Clients tell us that they STOPPED doing the LIVE AUCTION portion of their annual fundraising event (or they WANT to stop the LIVE AUCTION portion because of a couple of things -

1. It is TOO long – people get board

2. It is too hard to pull off every year

Before you throw away this portion of your annual big fundraising event, you should know this – you are making a mistake (nearly every time) – by sticking with your silent auction and eliminating the live auction portion.

The LIVE AUCTION portion, when done properly – raises MORE money than any other portion of the night. When done right, it is FUN, and EXCITING.  Talk with a fundraising consultant like us before you make this move – we’ll tell you what the other 8 items are that you should be looking into before you throw the “live” portion away!

It is heartbreaking to read stories like this one about how Worcester, MA based school Venerini Academy was bilked out of over $360,000 by a deceitful gambling thief who called himself a fundraiser.

Not only does it give legitimate supporters of non-profits a bad name and makes people distrustful, it must have caused such great harm. ¬†It’s like a ripple of water in a pool – I don’t know anyone at this school but imagine that a whole lot of parents, donors, kids and other constituents are¬†devastated.

You really need to be cautious when it comes to dealing with hard-earned, lovingly raised funds.

Here’s to the good people who do good work in non-profit mighty causes. May we eliminate the bad, and grow more good.

The energy is electric on auction night. We recommended several profit centers for this gala evening and worked to maximize every minute of the night. There was something here for every buyer – great deals in the first silent closing, special events, fun, one-of-a-kind experiences, a dessert dash, and a nice live auction once the dinners were served. The audience was generous and big dollars were raised this evening.

I am a professional, fundraising auctioneer, and have been since 2004. I’m proud of it and admire many great colleagues in this business.

However,  I get feedback nearly every day from non-profit representatives about THEIR issues and problems in working with auctioneers so we decided to do a survey this year on it.

The first question and the results:

143 charity auction and fundraising auction event organizers told us over the last six months in a poll done by Score More Fundraising (May’10- to Oct. ’10) when asked, “What did you (do you) like least about your last (or current) fundraising auctioneer?”

1. He was rude (or indifferent) to my volunteers

2. He/she did not help us as much as promised / Lots of talk, not enough value / not as good as promised on stage

3. He seemed argumentative during the auction  / put people on the spot to bid more and made them uncomfortable.

4. He didn’t seem to care about our cause.

5. He talked too fast  / people could not understand what he was saying.

6. He was arrogant / showed up late / talked down to some people

7. He / she didn’t return my phone calls in a timely manner / didn’t reply to emails timely / lack of enthusiasm

8. He raised his rates without talking to us first

9. He was argumentative with / blamed other staff or other professionals (sound, lighting, venue, food)

10.  He was drinking / drunk / dishonest or otherwise unprofessional /

There you have it! It reinforced to me why I chose this great profession and I do want to point out again – the fabulous, amazing professionals that are out there. If you are a professional auctioneer, you know what I am talking about since you have run into these stories as well. Funny you never read articles about it, though. Let’s get the dialog going.

If you are an auction chair or on an auction team, you need to use due diligence in hiring a good auctioneer.

We will also be posting information about great professionals  - so this is not about putting anyone down Рin fact, it is about raising the profession. Post your thoughts!

Need some consulting about raising funds for your non-profit? Are you looking for an auctioneer to give an uplifting tone to your next event? To raise more money than ever before? Lori Richardson became an auctioneer in 2004 after organizing fundraising auctions for 18 years – and having trouble* with the auctioneers she hired. So being a customer-service and sales trainer, she applied what she knew, went to auctioneer school, became certified – and now helps “mighty causes” from schools to sports to churches to business associations to diseases raise MORE dollars with MORE fun. Easy to work with, she’s an asset-based thinker, and she has access to a team, including event emcees, bid catchers, event organizers, clerks, cashiers, and volunteers – and will consult and train your volunteers. ¬†She also has amazing consignment items. Add energy, fun, and ease to your event. Contact her by email here or by the contact form today. ¬†You have nothing to lose by asking questions!

Heads or Tails

This live event game is something that is simple and easy for anyone to participate in. You will find it being played at a number of live auctions as well as a gala or other non-profit events.

It gets people up onto their feet and moving for a few minutes – and gives all participants a chance at a great prize.

The easiest way to do this is mention it as people are arriving, either at check-in or with a couple of volunteers walking around with a handful of plastic wrist bands. You can also give each person who wants to play a raffle ticket – although I think that can confuse people.

At check-in, guests are told we’ll be playing the game at the beginning of the live auction (for a live auction event). Would they like to play, for just an additional $10 donation? Mention the value of the prize – if you have the right prize, it will be a “no brainer” decision on their part. Just add the $10 to their bill. Otherwise, you can check them in, and once inside, a volunteer or two have bright colored wrist bands to give each guest who wants to play – and they capture their bidder number onto a sheet, or collect the cash donation (not recommended) and bring that information to the clerks/cashiers.

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The “at the table strategy” -

People at each table decide if they want to participate or not, and if so, they put their bidder number / name on a large, lined envelope that is in the center of the table. This gets quickly passed around the table. Line by line, people put their name and bid number down. Emcee checks if everyone has written down their bidder number to participate.

In advance, you’ve set a dollar suggested donation per player, such as $10, or $20, depending on the value of the prize and the type of crowd. People pay at checkout, or if an informal luncheon, they can just drop their check or bills into the envelope going around the table.

You might want to think about nominating a representative from each table to make sure that no one cheats!

Emcee prepares to flip a coin from the front of the room

But first – everyone stands up and the Emcee asks to choose whether they wish to be “heads”(indicated by putting their hands on their head) or “tails” (indicated by putting their hands on their rear end).

Emcee tosses the coin, and the result announced – “Heads!” or “Tails!” All those who did not select that choice sit down and this continues until you are left with only two or three finalists.

If three people left, two must choose the same, and one chooses the other option. If two finalists, one must choose heads and one must choose tails. No matter how big the room, this process does not take more than a few minutes and 6-7 tosses typically. With a small crowd it will go quicker – and no matter how many play, assuming the prize was donated, this becomes another way to raise funds at your non-profit event.

You are left with a “WINNER!!” - it is exciting – and the winner WINS the item that was donated for this – often a $100 or $200 gift card that has broad appeal, or other item with broad appeal so that more people will choose to participate.

This information is courtesy of Whatcom Council of Nonprofits:

Washington Nonprofit Handbook Available: Published by Washington Attorneys Assisting Community Organizations

The “Washington Nonprofit Handbook:¬† How to Form and Maintain a Nonprofit Organization in Washington State” (2009) is now available for free in pdf format on our website at www.waaco.org (type in ‘nonprofit handbook’ in the ‘search’ area).

This handbook, authored by Washington business and nonprofit attorneys, contains information about the various laws impacting nonprofit organizations in Washington.  Chapter topics include:

How To Form a Nonprofit

Governance and Operations; Obtaining Recognition as a 501(c)(3) Organization

Maintaining Federal Tax-Exempt Status for Your 501(c)(3) Organization

International Activities and Grantmaking; Fundraising

The Obvious and Not-So-Obvious Pitfalls

Washington State Taxes and Nonprofit Corporations

Fiscal Sponsorships

Joint Ventures, and Other Collaborations

Employment Issues

Intellectual Property Considerations

Personal Information Security and Online Privacy Issues for Nonprofit Organizations

and Ceasing Operations.

It is great to get back to regular posts about the ever interesting world of non-profit fundraising. Stay tuned for new posts on various topics about fundraising for mighty causes.

The auctioneer with a life-long sales background, who offers pre-event consulting to increase bottom-line results 20-50% higher than your previous charity or association event.

Don’t just decide to create an auction – hire a professional who can help you reduce risk, offer dozens of money making ideas, and who will make the process fun and enjoyable.

Lori Richardson
Now accepting new clients.

Telephone: 1-888-883-8370
Email: lori@scoremoresales.com