Maximizing Benefit Auction

Revenue

50 Ways to Increase Your Charities’ Profits

What Is a Benefit Auction?

• A Benefit Auction is a major fundraising event used to raise money and support for a nonprofit by means of a live and silent auction as well as other revenue producing activities. The ideal Benefit Auction includes a nice sit down dinner, a large silent auction and a live auction that is conducted during the sit down dinner.

What Is a Benefit Auction?

• People attend by invitation only and pay a fee in advance. Quality items are procured prior to the event and are attractively displayed. The more appealing and expensive items are sold in the live auction by a professional benefit auctioneer. Attendees pay for the items before they leave and take the items home that night.

What Is a Benefit Auction?

• Other revenue activities may include a raffle, grab bags, golf putt, fund a cause, heads or tails, key club, selling of centerpieces, sponsorships, on line bidding etc. It oftentimes takes a year to plan a successful auction event utilizing 30-100 volunteers depending on the size of the event. Benefit Auctions are also called “Charity” or “Fundraising” Auctions.

Desired Outcome

• Desired Outcome

• After this session you will be able to offer ideas to charities that will increase your worth and enable them to have a more profitable and fun benefit auction.

• Focus on Quality Gifts

• Invite Prominent People to Buy

• Consult with You Prior to Auction

Gifts

Soliciting GiftsSolicit with a plan for packaging –Ladies

Day Out, Men’s Dog House Item

Solicit with certain attendees in mind

Solicit by Proper Person

Solicit creative items that can’t be bought

Prominent PeopleAudience Development – how,

why, and who to invite

Involve board members

Include individuals with a circle of influence

Invite personally (phone calls, additional hand written invitations, etc.)

Involve individuals to sell tables

Making the FLOW OF THE EVENING More Enjoyable & More Profitable

Advantages of a Sit Down Dinner-

# For most galas, a sit down dinner is the best way to properly feed, provide a fun and giving atmosphere and maintain a large benefit auction crowd.

Advantages of a Sit Down Dinner

• The best method to handle crowd containment and coordinate the entire evening.

• Allows control over when the meal starts and when it ends. Plus attendees start and end together.

• Your crowd will pay more attention to what is being sold in the live auction.

Advantages of a Sit Down Dinner

• Very few people leave a nice dinner before it is over.

• You can not make money from people who are not in the room.

• Guests who pay a significant price to attend the auction expect a nice dinner where they will be served.

• People do not enjoy standing in line and having to put food in a tiny plate.

Advantages of a Sit Down Dinner

• Adds a sense of elegance and brings the value of your auction to a higher level.

• A sit down dinner with guests seated in round tables is more congenial to guests interacting with their table guests at a reasonable volume level.

• The caterer can be informed when to serve the main course & the dessert in a manner that will best benefit the live auction.

Advantages of a Sit Down Dinner

• Keeps people in their seats and causes them to be more attentive to the items being sold.

• Since people are eating, they are not as loud. There is less talking and leaving the room.

• Very few people leave a nice dinner before it is over.

Advantages of a Sit Down Dinner

• The World’s Greatest Benefit Auctioneer states that over 75% of successful benefit auctions agree that conducting a live auction during a sit down dinner is the most profitable and time conscious way of handling their guests and the sale of the items.

Most Important Technical Needs

• Dynamic Sound system-Technician

• Lighting-Not a night club atmosphere.

• Seating- Horse shoe seating.

• Get close to the crowd.

• Wireless microphone.

• Be aware of a blinding spotlight.

Other Revenue Sources

• Raffles• Fund a Need• Heads or Tails (Picture, Play)• Sink the Putt• Horse Race• Bag of Money• Treasure Chest• Wine Pull

Heads or Tails

Other Revenue Sources

• Corporate Sponsors and Underwriting

• Bidding Frenzy with Dining Certificates

• Chicken

• Best of Live

• Using Script- especially effective when raising admission price

Online Benefit Auctions

• With MarkNet Alliance’s bidding portal you are in a unique position to help your charity conduct an online auction.

• Held in conjunction with their live event.

• Held as a stand alone auction itself.

Benefit Auction Software

• Costs run from $300 to $3000.• Advantages are many- clerking and cashier, accepting

credit cards, produce catalogue, supplies great reports- who were the good spenders, what was popular, what each silent category brought, seating chart, data base of attendees, tracks solicitation, allows next year’s auction chair to have records of last year’s event.

Website and Facebook Page

• Each Benefit Auction should have its own website. Use the website to promote:– Items solicited– Committee Progress– Sell Tickets with people registering on the site– Solicit Items

Have a Facebook page for the auction. Solicit likes. Give progress reports and include pictures.

Items-What’s Hot?

•1. Vacation Packages•2. Bicycle tour•3. Experiences or Ego Items•4. Theater plus back stage pass•5. Concert or Symphony

Items-What’s Hot?

• 6. Fireman picks up child from school and takes to fire house and gives tour and eats pizza

• 7. Birthday party at Fire Station

• 8. Zamboni ride

• 9. Private chef dinner in home

• 10. Hunting or fishing trip with popular guide or celebrity

Items-What’s Hot?

• 11. Dinner with local celebrity

• 12. Behind the scenes tour….zoo, theater, fire dept. chef’s kitchen, TV station

• 13. Sleep over in gym

• 14. VIP table at auction

• 15. Helicopter ride with weatherman or Sheriff

Items-What’s Hot?

• 16. Play monopoly in bank lobby with bank’s money

• 17. Teacher makes picture album of a student throughout the school year

• 18. Walk on roll in play or movie

• 19. Best of Live

• 20. Using script

Items-What’s Hot?

• 21. Used Car

• 22. Ladies Day Out

• 23. Bag of money

• 24. Private flight around the city or to NYC

• 25.1/2 hog or 1/2 beef

Electronic BiddingPhone or Other Device

ELECTRONIC BIDDING

Electronic bidding is a system where people bid on a special bidding device

or smart phone during the silent auction.

Electronic Bidding Advantages

• 1. Guests do not have to run back and forth to the silent tables to place a bid.

• 2. It allows guests more time to socialize. • 3. Guests are sent a text or email when they are

out bid.• 4. Bidders can place a maximum bid and the

bidding system will bid for them up to their max amount.

• 5. Bidding is more discreet.• 6. Bidding can be extended if bid is placed at

last minute.

Disadvantages to Elec. Bidding

• 1. Expense. Pricing has been expensive but it appears to becoming more affordable.

• 2. You may be required to rent bidding devices.• 3. Must have a strong cell phone signal• 4. Must have a strong internet connection.• 5. If not renting specific handheld devices, you

should provide extra smart phones, droids, or note book computers for those who do not bring a smart phone. You need people there that night assisting people in bidding.

Don’ts About Electronic Bidding

• The Auctioneer Should Always do the Fund A Need –not electronically

• The Auctioneer Should Always Conduct the Live Auction-not electronically.

Questions, Comments, Remarks for the Good of the Chapter