Looking to maximize your fundraising through a raffle? Many of our charity auction clients are stuck with the same old raffle that makes roughly the same amount of money each year. If you are looking to invigorate your nonprofit raffle or want to make the most money ever try our 2 best raffle ideas which many of our clients use to bring in over $10,000.
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Hi Fundraising Family! Welcome back to the Generosity Auctions Blog! So excited to be back after about a 6 month hiatus. So, you may have been wondering, where have I been. Well, it is a long story. But I wanted to share my trials and tribulations over the past 6 months. Some of it I am no proud of and some it is hard for me to discuss especially on video. I thank you for your love and support and am looking forward to bringing you more fundraising ideas, fundraising tips and suggestions for your nonprofit during 2018. I hope you enjoy the below video and understand why I have been MIA for a hot minute. Hi Fundraising Family!!! Super excited to share with you a new video series all based upon real Client Testimonials!! Way back in December 2017, I had the honor to be on one of the top Nonprofit Fundraising Podcasts. If you don't already listen to 'Nonprofits are Messy' you should and I'll leave a link below. The podcast is hosted by Joan Garry, aka the Dear Abby of Nonprofits. Her podcasts are always informative, interesting and well produced. When I got the call that Joan wanted to chat with me, I was honored. She had never had a Charity Auctioneer on her show. However, she didn't want to talk about Fundraising Events and Charity Auctions and Fund-A-Need. Nope. She wanted to talk about 'Engaging Millennials'.
One of the biggest parts of being an expert in fundraising is all the consulting that I get to do with amazing Nonprofits doing fantastic work. I often am hired by Nonprofits looking to engage millennials, bring 21st century technology into play. create fun and unique ways to raise money using technology. Joan tapped into this knowledge and shared it with her audience. I am proud and honored to have been on her show. If you have a moment take a listen to our conversation. Number 5 - Raffle
Raffles are a fun and easy way to increase the fundraising at your next charity fundraising event. Entice your donors to participate with a multi-tiered ticket pricing. Consider selling one ticket for $25, three for $50 and 10 tickets for $100. Everyone loves a good deals, so entice your donors with a deal they can’t refuse. This will incentivize your donors to purchase the higher dollar amount in order to increase their chances of winning. Number 4 - Silent Auction Hosting a silent auction is a tried and true way to raise money. This is an easy and familiar way to raise money that works well if you have compelling silent auction items. Freshen up your Silent Auction with Mobile Bidding or phenomenal Buy-In Parties. Number 3 - Sponsorships Sponsorships are a unique and fun way to offset the cost of your fundraiser. The hot trend for 2017 and into 2018 will be specific event item sponsorships. Instead of having platinum, gold, and silver sponsorship levels, ask a company/person to sponsor the centerpieces, bar, or dessert, entertainment, even your charity auctioneer. The sponsorships can be branded to increase visibility for companies and individuals. Number 2 - Live Auction Live auctions consistently bring in a high return on your investment. Live auctions don’t require a ton of work. Really, all you need are 5 - 8 phenomenal items that will sell at a high dollar amount to reach your fundraising goals. Make sure that all your items are donated so that you can maximize your bottom line. Once you have your Live Auction line-up, promote, promote, promote so that your guests known what is coming up for auction the night of your event. Number 1 - Fund-A-Need A fund-a-need has a lot of names. It be called a special appeal, cash call, fund-a-need auction, call to action, paddle raise, etc. Whatever you call it, a fund-a-need is a great opportunity to encourage participation from everyone who attends and everyone has an opportunity to donate at multiple levels. It is hands down the best way to fundraise at an event. For more Fundraising Charity Auction ideas and helpful tips on planning your next charity fundraiser, follow Generosity Auctions on Facebook or Instagram @GenerosityAuctions. Abra Annes is the leading Charity Auctioneer based in California. Abra is the owner and founder of Generosity Auctions, the premier choice for Non-Profit Organizations looking to maximize their event fundraising. Your board is a powerful tool, but you may not be engaging at your charity fundraising event. While board members may want to socialize with each other and their guests, they should have expectations of specific roles and responsibilities both during the night of and after the event. Here are 4 ideas for Board Members that not only get phenomenal results, but are easy asks that board members will enjoy undertaking.
Using your board effectively at your next fundraising charity event will help build relations among your donors and raise money. For more Fundraising Charity Auction ideas and helpful tips on planning your next charity fundraiser, follow Generosity Auctions on Facebook or Instagram @GenerosityAuctions. Abra Annes is the leading Charity Auctioneer based in California. Abra is the owner and founder of Generosity Auctions, the premier choice for Non-Profit Organizations looking to maximize their event fundraising. After several years of successfully raising money for organizations on both coasts, I have been asked repeatedly by organizations what steps they should take to have a successful silent auction fundraiser. Although Silent Auctions are trending down, many organizations still have very successful silent auctions. I’ve taken the time to put together a comprehensive workbook of all things Silent Auctions. Click here to sign up for the list it so you will be the first to know when it goes on sale this fall. For the next few weeks, I will be highlighting areas of the guide to give you additional information to make your next fundraising charity event successful.
Creating a project plan is probably the most important, and first step you should take if you want to run a successful silent auction. Your project plan will make sure that you know everything that needs to be done for the fundraiser and identifies your goals in advance. The project plan should include a few elements including the project objective, A/V requirements, facility preparations, volunteers, logistics, transportation, setup, checkout, thanks yous, solicitation, and communication. For more information on each element, purchase the complete guide by clicking here. Below, I will outline three elements: project objective, facility preps, solicitation. Project Objective The purpose of the project objective is to identify the objective and goals of your silent auction within project plans. Your project objective should include how many items you’d like to procure, how much money you need to raise and the average retail value for each item donated in order to reach your goal. When creating a project objective I like to use an excel sheet that includes information like the names of volunteers, the staff or committee member who is the lead on each objective, due dates, and milestone check-ins. Solicitation The solicitation portion of your project plan will probably be the longest. It should include a list of businesses to solicit, a tracking sheet, dream silent auction wish list and solicitation letters. You’ll need at least two versions of your solicitation letter. 1) General Ask 2) Specific Ask The General Ask solicitation letter is sent to your entire mailing list and asks for recipients to donate something to the silent auction. The specific ask solicitation letter is to business and people that you know and or have a personal connection with. For instance, if you have a personal relationship with the owner of your local ice cream shop, specifically ask her to donate an ice cream party as a silent auction item. One of the most important parts of the solicitation section of your project plan is a shared document that allows all volunteers/committee members to keep track of the auction items you have secured, the ones you didn’t secure, the description of the time, the business that donated, the fair market value of the item, and the date of follow up with the business after the fundraiser. Facility Preparation Define the facility needs for your event. Will you need to rent tables and chairs separately? If so, who is in charge of ensuring this gets done. Will you need easels to display auction item descriptions? What type of audio video equipment will you need? Complete a walkthrough of the event space to determine what the facility will provide and what your organization will need to provide. Ask about microphones, podiums, placement of electric outlets, etc. If this project plans sounds intimidating - take a deep breath. You are not alone. There are many details that should be included on your project plan and with your committee’s help you won’t miss a single one. If this still sounds intimidating and you’d like to purchase a copy of our project plan for $4.99 click here. For more Fundraising Charity Auction ideas and helpful tips on planning your next charity fundraiser, follow Generosity Auctions on Facebook or Instagram @GenerosityAuctions. Abra Annes is the leading Charity Auctioneer based in California. Abra is the owner and founder of Generosity Auctions, the premier choice for Non-Profit Organizations looking to maximize their event fundraising. After several years of successfully raising money for organizations on both coasts, I have been asked repeatedly by organizations what steps they should take to have a successful silent auction fundraiser. I’ve taken the time to put together a comprehensive workbook of all things Silent Auctions that you can purchase here. For the next few weeks, I will be highlighting areas of the guide to give you additional information to make your next fundraising charity event successful.
Step 1 - Start Early You can’t hold a successful fundraiser if you start your planning three months in advance. I suggest you begin planning between six and nine months before the event. An early start is important because there are a lot of components that go into planning a successful event. Here are some of the things you should consider when you start your planning:
In the next installment, I will talk about what elements are important to include in your project plan. To purchase the complete guide, click here. For more Fundraising Charity Auction ideas and helpful tips on planning your next charity fundraiser, follow Generosity Auctions on Facebook or Instagram @GenerosityAuctions. Abra Annes is the leading Charity Auctioneer based in California. Abra is the owner and founder of Generosity Auctions, the premier choice for Non-Profit Organizations looking to maximize their event fundraising. Millennials are an interesting group. They have disrupted huge industries, created new and useful technology and think differently that most of the previous generations. They also tend to get a bad rap around the world of philanthropy and nonprofits. But multiple studies show that Millennials DO care and want to be engaged and involved in causes that they care about AND causes that understand how they work.
As a Millennial myself (I'm the oldest possible Millennial) I bridge the gap between previous generations and the current. I have lots of traits and habits that are quintessential millennial and a few that are not. I always encourage my clients to start thinking about engaging Millennials NOW! I've created this easy and simple infographic with 9 simple and easy ways for your nonprofit to start engaging Millennials and next generation donors today.
Music is a very important part of my life. As a charity fundraising auctioneer, I have had the ability to interact with musical artists like Snoop Dogg, will.I.am, and Janelle Monae. One of my favorite artist of all time is Elvis Presley! I grew up in a musical home where the radio station was always playing Oldies. I was instantly drawn to the style, coolness and silky voice of Elvis. My love of Elvis grew even stronger after I visited Graceland and learned about the legend and tour his property. And, to let you know how much I really, really, love Elvis, I even had an Elvis impersonator at my wedding!
After listening to all of his songs, I began to see a connection between the lyrics and how they can be applied to the world of nonprofit fundraising. We’re starting this series with Elvis Presley, but check back periodically as I post lyrical lessons I’ve learned from other artists I like. Walk a Mile in My Shoes The chorus of this song goes like this: Walk a mile in my shoes Walk a mile in my shoes Yeah, before you abuse, criticize, and accuse Walk a mile in my shoes In the nonprofit world, it’s easy to judge your donors or clients. Even though the nonprofit space is supposed to be more empathetic than other industries, judgment does exist. Your development director may judge the actions of donors and how much they do (or do not) contribute without knowing what’s currently going on in their lives. Whatever your position is at your nonprofit, whether you’re the Executive Director, the Volunteer Coordinator, or the Development Director, play this song when you begin to feel judgy and think about what it feels like to walk a mile in someone else’s shoes. For more Fundraising Charity Auction ideas and helpful tips on planning your next charity fundraiser, follow Generosity Auctions on Facebook or Instagram @GenerosityAuctions. Abra Annes is the leading Charity Auctioneer based in California. Abra is the owner and founder of Generosity Auctions, the premier choice for Non-Profit Organizations looking to maximize their event fundraising. In the week after a major event like your annual gala or fundraising charity auction, many people associated with the event feel a sense of paralysis. The Development Director and event planners feel like they’ve spent a lot of time and energy to meet their fundraising goal, and at the moment, it doesn’t seem as if there is another goal in site. Here are some ways to keep that momentum and make sure you stay on track to meet you next fundraising goals.
My favorite podcast of the moment is the Cause Talk Radio Podcast. Each week, Megan Strand (Engage for Good’s Communication Director @meganstrand) and Joe Waters of SelfishGiving.com @joewaters interview top industry experts on their initiatives that successfully combine cause and commerce. The podcast focuses on the way that brands and nonprofits partner to benefit both the cause and the bottom line. Think of it as social responsibility for major brands. Now, more than ever, brands are aligned with a specific cause. Walgreens is involved with Red Nose Day to help end childhood poverty. Nissan partners with Habitat for Humanity to build affordable housing in communities across the country so that families can build long-term financial security and build a better future for themselves. And JetBlue’s Soar with Reading is designed to inspire and encourage kids' imaginations to take flight through reading.
I love Cause Talk Radio podcast because it helps nonprofits understand that every large company is looking for a philanthropic partner. Nonprofits should plug into this podcast to spur ideas on how your organization could partner with a larger company to increase awareness and funds for your nonprofit initiatives. For more Fundraising Charity Auction ideas and helpful tips on planning your next charity fundraiser, follow Generosity Auctions on Facebook or Instagram @GenerosityAuctions. Abra Annes is the leading Charity Auctioneer based in California. Abra is the owner and founder of Generosity Auctions, the premier choice for Non-Profit Organizations looking to maximize their event fundraising. If you’re thinking about ways to save money at your next charity gala fundraiser, an easy way to cut costs is on your centerpieces. Your centerpieces don’t have to be elaborate or extravagant. In fact, you can pick up a lot of the materials for a creative and beautiful centerpieces at your local dollar store. Here are some examples of some centerpieces I have seen at recent charity fundraiser. 1. A movie themed fundraiser can include a centerpiece with a plastic popcorn container with fake flowers, popcorn, and Red Vines. Each centerpiece was created for less than $5. 2. Hosting a Speakeasy themed fundraiser? Put together a centerpiece with some feathers in an empty Jack Daniels bottle. Contact a local bar before your event and they can save empty liquor bottles for this low cost centerpiece. The cost of each centerpiece was less than $2. 3. I recently attended a charity gala that had a centerpiece that included a blowup guitar with Saturday Night Live characters printed out and attached to tongue depressors. This was a great centerpiece for a Saturday Night Live theme. Buy the blow-up musical instruments in bulk for deep savings. 4. If your fundraiser has a rustic theme, you can use red bandanas as napkins with a mason jar filled with pretty flowers as the centerpiece. Bandanas run about 65 cents which brings the total price of these centerpieces to $4.00 including flowers from Trader Joe’s. 5. Is your school or library having an auction? Use books that are already in the classroom for a centerpiece that costs $0.00. Tie a ribbon around the books to keep them together and looking need. Group books by color for a stunning effect. For more Fundraising Charity Auction ideas and helpful tips on planning your next charity fundraiser, follow Generosity Auctions on Facebook or Instagram @GenerosityAuctions. Abra Annes is the leading Charity Auctioneer based in California. Abra is the owner and founder of Generosity Auctions, the premier choice for Non-Profit Organizations looking to maximize their event fundraising.
Here’s a fun game you can play at the end of your fundraising charity event to get people engaged and raise an extra bit of money!
We typically play this game at the end of the Fund-a-Need portion of your fundraising event. At the last and final Fund-A-Need level which is typically $100 we introduce this raffle type game and announce the fabulous prize. An example of a great prize could be two tickets to Hamilton or a jersey signed by NBA star Steph Curry, both of which are super hot in San Francisco right now. The game is simple. Each time a donor raises their paddle, the donor is entered once to win the prize. If they are interested in being entered twice, they would raise their paddle twice, thus making a $200 donation. The end of the paddle raise game can garner your organization an additional $10,000+ in addition to your live auction, silent auction, and fund-a-need efforts. The paddle raise game allows for participation from all attendees, including those who have already donated at the higher fund-a-need levels. Those who have already donated will donate a little more and those who haven’t participated all night will donate at a lower price point. This is a great way to end the night in a, fun, engaging and democratic way! For more Fundraising Charity Auction ideas and helpful tips on planning your next charity fundraiser, follow Generosity Auctions on Facebook or Instagram @GenerosityAuctions. Abra Annes is the leading Charity Auctioneer based in California. Abra is the owner and founder of Generosity Auctions, the premier choice for Non-Profit Organizations looking to maximize their event fundraising. The Association of Fundraising Professionals 54th Annual International Conference took place in San Francisco April 30 - May 2, 2017. Since I live right outside the city and had never been to the conference before I thought I would. I bought a one-day pass for the Monday of the conference. It started at 8am so I woke up at 5am to get there in time for the first session. Kelli, who is one of my favorite fundraising people, and also a dear friend came with me. The conference sessions were not as useful or interesting as I had hoped, but for many the AFP Conference is a great way to push your professional development into high gear. I spent the majority of my day at the AFP International Conference in the Market-Place learning about and interacting with new products and technology for the Fundraising sector. There were some things that I am so excited about that I am already suggesting them to my clients. Join me as I highlight the top five products I found at this year’s AFP International Conference. #1 - Thank View Thank View allows principals in organization to record and send thank you videos to each donor following your charity fundraising gala. Using Thank View is simple and intuitive. At the conclusion of your charity fundraiser, schedule time for your Board President, Event Chairs, and Executive Director to record personalized ‘thank yous’ to your donors. Even though it’s easy to put together your Thank View video, the production is professional and compelling. And the steps to creating your Thank View video are easy. First, choose a theme that will act as the opening credits for all your video thank yous. Next, upload an excel file of your entire guest list. Then, make your video using the camera on your computer or mobile device. And last, send your ThankViews one by one or as a large batch. Your guests will receive a personalized envelope in their inbox. It’s as easy as that! Out of all of the technologies I saw at the conference, Thank View was hands down my favorite! I like it so much, I’ve already begun referring my clients to Thank View. This is a perfect way to thank and engage your donors after a major event or after your end of year campaign. Thank View is cheap, easy to use, and has an average 61% open rate vs. the 16% industry average. Thank View isn’t a form letter. It’s personalized to your donors which makes them feel like their gift was truly appreciated. For more Fundraising Charity Auction ideas and helpful tips on planning your next nonprofit fundraising event, follow Generosity Auctions on Facebook or Instagram @GenerosityAuctions. Abra Annes is the leading Charity Auctioneer based in California. Abra is the owner and founder of Generosity Auctions, the premier choice for Non-Profit Organizations looking to maximize their event fundraising. Wine at your Charity Event - A Complete Guide to Raising Money at Charity Auctions - Part 26/7/2017
Fundraising Expert Abra Annes gives you a complete guide to raising money with Wine at your Charity Fundraising Auction. This series will focus on how to incorporate and create a wine focused fundraiser for your non-profit. This will be a 15 part series, follow allow and watch them all.
In Part 2 you will learn all about how to connect and interact with wineries on social media. Generosity Auctions is the leading Charity Auctioneer Firm. Generosity Auctions team is dedicated to becoming part of your nonprofit team to accurately represent your organization with passion and authenticity. Our Generosity Auctions Charity Fundraising Auctioneers have raised over $80 Million in partnership with our clients.
Fundraising Expert Abra Annes gives you a complete guide to raising money with Wine at your Charity Fundraising Auction. This series will focus on how to incorporate and create a wine focused fundraiser for your non-profit. This will be a 15 part series, follow allow and watch them all.
In Part 1 you will learn how to lure wineries to your event with statistics. Generosity Auctions is the leading Charity Auctioneer Firm. Generosity Auctions team is dedicated to becoming part of your nonprofit team to accurately represent your organization with passion and authenticity. Generosity Auctions has raised over $80 Million in partnership with our clients. The Association of Fundraising Professionals 54th Annual International Conference took place in San Francisco April 30 - May 2, 2017. Since I live right outside the city and had never been to the conference before I thought I would. I bought a one-day pass for the Monday of the conference. It started at 8am so I woke up at 5am to get there in time for the first session. Kelli, who is one of my favorite fundraising people, and also a dear friend came with me. The conference sessions were not as useful or interesting as I had hoped, but for many the AFP Conference is a great way to push your professional development into high gear. I spent the majority of my day at the AFP International Conference in the Market-Place learning about and interacting with new products and technology for the Fundraising sector. There were some things that I am so excited about that I am already suggesting them to my clients. Join me as I highlight the top five products I found at this year’s AFP International Conference. #3 - Tiltify Tiltify is the first crowdfunding site designed to turn your livestreams into a charity fundraiser. Tiltify turns your gaming streams on Twitch, Youtube or Hitbox into a charity fundraiser! This platform allows users to build campaign pages where it is easy to create rewards, take donations, explain your schedule and goals, and share with your friends. If you’re still confused, check out this video that the folks at Tiltify put together to better explain the process. I like Tiltify because this is cutting edge technology that will make your charity fundraising gala fresh and innovative. Tiltify allows social media influencers to broadcast your event and fundraising goals to their audience, further expanding your reach and exceeding your fundraising goals. Tiltify is a great tech-forward way that will impress and bring in millennials and next generation donors. For more Fundraising Charity Auction ideas and helpful tips on planning your next nonprofit fundraising event, follow Generosity Auctions on Facebook or Instagram @GenerosityAuctions. Abra Annes is the leading Charity Auctioneer based in California. Abra is the owner and founder of Generosity Auctions, the premier choice for Non-Profit Organizations looking to maximize their event fundraising.
Lucky 7 (Seven) is a great way to freshen up your Silent Auction and increase your revenue from Silent Auction items. This game is simple, easy and get greats results from your Silent Auction. Great for School Auctions and Nonprofit Charity auctions alike.
In this video from Generosity Auctions, Charity Auctioneer shares with you Lucky 7 a Silent Auction Revenue enhancer. In this video you will learn what Lucky 7 is, how to explain it to your fundraising Committee and then how to make Lucky 7 work for you and your Charity Silent Auction. The Association of Fundraising Professionals 54th Annual International Conference took place in San Francisco April 30 - May 2, 2017. The conference is a great way to push your professional development into high gear, hear from great speakers, and interact with new products that provide efficiency to your clients. Join me as I highlight the top five products I found at this year’s conference. #4 - Bloomerang Bloomerang is a new, simple donor database and fundraising software solution that helps nonprofits decrease donor attrition and increase revenue. Bloomerang creates tools and teaching principles that help passionate nonprofit organizations make smart decisions that are proven to help them reach out, grow and thrive. I happen to like Bloomerang because it’s easy to use, has great UX (user experience) and a very simple interface. Most of the customer relationship management (CRM) software for nonprofits is old and clunky. Additionally, these CRMs are hard to use and only one person in the organization really knows how to use it. Bloomerang solves these problems because it’s so easy to use, anyone in your organization can use it. This, in turn, will make your nonprofit more efficient, more functional, faster, and more streamlined. Bloomerang is software your nonprofit should check out. For more Fundraising Charity Auction ideas and helpful tips on planning your next charity fundraiser, follow Generosity Auctions on Facebook or Instagram @GenerosityAuctions. Abra Annes is the leading Charity Auctioneer based in California. Abra is the owner and founder of Generosity Auctions, the premier choice for Non-Profit Organizations looking to maximize their event fundraising. The Association of Fundraising Professionals 54th Annual International Conference took place in San Francisco April 30 - May 2, 2017. Since I live right outside the city and had never been to the conference before I thought I would. I bought a one-day pass for the Monday of the conference. It started at 8am so I woke up at 5am to get there in time for the first session. Kelli, who is one of my favorite fundraising people, and also a dear friend came with me. The conference sessions were not as useful or interesting as I had hoped, but for many the AFP Conference is a great way to push your professional development into high gear. I spent the majority of my day at the AFP International Conference in the Market-Place learning about and interacting with new products and technology for the Fundraising sector. There were some things that I am so excited about that I am already suggesting them to my clients. Join me as I highlight the top five products I found at this year’s AFP International Conference. #5 - Hummingbird Digital Media Hummingbird Digital Media allows a charitable organizations to create a branded storefront to sell e-books and audiobooks and receive a portion of the proceeds. Imagine your organization is the Sierra Club. The Sierra Club would create a branded storefront and sell its top five recommended e-books for hiking trails, birding and camping. When website visitors purchase an ebook, the Sierra Club receives 12-23% on the retail price of every book sold from its storefront. Hummingbird Digital Media can be used for all types of nonprofits. The Humane Society could cultivate a top ten list of e-books about caring about your new pet. Whatever nonprofit uses Hummingbird Digital Media, they will create interesting and engaging content, increase traffic to their website, provide useful information for your website visitors, and generate passive revenue. I imagine that Hummingbird’s platform could be used for schools, arts organizations, social services - just about everyone! For this reason Hummingbird Digital Media is my #5 Product from the AFP Conference. For more Fundraising Charity Auction ideas and helpful tips on planning your next nonprofit fundraising event, follow Generosity Auctions on Facebook or Instagram @GenerosityAuctions. Abra Annes is the leading Charity Auctioneer based in California. Abra is the owner and founder of Generosity Auctions, the premier choice for Non-Profit Organizations looking to maximize their event fundraising. If you’re looking for a new idea for your charity fundraising gala, consider hosting a signup party. Signup parties allow guest to buy a limited spot in order to participate in an exclusive event. An example of a typical party would be a buy-in at a mother-daughter tea party at a donor’s house. During the silent auction portion of your event donors buy a spot at the tea party for a fixed price. Here’s an example of a signup party at one of my fundraising events. Consider adding a signup party to your next charity auction or silent auction as a great way to encourage full participation at your event. With a lower price point than other silent auction items, more attendees will participate in your event and the events end up creating community among your donors. Here are some additional ideas for signup parties you can use at your next fundraiser: Men’s poker night 100 point wine dinner Hike with a CEO Ladies bike ride Adult board game night Backyard concert and bbq For more Fundraising Charity Auction ideas and helpful tips on planning your next charity fundraiser, follow Generosity Auctions on Facebook or Instagram @GenerosityAuctions. Abra Annes is the leading Charity Auctioneer based in California. Abra is the owner and founder of Generosity Auctions, the premier choice for Non-Profit Organizations looking to maximize their event fundraising. I recently worked with an organization that had used a volunteer auctioneer for the past few years. This organization approached me after watching me in action at another auction and seeing how much I raised for a different organization.
When working with this San Francisco dance organization, I wanted to make sure the message and mission of the group was incorporated into all aspects of the evening. There were images of dancers and the auction items focused on dance and how it achieves the mission of the organization. Some of the auction items offered included travel with the dance company and walk-on role during the Christmas Ballet. It was important to play up dance during the event as wanted the programming to feel unique to attendees. We did not want this event to feel like every other gala fundraiser in the city. We wanted to give patrons something different, special, unique and memorable. And it was. Bidding was crazy for the mission focused/dance items sold like crazy. There was tons of bidding and the energy in the room was kinetic. I broke through the organization’s $140,000 fundraising goal and raised a total of $260,000 through both the live auction and the fund-a-need. That’s an 85% increase over what was anticipated. And, when table sales and other donations were calculated, the organization raised over a half-million dollars. Despite being in existence for over 10 years, this was the largest the organization had ever raised at their gala event! When you host your gala charity fundraising event, make sure you infuse your organization’s unique identity into your event so that it feels unique. Your donors want to understand why they’re at your event and how their giving can better connect them to your organization. For more Fundraising Charity Auction ideas and helpful tips on planning your next charity fundraiser, follow Generosity Auctions on Facebook or Instagram @GenerosityAuctions. Abra Annes is the leading Charity Auctioneer based in California. Abra is the owner and founder of Generosity Auctions, the premier choice for Non-Profit Organizations looking to maximize their event fundraising. I really enjoy the Successful Nonprofits Podcast. The questions host Dolph Goldenburg asks are really smart. The Goldenburg Group produces the Successful Nonprofits Podcast as part of their mission to provide board development, strategic planning, and interim leadership to help nonprofits thrive in a competitive environment. With topics like Content Marketing for Nonprofits, Building a Nonprofit Social Enterprise, and Achieving Nonprofit Sustainability, the Successful Nonprofits Podcast is great for giving nonprofit leaders the tools to be exceptional.
For more Fundraising Charity Auction ideas and helpful tips on planning your next charity fundraiser, follow Generosity Auctions on Facebook or Instagram @GenerosityAuctions. Abra Annes is the leading Charity Auctioneer based in California. Abra is the owner and founder of Generosity Auctions, the premier choice for Non-Profit Organizations looking to maximize their event fundraising. As you prepare for your next charity fundraiser, you should make sure that every year you raise more money than the previous year. You want to smash through those fundraising goals, you want to get every single dollar in the room and you want to inspire people and that’s what the Fund-A-Need does. Here are tips to make your Fund-A-Need the best ever.
5. Have a great speaker or a wonderful video. 6. Have a great Fund-A-Need Transition You have to have this bridge moment from your story, whether it’s inspirational, or sad, or moving, whatever it may be, to the actual getting of the money. You have to explain what a Fund-A-Need is and how it’s going to work and then you have to make it happen. That transition is so key. I can tell when I’m at charity events as a guest, whether or not the Fund-A-Need is going to be successful based on those two or three sentences. What’s the energy? What’s the vibe? What’s the person saying? What’s the auctioneer saying? Do they really understand? 7. Clear Communications with your Auctioneer Your auctioneer really needs to know what you are all about. They really have to understand who your organization is, what you do, why you do it and why it is important for people to give. That should be your last conversation with your auctioneer before going into your event. Really working with them, drilling down, making sure they understand. Not only what you do, but why it’s important. Because if they can’t communicate that to your audience, you’re not going to raise as much money as you could. 8. Pre-secure your Leadership Gift It would be amazing if you could have a pre-secured leadership gift secured at your highest level. Whether you're starting at $1,000, $5,000, $10,000, $50,000, $100,000, or $1,000,000 - you do need to have a leadership gift pre-secured so that a paddle goes up. And, yes, I do Fund-A-Needs that start at a million dollars. I won’t tell you my secret on how to get more paddles to go up at your top level, but you can call me and find out. For more Fundraising Charity Auction ideas and helpful tips on planning your next charity fundraiser, follow Generosity Auctions on Facebook or Instagram @GenerosityAuctions. Abra Annes is the leading Charity Auctioneer based in California. Abra is the owner and founder of Generosity Auctions, the premier choice for Non-Profit Organizations looking to maximize their event fundraising. |
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