Save the date: two Bay Area fundraising auction workshops in October

Stellar Fundraising Auctions, in conjunction with Beth Sandefur Events, Greater Giving and Lux Productions is producing back-to-back fundraising auction workshops in the East Bay and San Francisco this October. Raise More, Right Now: Advanced Fundraising Auction Strategies is an in-depth fundraising auction workshop focused on maximizing your event’s existing potential.

Mark your calendars now for either Tuesday, October 25th at the Veteran's Memorial in Lafayette, or Wednesday, October 26th at the Log Cabin at the Presidio in San Francisco. The cost of either workshop will be $50, which includes a continental breakfast and lunch.

Session topics will include:

  • Selling your story 
  • Creating successful auction lots
  • Revenue enhancers
  • Silent auction
  • New technologies that stretch your audio visual budget
  • Marketing your auction
  • Mobile bidding

Registration and more information coming soon. 

How will the election impact your fundraising auction?

Arguably, 2016 is the most contentious presidential election in my lifetime. The emotional impact is extremely high, and very few people in my network are unaffected by it.

Charitable giving infographic created by Beth Sandefur.

Charitable giving infographic created by Beth Sandefur.

The majority of the spring fundraising season was complete before either party had finalized its candidate. We didn’t see events suffer negative impacts that we could attribute to directly the presidential campaign. But now that the candidates are set, the conventions are over and the fur is starting to fly, how will the election impact events in the fall?

The commonly held “wisdom” is that charitable fundraising falters in an election year, for a variety of reasons. The predominant theories being that donors give to campaigns instead of charities, or donors are scared away by uncertainty or fear. A recently released study by Blackbaud sheds interesting light on both of these theories.

The report is based on data from the 2012 election, and focused on 143 national 501(c)(3) organizations. Blackbaud found that donors who contributed to political campaigns also increased their 2012 charitable contributions 0.9% compared to the previous year. Donors who were engaged in the political process increased their donations to charities.

Donors who did not make a political contribution in 2012, however, gave 2.1% less to charitable causes than in 2011. Donors who were not engaged in the political process decreased their donations to charities.

Charitable fundraising as a whole was up 1.7% in 2012, but mainly because contributions to religious organizations was up 6.1% and contributions to education was up 1.6%. If you take those two categories out of the mix, charitable giving as a whole was down 1.7%. Individuals donated an estimated $258.51 billion to charitable organizations in 2014 (results for 2015 have not yet been reported). So a 1.7% swing at that level could wipe out numerous organizations.  Unless you were a school or a church, your category of charity saw a decline in charitable giving during the last presidential election.

Blackbaud doesn’t offer any deeper insight into their numbers, but we can draw a few conclusions. Obviously, unless you are a religious organization or a school, you are going to have to work harder to make the same amount of money as you did last year.

If your support base is energized by this election, it is a good sign for your event. People who are engaged in the process are more likely to engage with your cause. I would theorize that this is because people who engage in the political process believe in it and believe that they can make a difference in the process; and then that “actionable optimism” carries over to their charitable beliefs. 

According to the statistics, the potential problem for charities is the donors who are not contributing to politics at all this year – because they’ll be contributing less to charity as well. There is a lot of fear, uncertainty and doubt surrounding this election, and it is easy to imagine people cocooning until Thanksgiving. If your donor base buries their collective head in the sand, you and your clients will wind up paying the price. But only if you can’t effectively communicate you and your clients’ needs.

It always comes back to messaging, communication, and conversations: Establish why you are asking for money and empower people to help change the world by supporting your cause. You always have to compete with a lot of external noise to get the attention of your donors. This year that noise is much louder than usual, and you’ll have to work harder than usual to make your case.

Cultivation is a conversation, not a one-off ask that happens only at your event. Engage your donors. If you are worried about the election, discuss it with them. Work with your biggest supporters to formulate strategies specifically for your donor base. Engage, engage, engage. This year and every year.

Statistically speaking, the election is bound to have little impact on your event. But from a practical standpoint, it is best to assume the election will impact your donors, and then work hard to make sure it doesn’t. 

Create your own traditions for your fundraising auction

2016 marks the 35th year that the Sun Valley Center for the Arts has held its annual wine auction. 2016 also marks the 22nd year that Atkinson’s Market has donated a collection of seven 3-liter bottles with an image of Sun Valley etched and painted across all seven bottles.

It is a big, impressive, beautiful lot. It is a definitive collector’s lot, and you see previous sets on display in major donor’s homes all over Sun Valley. And over the course of the past 22 years it has raised one million dollars.

The Atkinson's Market annual collection of etched and painted 3-liter bottles is one of many traditions at the Sun Valley Center for the Art Wine Auction.

The Atkinson's Market annual collection of etched and painted 3-liter bottles is one of many traditions at the Sun Valley Center for the Art Wine Auction.

Every year the image on the bottles changes, making each set unique. Discussions about the art on the bottles, who bought it last year, and who is interested in it this year are all part of the fabric of the weeklong event. Over the course of 22 years, the Atkinson’s Market lot has become as much a tradition as the Wine Auction itself.

I see lots of other examples of traditions like this: the dinner that takes place every year in the same supporter’s home, the trip to Italy to stay in one of the biggest donor’s vacation villa, the chilled magnum of champagne to open the auction. Whatever it is, traditions are a valuable part of any fundraising auction. Traditions provide a sense of continuity, and hopefully make things easier for your solicitation team by not requiring a major revamp of your auction every year.

Whatever your traditions are, acknowledge them, embrace them and make them a part of the fabric of your event. And if you don’t have any traditions yet, now is a great time to create your own.

Creative & memorable save the date card idea

The sheer number of fundraising auctions makes it difficult to stand out from crowd. Every event sends a save the date card, and most of them that come through my mailbox get a cursory once-over before they wind up in the recycling bin.

But this save the date card from the John Muir Health Foundation popped out from the first moment I saw it. Maybe it's a lifelong fascination with holograms, or maybe it is the fact that the card is vibrant and interactive. Either way, this save the date card is unique and eye-catching. 

What is the most creative save the date card you've seen or done?

The most creative save the date card we've seen in a long time, thanks to holograms!

The pre-event marketing that will change your event’s bottom line

If you want your fundraising auction to succeed, you have to market your auction lots in advance of the event. Pre-event marketing can make the difference between an average and a spectacular auction, and different forms of marketing yield varied results.

We often see events focus on methods of broadcasting instead of leveraging individual relationships. For example, we see lots of events focus on publishing the live auction catalog on the Internet or sending it out via hotsheets, email, and social media.

These all have value and are a valid component of any pre-event marketing campaign. However, the most important element of an auction’s success is much more direct: reaching out to individual bidders in person, by phone, or email.

The most successful auction chairs and committees invest time and energy identifying potential bidders for specific auction lots and contacting them in advance to interest them. The most successful auctions have at least two individuals committed to bidding on specific lots in advance.

It is incredibly valuable if you can line up two bidders for each and every lot in advance of your auction – but it’s also an unreasonable amount of work to demand for a longer auction. The truth is it doesn’t have to be done on every lot in an auction, but should be done on a few select lots, including:

  • The first two lots in the auction; they set the tone for the rest of the auction. 
  • Any lot that has an exceptionally high value; or is more valuable than any lot sold at your auction in the past. 
  • Trips with set dates or extended trips that require air travel. 
  • Buy-in parties/events.
  • Art and jewelry
  • Unique access that pertains to the tastes of someone you or the committee knows.

In each case, we are aiming to create momentum, avoid dead-air, and insure that challenging lots are successful in the heat of the moment. The first two lots, for example, set the pace and tone for the rest of the auction. Art and jewelry are the most challenging items to include in most any fundraising auction, and if we must have a certain piece or art or jewelry in the auction, it is important to make sure it succeeds.

The expectation put on these bidders isn’t necessarily that they must commit to bidding until they buy. We are looking to them to get the bidding going; and hopefully drive up the price. If your pre-committed bidders wind up becoming so interested in a lot that they vigorously bid on it and win, fantastic! But it’s not the expectation. At a certain point, we have to trust the process of an auction, and any momentum boost makes that process more successful.

Stick to your timeline

There is a tendency to adjust the timeline of an event mid-event if things aren’t proceeding as planned. Usually it’s because people aren’t bidding on the silent auction with as much fervor as the silent auction chairs had envisioned. They want to keep the silent open for “an extra 15 minutes, to give people a chance to bid.”

Unless there has been a major incident that is preventing attendees from getting to your event on time, don’t alter your timeline. Especially if your timeline has been published in the catalog or elsewhere at the event. The timeline for the evening is the one element that you actually have control over; hopefully you established it strategically.

Altering your timeline can have serious repercussions across the rest of your event. It can throw off the timing for dinner, it delays the start of your live auction, and ultimately it costs you money. More than that, however, altering the timeline can aggravate your crowd.

I emceed a silent auction conducted via mobile bidding recently, hyping items and announcing closing times. The event chair opted to keep the silent open for an extra 15 minutes, to “give people a chance to bid from their seats at dinner.”

When I took the stage to announce that the silent auction would be open for an additional 15 minutes, people actually booed! Their expectations had been set, and they were ready to move on with the evening. They didn’t want to have to spend any more time protecting their bids, they were ready for the next phase of the evening.

This crowd recovered and didn’t hold this decision against me or the organization, thankfully. But all it really takes is for you to piss off one of your big bidders to negatively impact your event.

Strategically craft your timeline, publish it, and stick to it. Your crowd will be happier, and your event will be better for it.

Choosing an Opening Lot: Piece of Cake

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“What's the best lot with which to open our auction?”

I invariably answer that question first by saying there is no one best lot to start every auction. Different events have different success with different opening lots...but I usually follow that answer by asking the organization if they have ever considered starting their auction with a cake. Perhaps paired with a chilled bubbly.

The benefits of opening an auction with a cake lot are many. A cake is relatively easy and inexpensive to procure. It can be donated, or at least made by, a business known to the organization -- a bakery near campus for a school’s auction, for example. Or better yet it can be made by a figure held in high esteem by the organization.  

I once auctioned off, at a fundraiser for a Catholic school, a cake made by one of their beloved nuns.  With an opening bid of $100, it eventually sold for $2,200. As the bids rose and rose, the crowd all watched the Sister, in attendance at a front-and-center table, instead of me the auctioneer. There was cheering and thunderous applause for the winning table as the lot closed and the Sister beamed.  

Obviously, we had moved beyond simply selling a cake. It had become a beautiful shared philanthropic and community moment and a chance for all assembled to honor a deeply loved member of their organization.

Another advantage of a cake is that regardless of the amount for which it sells, it can be started with a nice egalitarian opening bid of $50 or $100. At an auction where many lots may have dauntingly higher opening bids, this gives everyone, including those of more limited financial means, a chance to raise their paddles and get in the game early on.

A cake is also fun. It can be shown off during the bidding by a thoughtfully chosen “Vanna.” If the event includes seated dinner, the cake can be brought to the winner's table, cut, and served within minutes of the lot closing. And it can be paired with a pre-chilled champagne or a nice dessert wine, brought with glasses to the high bidder's table, and also served immediately. Everyone at that table will feel extra special and festive, and everyone near that table will remember how fun and delicious winning looked the next time they have the opportunity to bid.

If an organization has already used and experienced success opening their auction with a cake, they might consider taking the idea to the next level and trying a “cake dash.” For example, a school event last year featured eight different desserts -- a cheesecake, a pie, a tray of gourmet cupcakes, a torte, etc. etc. -- each paired with spirits and laid out beautifully for the guests to ogle during the reception. Then to start off the auction, guests at each of the 25 tables chipped in for a table bid. The highest-bidding table got first pick of the cakes, the second highest table bid got second pick, and so on. The eighth highest table bid got the last cake.  

Before the cake dash ended, the cutoff dollar amount for the eighth-highest table bid was announced, and all tables were given an opportunity to raise their bids. Things predictably got competitive as some tables fought for first pick while others vied for the eighth and final spot. It was lively entertainment for the guests, it raised thousands of dollars for the school, and a lot of delicious cake was eaten by all.

So for any group planning an auction event and looking for a looking for a simple, fun, and egalitarian opening lot for their guests, Let Them Eat Cake!

Do you need more than just an "auctioneer"?

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Many of our new clients are pleasantly surprised after our second or third meeting about how we have offered many new suggestions and ideas about ways to grow their events. "Our last Auctioneer never mentioned any of this stuff, we talked a couple of times and then he/she showed up at the event, read our catalog to the crowd, and left!" 

We believe that the best way to have a great idea is to have a lot of ideas, ideas that are based on what has worked at hundreds and hundreds of events nationwide and what might work at yours.  Would you welcome suggestions and new approaches about:

  • Getting your board on-board
  • Getting everybody on your committee on the same page
  • Timelines
  • Messaging
  • Silent auction strategies
  • Unique new live auction lots and their ordering
  • Crafted appeals
  • Changing the mindset of your attendees from "They do the same thing every year" to "I wonder what they're going to do this year?"

As far as I know, the only way to accomplish this is to engage a CONSULTING FUNDRAISING AUCTIONEER, who will work with your team.  Just a few questions during the interview about what kind of participation to expect from a prospective Auctioneer should let you know whether you're getting a bid caller or a game changer!

Registration open for Sonoma & Marin workshop in April

REGISTER NOW FOR OUR WORKSHOP AUCTION 101: THE TOP 10 WAYS TO MAKE YOUR NEXT AUCTION MORE SUCCESSFUL

Registration is now open for our upcoming workshop, Auction 101: The Top 10 Ways to Make Your Next Auction More Successful, taking place on April 13th at the Inn at Marin in Novato. Click here to register now and reserve your space. Seats are limited and this workshop will fill up.

Beth Sandefur will give an in-depth presentation on ways to streamline and improve registration at your event.
Beth Sandefur will give an in-depth presentation on ways to streamline and improve registration at your event.

Presented by Stellar Fundraising Auctions in conjunction with Beth Sandefur Events, Greater Giving, and Sound Expressions, this highly interactive workshop will cover the top 10 approaches you can take to make your next auction more successful. Whether your event is in two weeks or twenty, learn proven strategies that will help you maximize the philanthropic potential of your crowd. Learn how to fine-tune your fund-a-need for maximum effect, enhance your existing auction lots, streamline your registration process, and more.

Session topics will include:

  • Fine tuning your fund-a-need pitch
  • Finding hidden lessons in your auction data
  • Brainstorming ways to enhance your auction lots
  • Messaging: sell the cause, not the party
  • Streamlining check-in and check-out
  • Making your auction sound great

Click here to register now; seats are limited!

April 13th, 2016 - Novato, CA

9:00am - 3:00pm

Check-in begins at 8:30am

$50 registration fee includes contiental breakfast and lunch

The workshop will conclude with a 1-hour, small group session with each member of our expert panel. We will break into groups by organization type and spend an hour focusing on the topics that matter to you most. Ask questions and get answers that are relevant to the needs of your specific event with experts in the field of fundraising auction planning, implementation, and performance.

Held at the Inn at Marin in Novato, this workshop features plenty of parking.

Register now, and make your next auction an even bigger success!

How long should your auction be?

One of the biggest challenges facing fundraising auctions is determining how many lots to do in the live auction. Too many lots in your auction and you run the risk of boring your crowd, or - worse yet - making them feel like you've bled them dry. Too few, and you leave money on the table.

“How many lots should we do?” is the question most asked by new clients in planning meetings. And, though we hate to answer a question with a question, the answer is: “How long do you want your auction to be?” This sounds sarcastic, but really what we mean is, “how many minutes long do you want your auction to be?”

Every event has its own unique culture. What is right for one event is inappropriate for another - including the length of the auction.

We average three minutes to describe and sell each individual lot, and it takes about two times that for a successful fund-a-need (not counting videos, testimonial, etc.). This makes for easy math: want a 60-minute auction? Do 19 lots, plus a fund-a-need.

The real underlying question still remains, how long should your auction be? How much of your attendees’ time should you utilize to help you achieve your philanthropic goals of the evening? It is our belief that if you are going to spend the time and energy to get everyone to come together ostensibly in support of your organization, that you are entitled to ask people to focus on financially supporting you for at least 30 – 45 minutes.

But every event has its own unique culture, and every community has different tolerances for fundraising auctions. Does your auction include an awards ceremony? Is it a luncheon instead of a gala? On a Thursday night instead of a weekend? 700 attendees or 150?

These are all variables that impact how long your auction should be. The key is that the length of your auction should be a good fit with the culture of your event, and stay true to the amount of money you need to raise. Be strategic in your planning, and don't be afraid to spend a significant amount of time asking attendees to support your cause. It is why you bothered to get them together, after all.