How to Create a Successful Charity Auction

As we are now fully immersed in the excitement and promise of 2019, we at Auction Packages believe that now is a good time to remind you how to ensure a successful fundraising Auction and event. 

Here are FIVE Steps that we at Auction Packages consider best practices to ensure a successful Auction:

1. Build Your Team
   
   There can be only ONE Leader. Identify and EMPOWER that person to lead the Auction team. There will be decisions that must be made with agility. The Leader must have the support of the team yet must also SUPPORT the Team – deliver to the Team everything that it needs to be successful
   
   The Leader must then identify and leverage the strong suits of the Team members. For example, the extroverts in the team should be approaching businesses for Auction items or even cash. The more analytical team members should be assigned to item tracking, pricing and so on. Be sure to leverage the invaluable networking of your Team members. 
   
   Remind your Leader that his/her role is to take all of the blame and deflect the accolades to the Team.
    
2. Attend Local Events
   
   There is no need to reinvent the wheel. It’s likely that you or someone on your Team knows of local philanthropic events that share your donor demographic. You can attend such events to support their particular cause as you get a feel for the flow and the items that seem to create activity.
   
   Dispatch your Team to attend local fundraising events to observe how the Auction items are presented, bidding activity and – most importantly - how the Auction items are fulfilled for the winning bidder. Don’t be afraid to approach the event organizers to ask questions and to get ideas. By their very nature, event organizers are helpful souls and are more likely to give you more information than you can handle. 
    
3. Gather Attractive Auction Items
   
   When it comes to Auction item procurement, you need to be both strategic and realistic. Your Team is likely composed of volunteers who have “day jobs,” etc. You need to spend your precious, limited time acquiring Auction items that your target audience WANTS to buy. You will also need to fully leverage the Auction items that you CAN acquire. 
   
   Start with the obvious question: What do my target donors want?
   
   If you already have a contact list of donors, a survey is great way to gauge interest and identify desirable Auction items. Since travel packages and destination experiences remain the top sellers, ask your donors where they want to go and what they prefer to do. The challenge may be getting enough responses to build a list of potential target items as many donors don’t have time to complete surveys. One of our Auction Packages Specialists can also be a great resource to help you identify trends, especially the “hot items.” We can also help you draft a survey template to speed up the process.
   
   With our in-depth knowledge of the Non-Profit and philanthropic fundraising event trends, we can help you identify types of Auction items that will virtually “sell themselves,” including Bucket List Experiences, Food & Wine, and Events, Sports & Entertainment. 
    
4. Manage Bidding
   
   You have the Auction Items, Now, you need to figure out the most effective opening bids. Oftentimes, your previous year’s event is a good indicator of what to expect if your Auction items are similar to the previous event. Which items sold well? Which items had little to no traction?  Auction items that led to bidding wars should be prominently displayed and opening bids that can get the ball rolling. The ideal opening bid depends on your donor/bidding audience, the value of the item, and the energy in the room. 
   
   You then need to establish effective bid increments. For example, let’s say you have a destination package worth $5,000.  If you go with an opening bid of $3,500, you may only get one or two bidders. If you start with an opening bid with $250 increments, you can build momentum that results in a bidding war and raising well more than $5,000. What you’ve also done is engaged more bidders, which may result in other Auction items receiving bids. 
   
   The beauty of consignment Auction packages is that if your minimum bid is not met, your charity does not need to pay for the item. This is why our Auction Packages are NO RISK. This is where Auction Packages is your secret weapon: We provide the most attractive packages along with the expertise to help you set an attractive opening bid and appropriate bid increments. 
    
5. Fulfillment. Fulfillment. Fulfillment

Congratulations! Your Team create a buzz and your Auction items broke out into bidding wars all over the ballroom. Your charity stands to enjoy a record-setting donation. Everything will be for naught if your Team fails to FULFILL the packages. You need to ensure that:

• The payment process is PAINLESS: If payment is not seamless and easy, the bidder may push back.
• The winning bidder IS HANDED THE ITEM ASAP: The bidder wants to show off the item. Make that as easy to do as possible. 
• The winning bidder is INFORMED: Gather all contact information so that a member of your Team can contact the bidder a few days after the event - and possibly a few cocktails – have worn off. Use this as an opportunity to not only thank the donor but to ensure that all of their questions are answered. We at Auction Packages can help.  
• In the case of travel, the winning bidder TAKES THE TRIP. If you don’t make it easy for the donor to enjoy the item, you will never get them to bid on your items again. This is where the Auction Packages Team helps you shine! We have a dedicated White Glove Concierge Service that manages item fulfillment FOR YOU. Our industry-leading White Glove Team is your donor’s concierge from beginning to end. We specialize in this service to free your Team from worry. 

Do you or your Event Team need help creating your Non-Profit auction strategy for the coming year? We at Auction Packages can help. Our team of Auction Specialists can guide you through the myriad of options to make your next event a success. We Live to Give.