Fall Fundraising

Our first fundraising auction for the fall season started with the Borland Free Clinic and their Borlandia Gala. Held in a private airplane hanger surrounded by private jets and collector cars it created the perfect setting for the 250 guests, who had just seven unique auction packages to bid on.

One of my favorites was a vintage Harley Davidson which was sold twice, bringing the the total sales price close to $10k. Great food, live music and supportive patrons made it a great event. If you would like to learn more, or support the clinic visit www.borlandclinic.org.

The auctions are heating up.

We’re having a crazy winter here in the Pacific Northwest with snow and freezing temps every other day. I’m looking forward to some warmer weather as spring approaches.

While it may be cold outside, the first group of our fundraisers in 2019 have been especially strong.

The new trend has been to reduce the number of auction items. Back in the good old days, it was common to have 40-60 packages in the live auction. In 2019 it seems 10-20 items or even less seems to be the sweet spot. The audiences seem to appreciate an auction which lasts about an hour. Everyone in the room is raising their bid cards trying to chase those fewer items, and prices on the most desirable packages are bringing a premium.

Remember, supporting your favorite nonprofit or school does make a difference. If you can’t donate time throw some cash their way it all helps.

Everywhere

Remember the call I got two months ago? I said yes to a fundraising auction that was to take place in a local Portland taproom. I got the call when the original auctioneer had backed out because she did not like the group's final selection of venue.

Well, it turned out really well! It actually turned out better than any one of us could have imagined. We ended up raising nearly double the net proceeds that they had in years past. They were so pleased with the results that they rebooked us right away for their next year's event.

I'm sure glad we said yes. It was a great group and a fun auction to work and we're looking forward to doing it all again next year. It just goes to show that success can be found anywhere and everywhere, as long as you open your mind and eyes to the possibilities.

Thirty Years

Thirty years ago, I started my career in the auction business. It was the evening of May 20, 1988 in my hometown of Spokane. It's easy for me to remember because it was my 27th birthday.

I was helping out my future employer, Mitch and his buddy Stuart at a fundraising event. Before that; I had never even attended an auction, let alone worked at an auction! My job that night was to simply help spot anyone's hand that shot up in the air, then let out a "Yep!" loud enough for the auctioneer to hear. It was a lot harder than it looked. Now turn the clock ahead thirty years and I have been the auctioneer of over 400 fundraising auctions. Who would have ever imagined what that one evening would lead to? This unexpected and rewarding career is what came of that night and I feel so lucky to be a part of it after all these years.

My Other Job

This weekend marks the end of the traditional fundraising season. This autumn through spring, each of the not-for-profit groups that I worked with saw another solid year of growth. But I didn't do it all on my own.

We have to thank all the volunteers who work tirelessly throughout the year for these schools and committees; so that when I show up on the day of the big event, the audience shows up and is ready to do its part by giving. It really does take a huge team, most of which are your steadfast volunteers, to make sure that your fundraising auction is successful. So when it comes time; before, during, and post-event, make sure that you recognize how much you appreciate the help of your event staff!

I have some exciting auctions coming up, with a bit of a break in July and August. So I'm looking forward to enjoying some warm weather this summer and then to branching outside the Portland area this coming fall.

Strike the match

Too many organizations look at the paddle raise or special appeal as a separate item of the auction. I prefer to look at the paddle raise as the central part of the evening. Typically, no single auction item will ever sell for as much as you could raise through the appeal. Using your pre-committed dollars as a match creates an exciting and interactive way for donors, patrons and the auctioneer to grow the appeal by as little as 25% from the year before to a whopping 100%.

These kind of increases are entirely possible to obtain. With some good preplanning, this could be a reality at your next auction.  It's what I call the Magic of the Match.  What is more exciting than announcing to your audience that you have a $10,000 gift waiting in the wings? Maybe challenging everyone in the room to try matching it his own donation? I think most would agree that the second scenario is just a little or a lot more exciting. Instead of a simple ask, we have created a bit of excitement by whipping up a little bit of a competitive frenzy. There's nothing wrong in a little bit of friendly competition in a crowd that's working together towards a common goal.

While corporate and personal matches at the higher levels grab most of the headlines, it is the donors in the room who are giving at the $250, $100 and $50 dollar levels who we really want to engage in the matching process. Recently, at a smaller event, we used a $1,000 donation as a match at the $100 level and ended up raising another $3,000. We did the same with a $500 gift which brought in another $1,500 via 30 separate donors at $50 a piece.

Raise more of those bid cards high up in the air at your next auction!

Re-ignite the fire

Have you been watching as the attendance to your annual benefit drops year after year? Are you resorting to comping tickets just to put bums in chairs? Does anyone laugh at your MC's jokes anymore? Is the crowd tired of listening to the live auction drag on and on?

Maybe your event is suffering from BAS, the boring auction syndrome. Typically, the first call to action is to get rid of the MC and the auctioneer you've been using forever and replace them with professionals who have proven results. You will notice the difference immediately on the stage, in your event revenues, and even on your invoice from your auctioneer. As they say, "You get what you pay for." Someone who can turn your event around or grow your fundraising revenues year after year is worth his weight in gold. I've been on both ends of the stick and typically; if you've done your homework, you'll notice improvements in your event right away, whether big or small. Though if the core components of your benefit remain unchanged, so will your results. Auction prizes are typically the same at most fundraising events: art, wine, trips, special dinner and hotel packages or maybe even a one-on-one meeting with a B-list celebrity. While auction prizes make up some of the building blocks of your benefit, they are never going to be the components that bring your special event to that next level.

So how do you make the leap? While not a new concept, it's the people who make the event. Whether it's the tireless dynamos who sit on your fundraising board, or the generous patrons in the audience, or even the best audio-visual techs in town; it all comes down to the people. Brainstorming, event-planning, ticket-selling - every component it takes to put together a successful event, requires the person who best fits the job! Have you ever been successful at putting a square peg into a round hole? Shaking things up on your planning committee and on your stage may be just the changes your event needs. Heck, move the stage and change the venue while you're at it! This may be just what it takes to get your auction rocking again. Ask the members of your board, the loyal guests people who have been coming to your event year in and year out, maybe even some of your event volunteers. A cross-group brainstorming session may reveal the answer or answers you need to reconnect with your audience or to re-energize your planning committee. There is no end to the resources or ideas that can re-ignite your auction's fire. Give one or all of these ideas a try as you begin planning for your next benefit auction.

Happy new year!

Happy new year!

The holidays are behind us. The kids are back to school. The auction business is back in full swing.

In the month of January, there are no less than five auction houses, which will sell over $200million worth of classic cars in the matter of a week. If you happen to be in the vicinity of Scottsdale Arizona between January 10th through till the 18th, that's where the first big auction events of 2015 will take place.

If you are a fan of vintage motorcycles, Las Vegas Nevada is the place to be. With Bonhams and Mid-American offering up close to a thousand bikes starting January 8th and ending on the 11th. I'll be at Bonhams checking out some of the rare bikes that will be crossing the auction block into the garage of some lucky collectors.

Then by February, fundraising season starts up again. Most not-for-profits have their spring events booked. Now is the time when autumn fundraising committees are securing their dates for venues, entertainers and caterers.

Reinvent and resize

In my last blog post, I talked about rethinking how to go about planning your next fundraising auction. One of the main points I covered was the size of the event. It really comes down to the ROI, return on investment. What if I told you that in the following year, you should only invite half the people AND double your ticket price? Your first thought would probably be an emphatic NO. I'll let you in on a not-so-secret secret. As with most other sales transactions, the 80/20 rule applies. This is true for most things in the world of business, auctions included. What is the 80/20 rule? Also known as the Pareto Principle, it is the rule of thumb that 80% of your output is determined by 20% of your input. For example, in business it works out that 20% of your customers represent 80% of your sales. Or in our case, 20% of your event's patrons are bidding for your auction items 80% of the time. That means, in a crowd of 300, there are really only 30 actual serious bidders!

Let's do the math: starting with 300 people, divide that by 2 because most people come as part of a couple, apply the Pareto Principle by calculating 20% of 150, you are then left with only 30 true bidders in the room. What if, instead of trying to accommodate a lukewarm crowd of 300 at $250 a head, you double the ticket price and halve the number of guests? That translates into $75,000 in ticket sales right off the bat! Plus your fundraiser is left with only your most committed of patrons. Isn't it likely that the guy/gal who already spent $1,000 to attend your fundraiser with his wife/her husband, be the same guy/gal who takes home the grand auction prize?

Do your own little study at your next fundraising event and then give me a call.

Size doesn't matter. Really

We live in a world where if it's bigger, it must be better.

In the fundraising world, that axiom is not always true. Sure, it's exciting to be in a room filled with hundreds of other well-dressed and like-minded people thrown together to raise money for a shared cause, while also being entertained by the theatrics of the auctioneer. But the reality of large fundraising events is that only a small portion of those in attendance are actually active participants in the live auction. In my experience, I would venture to guess that only about 20% of the room is doing 80% of the bidding and buying. Yes, it does seem that more people tend to join in on the bidding for a special appeal. Though often, that may be the single occasion of the evening when that specific bid card saw any action.

So my question to event planners out there is, "How much thought and effort do you put into the process of guest selection?" Like most not-for-profit organizations, do you simply send out invites to the masses hoping to fill the huge ballroom that you have rented for the night? Or do you pick and choose those patrons who have potential in their pocketbooks and the ones with proven buying power to contribute to your night's cause? What if you could cut the cost of producing your event in half and at the same time, double your audience participation? Wouldn't you be interested in knowing how? Stay tuned for some hints in my next blog. 

Being an auctioneer

I’m one of the lucky people out here in the working world who really enjoys what he's doing for a living.

Being an auctioneer is a unique profession. I have been lucky enough to make it my career for the past twenty plus years. I’ve been involved in auctioning everything from real estate, both wholesale and collector cars, as well as art and wine at fundraisers.

In each of these different scenarios of the auction, the same theme repeats itself. That similarity is competition. Finding value or just establishing something's worth is best done via the auction method.

Then why haven’t auctions become a more mainstream method for selling? There are a couple of reasons. First, I think there still lacks information and understanding about how this selling process works. For instance, if you scratch your nose or accidently raise your hand during the bidding process, you don't necessarily have to buy the item that's being auctioned. We’re looking at everyone in the room and to some degree, watching your non-verbal clues as to whether you’re truly a potential bidder. An auctioneer with experience will always ask whether you’re bidding or simply waving to your friend across the room. Secondly, an auction can be a intimidating for some. It puts most people, especially bidders, outside their comfort zone. You either have the resources to purchase what’s for sale or you don’t. When you bid, you may take a bit of ownership for the item up for sale. So being outbid can lead to some very intense stares between bidders around the room. All in good spirits, of course!

Factors are constantly changing. Nowadays, change happens frequently and quickly. Setting a defined date for an item to be sold, allowing only those qualified to participate in the buying process, and informing both buyers and sellers the terms and conditions of the sale - all of these factors combined level the playing field for all involved. So as more buyers and sellers look for more transparency in their business dealings; we will see auctions, becoming more often, the preferred method of conducting these types of transactions.

School fundraisers

School fundraising auctions are some of my favorites amongst the variety of events that I do. They give parents and teachers an opportunity to socialize outside of the school environment. You have a highly motivated captive audience. Everyone in attendance has a student who benefits from the proceeds of the evening. It's a winning combination.

With smaller budgets and fewer subsidies, more and more schools are required to do their own fundraising - from kindergarten to high school, private and public school. Academic institutions are raising money for sports fields and equipment, international exchange trips, scholarships. The list goes on.

I'm a part of the fundraising team at a local private school's annual gala. For the past few years, a table of desserts made with love by the school's teachers goes to auction after the dinner portion of the night. The parents get pretty competitive. Little Lisa wants to hear how her dad made the highest bid for everyone's favorite teacher's triple-layered chocolate cake. I've seen bids go as high as $1,000 for a homemade cake. This year, the dessert auction raised $7,500 for the school's foundation!

Something to think about as yet another school year comes to a close. Have a fun and safe summer out there.

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Auctioneers: There is a difference

Auctioneering is one of those jobs where it's not unusual for someone in the crowd to think, "How hard could it be to do that? It looks pretty easy. If that guy on stage can do it, why couldn't I?" If you have been part of an audience during a fundraising event, you can tell the difference between a professionally trained auctioneer with experience and someone who is just trying to wing it. There is nothing worse than to watch someone struggling on stage. It's like the feeling you get when you're at an amateur comedy show where nobody is laughing. It is painful to watch and can be incredibly embarrassing for the person on stage.

Once the audience's interest or the bidding momentum is lost, it's game over. What do you do then? Not much you can do, except to wait till next year to do it better.

Big or small, we can help

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Last weekend, one of our fundraising auction patrons told me how pleased he was with the results of the evening. Then he asked whether or not I did small auctions. "Of course!" I said. Actually, I love the small grassroots auctions when they are just getting started. All fundraisers or benefit auctions have to start somewhere, and it's exciting be there from the start to watch them grow and develop into major events. Most of the charity work I've done through the past twenty years has been working with groups who are just starting out. So if you've been thinking about putting together your first auction, or maybe hiring a professional auctioneer for an established event; give me a call or drop a line.