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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.

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Online Classified Advertising – Better Substitute for Ordinary Advertising Methods

People use many advertising media such as television, radio, news paper and magazines. These are traditional advertising media people who use for decades. But at present business people are seeking for different kind of advertising media. As a better solution, internet advertising or online advertising is doing a great job.

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Another advantage of online classified advertising is it will allow to present ads with various audio and visual combination. As an example, if we take a paper advertisement, we can use only still images or visual contents and audio or animations cannot be used. These kinds of limitations are there in other promotional media as well. But in online advertising, we have the opportunity to use audio, visual and animating contents.

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Likewise there are lots of advantages in online classified advertising and it will become the number one advertising option for business people in near future.

Benefits of a Home Based Business In Lieu of Traditional Employment

In today’s uncertain economic climate, a growing number of people are looking to establish home businesses in lieu of looking for traditional employment under an already established but highly unstable business. Establishing your own home based business or start up is a relatively simple task; all that will be require of a potential entrepreneur is a solid, well thought out business idea and great care taken when executing the idea.The economic market is in a highly erratic position which leads those looking for a stable source of income to pursue self employment because it is a great way to avert a number of potential pit falls that today’s economy is littered with. Starting one’s own home based business also affords the owner absolute freedom to make their own executive decisions as to the well being of the business.Establishing your own home based business is a relatively simple process. The most important element to setting up a home based business is a solid and well constructed business model. Having a great business plan and effective form of executing your idea’s will benefit you in the long run. When working from home, you will mostly likely have a separate room or study which will be used as a dedicated home office; here you can effectively run your business at your own pace.It is easier to work at a pace you are comfortable with because it is your business; you are afforded a level of freedom you would not usually have in a traditional business. You are your own boss and you can run your business the way you see fit; there is no supervisor to report to, no strict work policies and absurd work hours. This new found freedom will significantly reduce your stress levels, while personally improving your skills as a leader and professional entrepreneur.Operating a home based business will effectively help you to grow as a professional, all while increasing your productivity. The time you spend working is directly proportionate to the money you will make in your home based business; this leads you to be more practical with time management and to utilize your skills and assets effectively. When working for yourself, you are not boxed in to one particular job with limited opportunities to branch out; in your own business, you are the CEO, marketer, accountant and secretary. You have a wide array of experiences.With the freedom that a Home Based Business allows, it is no surprise that people continue to establish their own businesses. The era of home based business start ups is only beginning.

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