted 100% remotely by people sheltering-in-place. Initially, these productions were very last-minute and produced solely on a single platform, like Zoom. As organizations have more time to plan and start utilizing offerings like The Lux’s virtual studio solution (link), we will see more virtual galas that look like a TV show – but are still 100% virtual with every participant broadcasting from their own home/office.

Phase Two: Soundstage Productions
Once the shelter-in-place orders are shifted so that we can gather a small group (say, ten people) in the same room, we’ll see Phase Two of virtual galas: soundstage productions. Staff and a production team will gather at a soundstage, hotel ballroom, school stage, or some other setting with a/v, cameras, and so forth and put on a gala to broadcast to an at-home audience.

We actually saw some examples of this in the first weekend of the outbreak, before social distancing protocols put an end to gatherings of any size. As soon as we are permitted to have a small group of people in the same room again, we’ll start utilizing this type of production again.

Phase Three: Micro-Galas
When we are able to slightly larger crowd, perhaps 50 people, we’ll start having micro-galas. The protocols are yet to be determined, but it is easy to imagine 60-inch round banquet tables being converted from ten-tops to six-tops. An organization could then hold a micro-gala with eight tables of six attendees per table – bringing their largest supporters into the room, and broadcasting the proceedings to an at-home audience.

Phase Four: Full-Blown Galas
Once all social distancing protocols are lifted, there will probably still be some donors who do not feel comfortable mingling in a crowd of 500 people. Plan on it. Plan on keeping a virtual component to your gala, so you can enable attendees who choose to stay at home to participate in a way that still makes them feel part of your community, and expand your reach beyond the ballroom doors.  

There could be variations on any of these themes. Tom at The Lux envisions Satellite Galas, where small crowds of 50 in ballrooms across a city, county or even state are linked together. Either way, a virtual gala needs to have two components: the broadcast of “the show” and an interactive “bidding and pledging” component for the live auction and fund-a-need.

As for when this will all come to pass, estimating that is way beyond our crystal ball’s capabilities. We simply recommend that every organization planning a gala for the foreseeable future plan on a virtual component.

The Virtual Gala Pivot

The CDC recommendations released on Sunday, March 15th effectively cancel all in-person fundraising auctions until mid-May. For the many galas who were holding out hope that the social distancing efforts recently implemented would be lifted in time for your event, this recommendation feels like the final straw in a crazy, unprecedented series of events.

But it doesn’t mean that you can’t still engage your supporters and raise much needed funds. Now is the time to pivot to a Virtual Gala. A Virtual Gala can maximize everything that you and your team have worked so hard to build: the auction lots your committee has solicited, the messaging your team has worked to hone, the focus and attention of your supporters, and the goodwill for your cause.

A Virtual Gala might not be for every crowd, event, or organization, but we have always been advocates for honest and engaging fundraising. If your organization needs the funds from your gala immediately and cannot postpone until next year or roll the dice on when social distancing recommendations will be removed, you can achieve solid results online. We have already seen multiple events across the Pacific Northwest hold successful Virtual Galas, in some instances surpassing the goals they had set for their in-person gala.

A Virtual Gala enables you to utilize the reality of the moment to engage your supporters, tell them your story, and enable them to support you. A Virtual Gala will never replace the sense of community and camaraderie created by an in-person event, but it will help you raise enough money to make your cancellation less painful, and keep your organization top of mind with your supporters. It will also provide your supporters with a way to feel competent again, to feel like they are making a difference in the face of uncertainty.

There are two approaches to a Virtual Gala: live, and pre-recorded. In a Live Virtual Gala you put on an extremely scaled-down version of your gala in an event setting like a live-stream ready event space, your school’s theater, a hotel conference room, or your offices and simulcast it to your supporters. You have your program, speakers, testimonial, live auction, and fund-a-need happen real-time, online. Guests at home participate on two screens: one (hopefully large) screen to view the livestream, and a smartphone to bid and make pledges. Two schools in Portland had Live Virtual Galas this past Saturday night, including the Caitlin Gabel School.  

A Pre-recorded Virtual Gala is similar, but instead of happening in real-time, the speeches, testimonial, fund-a-need pitch, etc. are all pre-recorded and uploaded to YouTube or some other video on demand site. Upaya, in Seattle, was forced to have a Pre-recorded Virtual Gala and was able to exceed their original live-event goals with it. Their blog post offers excellent insight into the ways a Virtual Gala can make the most of the moment and rally your crowd to your cause.

We are working with numerous clients to implement both live and pre-recorded Virtual Gala solutions. We have secured a set-price of under $4,000 from an event space that is livestream ready with multiple cameras, a professional sound system, video switcher, and high-bandwidth internet.

If your gala was scheduled to happen between now and June 1st, let’s chat about ways we can make the most of the current situation and help you raise some needed funds. We are ready to do whatever it takes to work with you to find successful fundraising solutions. If that means wearing a tux to your offices to record video introductions for auction lots, we’ll be there; just let us know the color scheme, so we don’t clash.