#EANF#
How Important Is the Fundraising Auctioneer to the Success of Your Event?
I want you to think about the term “Fundraising Auction”.
A “Fundraising Auction” is an event where items of value are gathered, and then sold in a competitive bidding situation, either in a Silent Auction format, or in a Live Auction format by a Live Auctioneer. And since typically the best items are saved for the Live Auction, arguably it is the Live Auction that should generate a significant portion of the proceeds in any Fundraising Auction.
So why do so many non-profit groups consider the Fundraising Auctioneer to be the least valuable component in a Fundraising Auction?
The Hosting Facility gets paid.
The Printer gets paid.
The Caterer gets paid.
The Liquor Store gets paid.
The DJ gets paid.
The Florist gets paid.
But the Auctioneer … the individual who is expected to raise the lion’s share of the event’s proceeds… is expected to work for Free. And is usually under-appreciated for the professional services he/she provides.
I’m not trying to underscore the value of the invitations & programs, food, booze, music, and decorations. All are important in their own way. But each of these are “Expenses”. It is the Auctioneer who is going to bring “Revenue”… and thus, the “Profits”… into any event. Which is the ultimate objective of any Fundraising Auction.
Here is a real-life example of how under-appreciated the Auctioneer can be. In two comparable events we worked last year, during the dinner portion of the event one non-profit group sat the Auctioneer (me) at a table with the DJ, the Interns, the Volunteer Staff, and other event “Help”. The 2nd non-profit group sat the Auctioneer (me) directly next to the CEO of their organization, where we chatted about how important the pending revenue would be to their organization. Which group do you think valued the services of the Fundraising Auctioneer more?
Don’t ever under-estimate the value that a professional Fundraising Auctioneer can bring to your event. The Auctioneer adds value as a pre-event consultant. And the Auctioneer can change an event from a moderate to a huge success.
A Case Study Once I was scheduled to call an Auction for a major local non-profit group. They represented a very good cause and they had a strong and dedicated following. Their event was sold out, quality Live & Silent Auction items had been solicited, and the Special Pledge Appeal had been choreographed and was ready to go. The facility was first class, the appropriate caterer was booked, and the food was ready to cook.
But quite unexpectedly, some unseasonably inclement weather forced the event’s cancellation. Despite all of the committee’s hard work, cancelling the event was the proper decision considering the circumstances.
So the Event Committee scrambled to re-schedule the event for the following weekend.
They confirmed with the Hosting Facility.
They confirmed with the Caterer.
They confirmed with the Liquor Store.
They confirmed with the DJ.
They confirmed with the Florist.
Since they already had the Mailing List of those scheduled to attend, no new invitations had to be printed as all were contacted by email or telephone. So with everything in place, the group went ahead and re-scheduled the event for the following weekend.
But guess who they failed to confirm? You got it… the Professional Auctioneer. They thought so little of the Auctioneer’s contribution that they “assumed” that the Auctioneer would be available and at their beck and call.
But the Auctioneer already had another Fundraising Auction booked for that date with another non-profit group. It was only hour away from the re-scheduled event, and things could have been easily worked out. All Group #1 had to do was start their event one hour earlier, or one hour later, than the Group #2, and the Auctioneer could have helped both groups on the same day.
But because Group #1 failed to anticipate a possible Auctioneer conflict, because they failed to confirm with the Auctioneer before re-scheduling their event, their preferred Auctioneer had to bow out and they had to scramble to locate substitute “Volunteer” Auctioneer only days before their event.
And it cost them.
Learning Points
The Live Auction is usually where the profits are made at any Fundraising Auction.
A Professional Fundraising Auctioneer can be vital to the success of any Fundraising Auction.
The better Fundraising Auctioneers usually get booked quickly.
You need to recognize the important contributions that a good Auctioneer can make to your event.
Michael Ivankovich is a Bucks County Fundraising Auctioneer based in Doylestown PA, and serves the Great Philadelphia PA area. He has been a professionally licensed and bonded Auctioneer in Pennsylvania for nearly 20 years, has been named Pennsylvania’s Auctioneer of the Year, and has considerable experience in conducting Fundraising Auctions. Michael loves helping groups raise needed funds for good causes and one of his specialties is the “Special Pledge Appeal” or “Fund-A-Cause Appeal” which usually enables clients to double their revenue in a single evening.
Inflatable Advertising
Outdoor advertising is a new way of cheap advertising which targets to gain the highest frequency and visibility to all your target clients. There are a lot of ways being utilized in outdoor advertising. You can select the most conventional form such as paying a rent for billboards, advertisement in vehicles, and or street furniture. Another way is utilizing a more conventional method of advertising which hold an equal of more opportunity of catapulting attention. One of the most popular forms of unconventional advertising is inflatable advertisement. This article will be discussing some common advantages of inflatable advertising in the marketing industry as well as to business owners who are still confused on what type of advertising method to be utilized for their businesses. Inflatable advertising is a known cheaper way of advertising your business.
What should I know about inflatable advertising?
Inflatable advertising refers to any category of commercial signaling with the use of signage which is intended to fill an air. They can be a form of any inflatable shapes, balloons, replicas, blimps, balls, display boards filled with air and others which tends to advertise and give information about your product or services. The following are some of the plenty of benefits of inflatable advertisement.
The visibility is high frequency
Simplicity is beauty and it is applicable in inflatable advertising. You need to make the advertisement simpler, simple enough to be easily remembered with your target audience or clients. The center goal of the advertisement is mandated to be clear and visible to all. Example, when you are in a convention or a festival, the main focus of the convention or festival is always highlighted in the event to keep the public aware that such thing. Now, imagine when you are outside and you see big billboards with big company logos, or pictures, what information leaves in your mind? I guess it the image alone. It is because people are more particular to the things that are being remembered easily. They tend to mind less on the details. If you demand a customer attention, make your advertisement gigantic as possible.
It is unconventional
It is unique since it gives an implication or being creative in your advertising strategy. Imagine how kids will be entertained with your outdoor billboards or advertising tools? Can you imagine how great this was to them? It can easily catch someone’s attention especially if you will be using commercial balloons in different colors, sizes and shapes. Most of all, since it is 3-dimensional, I am really sure that thousands will be able to notice it even if it is at a distant location.
It is the most convenient
It does not require too much space since most of the time it is up above, floating in the air. The material can really occupy a lot of attention as it floats and most of the viewers will really see and would be amazed on the type of advertisement you are using. Also, the time when you will ready to keep them because of end of contract for the advertising, you can easily deflate and fold them. It can be carries away back to your office for future use. When it is for disposal, you can even reuse it for camping purposes. This is a lot of convenience compared to other types of advertising methods.