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Is Your Charity Auctioneer Really on Your Team?

12/27/2019

I get calls pretty regularly from nonprofits frustrated with the auctioneer they used the previous year. Sometimes their frustration stems from circumstances that were beyond the auctioneer’s control. But my guess is that most of the time, the auctioneer took the job for the wrong reasons. Trust me, I’ve done it before.

The reality is, many charity auctioneers are in this business to make money for themselves. The biggest feel good moment of their night is when you hand them a check.

The thing is, we do our best work when we put our own needs aside and focus entirely on the needs of the nonprofit.

Here’s how to know if your auctioneer is really on your team:

They always work in the best interest of the nonprofit and their donors. Their focus is not on how much they will earn for the evening, but on how much they can raise for you.

They make your donors feel appreciated and loved for their generosity. They do this regardless of the donor’s capacity to give. Minor donors are just as important as major donors. Everyone who gives should be celebrated. Everyone who volunteers should be celebrated.

They’re honest. I am honest about what my clients need and don’t need for their event, every step of the way. I am honest about what I think the event can achieve. I am honest about what they are doing right and what they could do better. As charity auctioneers, our job is to be completely honest and transparent.

They offer free advice. Any charity auctioneer worth their salt will give you free advice over the phone before you fork over any money or sign a contract. If an auctioneer says, “If you were my client, I could help you with that,” they are trying to get you to sign up for their services regardless of if they are the right fit for you.

They tell you what to look for in a charity auctioneer. I am up front about the qualities that I think make for a good charity auctioneer. I tell all of my potential clients to watch my videos, and the videos of anyone else they are considering, before they make their final decision. If they feel I’m a good fit, they should pick me. If any part of them feels that I’m the wrong fit for the event, they should go with someone else. They don’t always pick me. This puts the nonprofit’s needs above my personal money-making capacity.

Here’s how to know if your auctioneer is not on your team:

They promise you the world. They say they can raise you millions of dollars when you normally raise $250k. They make promises without understanding the nuances of your nonprofit and your fundraising event.

They don’t care about metrics and data. If your auctioneer is basing their promises on nothing—no metrics, no numbers, no data—run and hide. They are making it up. Your charity auctioneer should always look at your numbers before providing an estimate of how much you can raise at your event. Always. People lie, numbers don’t.

They don’t give you options. It’s one way or no way. Fundraising isn’t a one size fits all proposition. There are always different options for every aspect of each event. If your auctioneer says there isn’t, they are lying to you. A lack of options betrays a lack of flexibility on the part of the auctioneer, or suggests they don’t understand fundraising enough to customize and tailor their service to your event.

Hiring the right charity auctioneer for your event is important. Look for someone who goes out of their way to research your organization, who understands your mission and values. Watch video of potential charity auctioneers in action to see if they are right for you. The right charity auctioneer is out there, you just have to find them.

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The Centerpiece Fund-A-Need

12/23/2019

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The primary challenge that many nonprofits face is creating an inviting culture of philanthropy. Major donors sometimes feel everyone should be able give $100 at a fundraising event. Other donors may feel that the ticket price is their donation, and they may not have the ability to participate in any fundraising activities on top of that.

Recently, I had a client ask if I could create a giving experience that was the same for all their donors, regardless of how much they could afford to give. The goal was to reduce the pressure typically associated with a Fund-A-Need and standardize the giving experience. I put together a unique approach to the Fund-A-Need that I am so excited to share with you.

I call it the Centerpiece Fund-A-Need.

Here’s how it works:

Come up with an image that represents your nonprofit, leave space on that image for your donors to write their name and their Fund-A-Need gift amount. Get creative. The sky’s the limit when it comes to theming.
Create mini bid paddles by affixing the image to the top of a small dowel or stick.
Collect buckets or other containers that you can theme to your event. Fill them with sand, gravel, dirt, or glass pebbles and place it in a prominent place in the event space. The idea is that the mini paddles stay upright when placed in the container.
Communicate with your major donors before the event and explain this new approach, so that they are prepared to give during the Fund-A-Need.
Make the ask at your event. Ask your attendees to plant a seed for change by opening their wallets and giving any amount they can. Invite them to write their generous gift on their mini bid paddle and stick their paddle into the container.

This approach provides a moving, visual illustration of the impact your donors have on your nonprofit and the community. Looking around the room, your donors will see all the paddles standing up in the containers and they’ll understand how impactful their donations really are. It’s a wonderful activity that the entire room can engage in at one time, keeping the communal nature of the Fund-A-Need alive.

Having no set giving levels allows for donors to feel welcome to give any amount they can. The experience becomes purely about the donor’s connection to the nonprofit and what they feel comfortable giving.

Your auctioneer is free to make the ask multiple times during the evening without it feeling stilted. You can use the ask as a transition if you are moving your donors from one room to another. You can use it as a transition between other pieces of your event. You can end with a final ask inviting anyone who hasn’t already given to do so, and providing extra mini bid paddles for those who are moved to give a second time.

I particularly like this approach when it comes to private schools, which have some of the largest wealth gaps of any of the organizations I work with. Some parents pay full tuition for their children and some children attend on full scholarships, so there’s a wide range of giving capacities. When the school throws it’s annual gala, who is supposed to come? Only the wealthy parents? Or, do you encourage everyone to come and have a good time regardless of what they can give?

I think you know where I’m going with this.

Event fundraising, especially auctions and Fund-A-Needs, can feel very elitist. Sometimes, at large Fund-A-Needs with high giving levels, those who can’t give very much are uncomfortable when a major donor gives $50,000. They may feel that their $50 donation is pointless next to someone who can part with such a large sum. This approach removes the potential for elitism and creates the exact same experience for all donors, while presenting them with a visual representation of the impact of their giving.

Looking to have a Fund-A-Need at your next event? Give the Centerpiece Fund-A-Need a try and let me know how it goes.

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50 Crowd-Pleasing Nonprofit Fundraising Ideas

12/20/2019

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Creating a fundraising event every year, while keeping things new and fresh, can be daunting. Lucky for you, I’ve got a list of fifty amazing fundraising ideas that you can try next time you need a fun, new way to raise money.

100-Point Wine Dinner
Host a multi-course dinner prepared by an amazing local chef and paired with outstanding, locally-sourced wines. Sell seats to this dinner for a set price.

50/50 Raffle
Sell raffle tickets at your next live event for a chance to win 50% of the raffle proceeds. Combine this with a traditional raffle for extra incentive. Check with your local and state laws regarding raffle rules and regulations.

Amazon Smile
Shopping through Amazon Smile can earn your nonprofit money. Spread the word to your supporters and encourage them to set your organization as their Amazon Smile recipient.

Baking Competition
Host a friendly baking competition. Challenge participants to bake the best chocolate chip cookies, cupcakes, brownies, etc. Bring in local bakers to judge the bakes. Charge a sign-up fee for the bakers and an admission fee for the audience.

Battle of the Bands
Have a particularly musical community? Host a battle of the bands at a local venue. Charge a sign-up fee and get the audience involved by having them vote for their favorite group. Ask for donations at the event or charge at the door.

Bingo Night
Host a bingo night for the community. Charge for bingo cards. This is a great all-ages event, or you can theme the night and make it more adult-friendly. You can either give away prizes to the winners or give them a cash prize based on the amount of money brought in by the game. Remember to check your local and state laws regarding raffle rules and regulations.

Book Fair
Host a book fair benefiting your organization. Source books from local booksellers and major retailers. Ask people in the community to donate their gently used books. Great for schools and nonprofits focused on literacy and education.

Boon Supply
This fundraiser is completely FREE. Simply sign up with Boon Supply, then spread the word of your fundraiser over social media. People can browse Boon Supply and make purchases for the duration of the fundraiser. 40% of all purchases goes straight to your nonprofit or school.

Bowling Tournament
Work with a local bowling alley to host an amateur tournament benefiting your nonprofit. Charge a sign-up fee and request a portion of the evening’s proceeds as a donation.

Box Tops for Education
A true classic and a great way to raise a little extra money for schools in your area. Each box top turned in to the school is worth 10 cents. Ask your students, parents, and community to clip box tops for you.

Car Wash
Hold a car wash in your parking lot. Charge a set amount per car. Use volunteers as your car washers.

Chili Cook Off
A specific take on a cooking competition. Gather participants to compete to see who makes the best chili in town. Charge a sign-up fee and bring in local chefs to judge the dishes. Set up a donation table at the event for extra revenue.

Cooking Competition
Host a friendly cooking competition at a local venue. Give each person or team a basket with ingredients and challenge them to prepare a dish from the contents of the basket. Bring in local chefs to judge the dishes. Charge a sign-up fee and an admission fee for the audience.

Community Clean Up
Get members of your community together to clean up public parks, waterways, or other spaces. Provide shirts for everyone to wear. Ask members of the community to donate based on area cleaned or amount of trashed picked up. Great for nonprofits focused on conservation and public spaces.

Dance Marathon
A classic with a historical origin. Host a dance marathon with teams of participants competing to see who can stay moving the longest. Have your teams collect pledges from people in the community for every hour they dance. Establish rules for how long they must dance each hour. Charge a small sign-up fee per team and sell concessions at the event.

Dance Off
Dance offs are great for communities with performers. Host a dance off at your nonprofit or a local dance studio. Charge an admission fee and sell concessions at the event. Get the audience involved by asking them to vote for their favorite performer.

Easter Egg Hunt
Host an easter egg hunt for kids in the community. Ask volunteers to help you fill and hide the eggs. Charge a small sign-up fee per child and set up a donation table at the event. Maybe the Easter Bunny will make an appearance.

Fashion Show
Hold a fashion show at your nonprofit or another venue. Ask local boutiques to provide clothing items or make it a do-it-yourself affair if you have a particularly crafty crowd. Charge an admission fee for the event. You could even auction off the clothing items after the show.

Fund-A-Need
Make a Fund-A-Need part of your next fundraising event. It’s like an auction, but without the items. Hire a charity auctioneer to help run the event. Encourage everyone to make a gift at the giving level comfortable for them. Thank your donors for their generosity and support of your cause.

Game Night
Host a game night at your nonprofit. Ask a local game shop, if you have one, to supply board games for the evening. Charge an admission fee and sell concessions at the event.

Girls’ Night Out
Work with a local venue to arrange a girls’ night out for your female supporters. Think fashion, great food, entertainment, whatever is local to you. Charge a sign-up fee and work with any venues to receive a portion of the proceeds as a donation. When bundled with other items, tickets to these events make a great addition to your silent auction.

Golf Tournament
Have a local golf course? Work them them to host an amatuer golf tournament benefiting your nonprofit. Charge a sign-up fee and set up a donation table at the event.

Guys’ Night Out
Work with a local venue to arrange a guys’ night out for your male supporters. Think sports bars, golf, car shows, whatever is local to you. Arrange for food and drinks to be catered or for the night to take the guys through a bar or local restaurant. Charge a sign-up fee and work with any venues to receive a portion of the proceeds as a donation. When bundled with other items, tickets to these events make a great addition to your silent auction.

Karaoke Contest
Ask a local karaoke bar to host an event for your nonprofit, or rent equipment and have the contest at another venue. Charge a small fee for each song and allow the audience to request specific songs for an extra donation. Sell concessions at the event, or ask for a portion of the food and drink sales to go to your nonprofit.

Kids Camp
Host a kids camp for a day or a week in the summer. Provide educational and outdoor activities. Charge parents a registration fee appropriate for the length of the event. Parents will be delighted their children have somewhere to go for a few days. Perfect for schools and nonprofits focused on children.

Live Auction
Make a live auction part of your next fundraising event. Hire a charity auctioneer to run the auction. Source amazing auction items, trips, and experiences. Invite all the right people to attend.

Movie Night
Host a movie night at your nonprofit or other local venue. Charge a small admission fee and serve concessions at the event. This event works well for kids and for the cinephile crowd, just make sure to choose your movie appropriately.

Murder Mystery Dinner
Great for donors looking for a more adult experience. Work with a murder mystery theater group to put on an event benefiting your nonprofit. Encourage everyone to participate and really get into the story. Serve a great meal made by a local chef.

Museum Night
Have a local museum who hosts events outside of regular operating hours? Talk to them about hosting an event for your nonprofit. Attendees get to view the artwork/interact with the exhibits in a more intimate setting and your nonprofit gets a cut of the admissions price. Set up a donations table for extra revenue.

Online Auction
Like a silent auction, but online! Use mobile bidding technology to setup your next auction entirely online. This allows people who can’t attend your event to participate in your auction. Combine this with a traditional silent auction to allow more people to participate.

Paint and Sip Party
Paint and sip parties are all the rage. If you have a local paint and sip business, see if they will host an event benefiting your nonprofit. Ask for a cut of the profits as a donation to your nonprofit. Great for nonprofits with millennial and creative donors.

Penny War
Two or more groups compete to raise money, collecting coins and dollar bills to score points. Each team collects their coins in containers placed in a common area. Encourage people to stop by and donate their spare change to the team of their choice. Increase competition by awarding positive points for all silver coins and negative points for pennies, or the other way around. Very popular with schools.

Pet Party
Throw a party and invite everyone to bring their pet. Hold pet storytime, play games, and serve food for your guests and their pets. Charge a small admission fee per person and pet. Ask for additional donations at the event.

Pet Wash
It’s a car wash for your pets! Set up a pet wash in your parking lot and charge a small fee for each animal washed. Perfect for nonprofits focused on animals.

Photo Contest
Have some artsy people in your community? Host a photo contest and invite everyone to participate. You can ask for photos that fit a specific theme or no theme at all. Charge a fee for submissions and show the photos in a gallery at your nonprofit or another venue. Ask visitors to the gallery to vote on the best photo. You can even ask permission to sell the photos to benefit your nonprofit.

Pool Party
Perfect for summertime when everyone is itching to get outside. Coordinate with your local public pool to host a pool party benefiting your nonprofit. Charge a small admission fee, sell concessions, and set up a donation table at the event. Great for kids.

Progressive Dinner Party
Progressive dinner parties are wonderful for donors looking for a more refined experience. Participants agree to serve one course of a meal at their home and the group travels from home to home enjoying a fabulous meal and accompanying drinks.

Pub/Restaurant Crawl
Invite your supporters to take part in a pub or restaurant crawl. Talk to the venues about receiving a portion of the sales as a donation and charge a small fee to participate. Use the opportunity to visit a selection of locally-owned businesses. Ask if they will put out a donation jar on the night of the crawl for your nonprofit as an extra revenue stream.

Raffle
Host a raffle. Sell raffle tickets for a five dollars a piece and raffle off some amazing prizes at your next event. This works great in conjunction with any live event. Arrange the prizes on a table so people can see what they are buying tickets for.

Read-a-thon
We all wish we could read more books. Why not hold a read-a-thon over the summer months and encourage all ages and reading levels to participate. Charge a small sign-up fee and have participants gather pledges from their family, friends, and neighbors for every book they read. Perfect for libraries, schools, and nonprofits focused on education and literacy.

Scavenger Hunt
Put together a scavenger hunt in your community and invite people to attend over social media. This is a great way to get people out into the community, you can even align your clues and items with the mission of your nonprofit to further increase awareness. Charge a registration fee for each group and set up a donations table at the end point of the event.

Seasonal Carnival
Host a summer or fall carnival benefiting your organization. Set up games, bring in performers, and hire local restaurants to provide concessions. Charge a small admission fee and keep a portion of the proceeds from game tickets and concessions. Set up a donations table at the event.

Silent Auction
A fundraising classic. Silent auctions go great with any number of other fundraising activities. Source auction items from local businesses. Arrange the items and their bid sheets on tables and encourage the public to stop by or make the silent auction part of a larger fundraising event. Use mobile bidding technology to allow people to bid on items without being present at the auction.

Sing-a-thon
A staple in many church communities. Host a Sing-a-thon and charge a small admission fee. Consider selling concessions at the event for a second revenue stream. Encourage attendance by combining this event with a silent auction.

Talent Show
Have a lot of performers in your community? Host a talent show at your nonprofit or other local venue. Invite everyone in the community to participate by having the audience vote for the winner. Charge a small admission fee and sell concessions at the event. Perfect for school and nonprofits focused on the arts.

Themed Run/Walk
Host a themed walk/run and encourage everyone to dress up in costumes or matching shirts. Charge a sign-up fee and set up a donation table at the event. Perfect for nonprofits focused on public health.

Tie-Dye Party
Does your nonprofit sell shirts to benefit your cause? Why not host a tie-dye party where attendees can jazz up their shirts with some tie-dye. Provide scarves, wraps, and hats for additional donations.

Trivia Night
Host a trivia night at your nonprofit or local bar or restaurant. Topics can include anything from current events and politics to sports and pop culture. Align your questions with the mission of your nonprofit for extra thematic relevance. Charge a registration fee for teams and pass around a donation sheet at the event itself.

Walk-a-thon
A staple of elementary schools everywhere, walk-a-thons are a great way to get people of all ages up and moving. Charge a small sign-up fee and have participants collect pledges from family, friends, and neighbors for every half mile they walk.

Zoo Night
If you have a local zoo that hosts events, talk to them about sponsoring an event for your nonprofit. You can charge a percentage of the admission fees and set up a donation table inside the zoo. Consider combining this event with a zoo-themed silent or live auction for additional revenue streams. Perfect for nonprofits benefiting animals, children, or wildlife conservation.

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What’s in My Auction Bag

12/16/2019

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I remember showing up to my very first charity gala. I had one rollaboard suitcase and a garment bag with three different outfits and pairs of shoes inside.

I no longer use a suitcase, instead I use a large tote which I call my auction bag. Inside are all the items that I need, or might need, for the event I’m working that day. I just grab my auction bag and I’m ready to go.

Are you a newer auctioneer overwhelmed by all the stuff to haul back and forth to events? If so, this list is for you. Here are the eighteen essential items in my auction bag.

An extra pair of auction shoes. You will always break a heel or lose a sole at the worst possible time. Unless you carry a spare pair of shoes, in which case you will almost never need them.
Business cards. Everyone who sees me on stage is a potential client, and I’m always prepared.
Six fine-tipped black sharpies.
Two silver sharpies and two gold sharpies. Sometimes you need to write on dark objects.
Elnett hairspray. Smells horrible. Works wonders.
A hair brush.
A hair straightener. Doubles as an improvised iron.
Scissors. Useful for cutting auction notes, raffle tickets, and extra long fake eyelashes.
Blister bandaids.
Gum or mints. Wintergreen or peppermint only.
A clipboard with a compartment on top to store my notes and pens.
A set of makeup brushes from bh cosmetics.
A makeup bag with all my auction makeup.
Extra pairs of eyelashes because I go through them like nobody’s business. My eyelashes of choice are Bluelans.
Deodorant.
A phone charger.
My camera and a tripod. I often film myself so that I can show the videos to potential clients, review my skills, and ensure there is an accurate record of the live auction and Fund-A-Need. I use a Canon G7 X.
My hand-held, wireless microphone and receiver. I use a Sennheiser EW 100.

That’s it. That’s everything I carry with me in my auction bag. What are your auction must-haves? Let me know what you don’t leave home without in the comments below.

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Get Comfortable Asking for Money

12/13/2019

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If the thought of approaching a donor and soliciting a donation makes you break out in a cold sweat, you are not alone. Asking for money is something nobody is taught how to do and almost everyone is uncomfortable with it at first.

There’s a lot of advice out there for improving this skill. One of the more common suggestions is to challenge yourself to ask for a discount every time you buy anything. If you are making your purchase in person, you ask the person at the register. If you are making your purchase online, you include the request in the notes to the seller.

The point of this challenge is to get you comfortable doing something incredibly uncomfortable. Asking for discounts is not something that’s natural in American culture, so for many of you this may be an incredibly uncomfortable activity. That’s the point. If you can get comfortable asking a random cashier for a discount you have no reason to ask for, on an item you were going to buy anyway, you can get comfortable soliciting donors.

This challenge is fine but I don’t think it’s enough.

What you really need is practice.

Practice with your coworkers. Practice all the time. Make it a part of your weekly duties.

Practice with your board. Board members should be involved in fundraising to some extent, as part of their duties. They may be responsible for soliciting their friends and other major donors. Take a large portion of a board meeting and get everyone in attendance to practice with each other and give feedback on the asks.

Practice talking about your nonprofit in a confident, passionate, mission-focused manner. You don’t have to practice this part with other people, though that is certainly a good idea. You can do this in your car or in the shower.

Sit in on other solicitations. This is especially great for major solicitations. Go out with a coworker or your CEO and just observe. What does the conversation actually sound like? I think you’ll find it’s just like any other conversation.

Relax. Your donor often already knows the ask is coming and will ask you to get to the point long before you planned to. This is especially true when soliciting long-term donors.

If your donors have a strong relationship with your nonprofit, asking for gifts is a breeze. You’ve already done all the hard work of building their emotional connection to your organization, now you are simply inviting them to act on that connection.

Get out there and start asking. Asking for money is one of those things that gets easier and less intimidating the more you do it. You’ll discover what works for you and what works for your donors. You just have to do it.

Remember, a botched ask or a rejected solicitation is not personal. There are so many reasons why your donor might not be able to give at the moment you ask, and that’s okay! The world won’t end, but you will learn something about asking for money from every solicitation you do, no matter what.

Do you have any tips for getting comfortable asking for money? Share them in the comments.

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The Invisible Ingredients of Successful Fund-A-Needs

12/9/2019

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Recently, I’ve heard from several nonprofits who just can’t capture the Fund-A-Need magic. They have all the right things working for them, but the magic isn’t happening.

They are missing the secret, invisible ingredients in the Fund-A-Need souffle.

I’ve written a bit about the things that make a Fund-A-Need successful. Today, we’re going to talk about the invisible ingredients in the Fund-A-Need recipe. The things you don’t see that must be working for your Fund-A-Need to be a success.

Before we jump in, if you haven’t already, click on over and grab a copy of my free Fund-A-Need worksheet to help you plan your best Fund-A-Need ever.

Now, back to why we’re here.

The invisible ingredients of a successful Fund-A-Need are:

Momentum
Energy
Pressure
Moments of Reflection

All four of these things must work together in the room for a Fund-A-Need to reach its full potential.

Let’s take a closer look at each of them.

Momentum
Newton’s first law of motion states that, “Every object persists in its state of rest or uniform motion in a straight line unless it is compelled to change that state by forces impressed upon it.”

Your Fund-A-Need is the object, persisting at a uniform pace. Your auctioneer is the force, impressing herself upon the object to slowly build momentum as she works down the giving levels.

The momentum at the top of the Fund-A-Need drives the momentum at the bottom. This makes those first few giving levels so important, even though there are very few hands being raised. Acknowledging these donors and getting the room excited about these massive donations, carries you into the lower giving levels. The momentum that your auctioneer builds at the top will only grow as the levels decrease and more hands start shooting into the air.

Building and sustaining momentum means it’s best if your auctioneer doesn’t stop to announce prizes or sell things at each level. These interruptions disturb the flow and can bring the momentum to a grinding halt. Pausing to show a video, look at slides, or have a presentation are all bad ideas in terms of momentum.

Energy
Energy is the feeling in the room that gets people excited and ready to donate.

Energy is also what makes other people want to join in.

Each auctioneer has her own energy. Mine is what drives my Fund-A-Needs to feel more like a pep rally than a sales presentation, even though that is what I am doing. I am selling the idea of helping the nonprofit make a difference in the community. The energy in the room is how you communicate to the audience that giving and participating in giving feels good, and that taking action is what everyone else is doing.

The action we want people to take is putting their hand in the air during one of the giving levels, and we want them to feel good while they do it.

Energy also sustains the Fund-A-Need which, let’s face it, can run a little long. A Fund-A-Need with excellent participation can easily last fifteen minutes. If your event has 500 people in the room, that time increases to 25 minutes, easy. That’s a lot of time to ask people to sit quietly and pay attention. Good energy is what makes it possible. Energy feeds the momentum and gets more and more people feeling good about giving and participating as we move through the giving levels, keeping everyone’s attention until the lowest giving level, which is designed so that everyone can give.

Pressure
Pressure is an invisible force exerted on the room by the auctioneer and members of the audience. This is an invisible social pressure that happens when all the people around you are doing a thing. In this case the thing is donating to a worthy cause.

Oftentimes just being in the room at a charity event creates this pressure because attendees know donations are expected. People will naturally start to feel left out if they are not participating in something that everyone else is doing. Those who already planned to give will feel pressured to dig just a little bit deeper than they planned.

Pressure also builds as the auctioneer moves around the room, should she choose to do so. For me, the closer I get to one side of the room, the more hands shoot up on that side.

Pressure is healthy in this context, but it can still make some people uncomfortable. I never call people out for not giving during a Fund-A-Need. That creates a negative pressure that is not conducive to fostering generosity.

Moments of Reflection
Moments of reflection should exist throughout every fundraising event. Every time the audience is listening to a speaker, watching a video, or looking a pictures, you are creating a moment for them to reflect on their life with gratitude. What follows naturally is a desire to help improve the lives of others.

These four invisible ingredients all work together to make people feel gratitude for their own lives and good about giving to your cause.

Getting These Invisible Ingredients Working For You
The charity auctioneer running the Fund-A-Need must be able to command the attention of the audience. Carrying a room like this gives the auctioneer control over what happens to the energy in that room. They either feed the room to build that energy and raise excitement levels, or they take energy from the room and bring everyone to a more somber place. The energy feeds the momentum and builds the pressure.

This sounds like hocus pocus to a lot of people, but I’m telling you it’s real. Next time you watch someone on stage, pay close attention to what they’re doing. You can see this phenomena everywhere, not just at charity auctions. Someone who is standing still on stage is commanding the room in a way that creates a serious energy. Someone who moves about the stage with enthusiasm, like at a pop concert, is doing so to create an energy of happiness and excitement. They are inviting the audience to take this energy into themselves and to feed off it.

The charity auctioneer is the person who controls these forces during the Fund-A-Need.

Before interviewing potential charity auctioneers, watch some of their work online. Look for someone with good, positive energy who knows how to control a crowd without shushing them.

Make sure the person you decide to work with knows the emotional journey you want to take your guests on.

Make sure they acknowledge the first gift of the Fund-A-Need appropriately.

When running a Fund-A-Need your auctioneer has to keep track of a lot of things at once.

Are you nearing the goal amount?
How many people haven’t made a gift yet?
If people aren’t giving, what happened earlier in the program to cause this response?
- Did the speaker speak for too long?
- Did we fail to touch on the one aspect of the nonprofit that this person was invested in?

It’s a lot to pay attention to, but it’s key to gauging when to interfere with the natural progression of the Fund-A-Need and what to do differently the next time.

A Last Chance Intervention
I can tell from that very first gift how the Fund-A-Need is going to go and how hard I’m going to have to work. Occasionally, I will make the choice to pause between giving levels for a purposeful moment of reflection, giving people a chance to consider digging deeper or donating for the first time.

I only do this if I’m sensing that the Fund-A-Need isn’t going well and I’m not having any luck manipulating the momentum, energy, and pressure in the room. It’s risky, and I don’t recommend it unless the Fund-A-Need is really not working. Not just a little bit not working, I’m talking has no chance of coming anywhere close to the goal without a major intervention.

Each time I stop like this, I am taking a huge risk of destroying the momentum, which is why I only do it if the Fund-A-Need is already in trouble. I can’t explain how I do this without messing the Fund-A-Need further, it just happens. I think it’s an instinct about people or an ability to read the room. No one taught me how to do it. You need to be a great auctioneer and a savvy crowd-reader to make this choice and not mess it up.

Even when you’ve set your fundraising event up perfectly, with all the right people in the room and a mission-focused program, your Fund-A-Need souffle can still fall flat if these invisible ingredients aren’t working for you. That’s why it’s imperative to have someone who really knows what they’re doing running the Fund-A-Need. This person can call on their skills and experience to manipulate these invisible forces and give your Fund-A-Need the best chance at success.

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Build Your Fundraising Event Around Emotions, Not Activities

12/6/2019

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When a client hires me to work with them on an event, they want to talk about all the pieces of their event: the cocktail hour, the silent auction, the live auction, the Fund-A-Need, the speeches, dessert, etc. These activities are important, the order they happen in is important, and it’s easy to see why people get wrapped up in this part of the planning: It’s quantifiable.

However, focusing on the activities that make up the event is not the most important thing. For any fundraising event to be successful, the focus must be on the emotions you want to create in the room.

The first thing I ask my clients after they go through their list of activities is, “How do you want your guests to feel at the event and after they leave?”

Before long another list is coming at me, this time made up of words like: inspired, hopeful, excited, curious, enthusiastic, and engaged.

Great! These are all wonderful feelings to evoke at your event.

Then I ask the most important question, “How do we let these words be our guide to creating an event that fosters these feelings in your guests?”

The problem with focusing on activities and not emotions is that you end up with an event that feels cookie cutter. Rather than your event leaving a lasting impression on your guests, they end up feeling like they’ve attended the same event a hundred times over. That’s not what we want.

A fundraising event is a party, sure. It is fun, but it also has to take people on an emotional rollercoaster ride so that when they exit the car they are ready to make a donation on the exit platform.

I can’t tell you want emotions you want to evoke at your event, the answer is different for everyone. If you get stuck coming up with a list of emotions, here are some questions to answer:

What emotions will make your guests feel inspired to give?
Have you communicated these intended emotions with your speakers?
How can you sustain these feelings throughout the entire evening?

The next time you plan a fundraising event, try coming at it through a lens of emotions and feelings, rather than auctions and speeches. This can mean making bold choices for your program. Maybe you get everyone’s attention at the beginning of the event by turning the lights completely off and starting with a bit of theater on stage. Think about how to use your event space and your program to foster the emotional atmosphere that leads to giving. Don’t be afraid to do things differently and think outside the box.

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My Auction Makeup

12/2/2019

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Today, I thought it could be interesting to give you a rundown of what I keep in my auction makeup bag. My makeup bag used to be enormous. I never knew what would work well and what I would need for the evening. Over the years I have whittled my makeup bag down to thirteen essential products that meet my exacting criteria.

To be in my makeup bag, a product must:

Be long-lasting. It must hold up to long hours, hot lights, and sweat. I can’t have makeup melting off my face while I’m on stage.
Read well from the back of the room. If you have ever been on stage before, you know stage makeup is a different beast. It’s bold and exaggerated because people in the back of the room must be able to see what’s happening on stage.
Look good on camera. I use footage from my auctions in my business materials and on YouTube.
Look natural up close. I know, I know. I just said stage makeup is bold and exaggerated, and it is! But I also want to look good when talking to people face-to-face. It’s all about balance.
Affordable or amazing. I go through a lot of makeup, so what I buy can’t break the bank. If I’m going to splurge on a product, it better be amazing.

As you can see, I have strict criteria for what goes in my makeup bag. These products all meet my criteria.

A brush set from bh cosmetics. I’m obsessed with bh cosmetics brushes because they are soft, they blend like a dream, and they are well-priced. They wash and dry easily too. If you are scared about buying makeup brushes this is a great introductory set. They have a ton of different set options, but my favorite are the Studio Pro brushes.
MAC Cosmetics blush in peony petal. Is it bad that I’ve been using the same blush I started with in high school? I seriously can’t get enough of this color. It’s matte, long-wearing and gives me a youthful glow on stage.
Maybelline Brow Drama in deep brown. Although brows are all the rage now, I’m not so into them. Perhaps this is because I’ve always had full brows, I don’t understand why I need to fill them in. This is easy to use, looks natural, and doesn’t run when I’m sweating from calling bid numbers.
Maybelline Volum’ Express the Mega Plush Mascara. Lashes for me are a PROCESS! If I am doing a big event, meaning I will be onstage or seen on a live cam, I’m always wearing false lashes (see #12 below for my favorite super cheap, compliment generating lashes). If I have an intimate auction with 200 people or less, I go with my natural lashes but I need three different layers to get the look I want. This is the first step in my natural lashes routine.
L’Oreal Voluminous Mascara. This is my go-to mascara off stage. When I’m on stage, this is step two in my natural lashes routine.
L’Oreal Voluminous Million Lashes Waterproof Mascara. This mascara is step three in my natural lashes routine because it locks EVERYTHING in place and it doesn’t move all night. I’ve used this for the past eight years and, in my opinion, this is the best choice for performance makeup.
Physicians Formula Bronze Booster Highlight and Contour Palette. This palette has great shades and great blendability at a great price. What more do you need from a contour palette?
Giorgio Armani Power Fabric Foundation. I have been around the block with foundations. This is my current foundation holy grail. It looks natural on the skin while giving me medium full coverage. It easily lasts ten hours. It doesn’t crack or look weird on textured, acne prone skin and it looks great on camera.
Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Eraser. Great coverage from a drugstore product. If you haven’t tried this yet, you need to.
Marc Jacobs’ eyeliner. I have tried over 120 different eyeliners. No joke. This is the best by far. It does not move even one centimeter from my waterline. For a zero budge eyeliner, this is a performer’s dream.
Kat Von D Tattoo Liner. When I am wearing false lashes, this tattoo liner cannot be beat. It’s the perfect formula and worth every penny.
Bluelans eyelashes. I used to purchase expensive eyelashes. I’m talking $10 per set, which is not cheap when you’re going through two or three sets a week. So, I went looking on amazon and gave these $4 lashes a try. They are my new go-to lashes. They look amazing onstage and I can wear fresh ones every time. These are not your natural but better lashes, they are made for the stage thick, fake lashes.
Various Makeup Geek and MAC eyeshadow in browns, purples, and blues. I use mostly matte eyeshadow so that I don’t have to deal with any rogue glitter on my face, which can often read as sweat from far away. Makeup Geek and MAC both make great, long lasting eyeshadow that don’t budge.

That’s it, that’s what’s in my auction makeup bag. Did I leave out any of your favorite products? Let me know in the comments. And let me know if you want to see an auction makeup tutorial from me over on my YouTube channel.

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