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October 12 More Event Theme IdeasMany clients ask us for event theme ideas. So, we've gone through the archives, and found lots of event names and ideas. Do you have others? Please add them!
September 26 Roadshow PicturesWe've had a GREAT time on the road, and met so many wonderful volunteers, staff and team members!
Pictures are posted from Southern California and Northern California roadshow seminars. Thank you to all the folks who took pictures of their fellow teammates and volunteers. Enjoy! September 24 Let Go of Perfectionism (part 2)Bid NumbersIt may be convenient to sell pledge/multi-buyer items to guests prior to the event. Maybe it's a bottle of wine for their table, or some other special opportunity. Guests need to have a bid number to purchase these items. We hear "but if I give them a bid number now, then I can't have the bid numbers for all the guests in perfect numeric AND alphabetical order." (When you auto-assign bid numbers to your entire guest list, Auction! happens to do it in alphabetical order.) Truly, why does this matter? Having bid numbers align with alphabetical order could be convenient, but there is no inherent need or requirement for this. Give out bid numbers as you need to do so, and don't fret about the ones that "aren't in order." In fact, when you have guests with similar first & last names, such as "Jane Bell" and "Judy Bell," assigning bid numbers in alphabetical order can hurt rather than help on clarity. Bid SheetsLengthy, cute, "flossy," and entertaining item descriptions are wonderful, but if your guests left their reading glasses at home, they'll appreciate short, specific and "to the point" descriptions in a larger font size. They're more likely to bid when they can read what they're bidding on. Consider keeping long descriptions reasonable concise. This is especially important, since most guests won't spend more than three or four seconds reading your bid sheet before bidding or moving on. PrioritiesRe-direct your targets for perfection--focus on:
Then your guests will be glad to come back to your event and continue their support next year! One of our clients put this in a great way at the end of her email "Blessed are the flexible, for they shall not be bent out of shape." (c) 2007, Auction Systems Inc, all rights reserved Theme IdeasDuring our Roadshow seminars this summer and fall, we've encountered a great deal of interest in theme ideas. What themes work well? Can you give us some ideas?
So here are some themes that we've heard on this trip, and we'll add more as we get a chance. Feel free to send in your ideas!
Tell us your favorites--we'll add them also! February 27 Seattle Seminar ExperienceLast week we had a booth at the Northwest Development Officers Association Winter Conference in Seattle. We met lots of folks working on behalf of their non-profits, and also got to hear some truly energizing sessions by NDOA members about auctions and events in general.
On the next day, we held a "roadshow" session; we invited clients and prospects to learn more about ways to improve their events and to share their suggestions. April Brown, auctioneer, and author of "Money is Marvelous" and Alison Hart, Marketing Communications Mgr at Auctionpay joined us to share best practices as well.
It was a pleasure to meet some of our clients in person, and get to associate faces with the email addresses and voices over the telephone; we had a great couple of hours together. We invited our guests to share their Best Auction Ideas & Biggest Auction Challenges. We thought you might like seeing these too:
Best Auction Ideas: --Raffle - winner gets choice of live auction item --Landscaping package - hours from landscaping architect, plants, tools, labor --Parking spot closest to school --"Homegrown" items, such as lunch & movie with the principal --Live auction runner that has bidder sign form for final bid, then takes form to checkout/data entry --Hire someone else to do this. --Special project appeal --Do you mean in addition to buying Auction! software? Best thing so far. (from Barbara: "Wow, thank you!") --Start REALLY early in planning Biggest Auction Challenge: --Getting better auction items --Procurement --Getting people to bid higher; our auction has been a place people have come to get "a deal" and often items go for under value. Obvious solution: Professional auctioneer! I'm sold! --Rapid post-event recognition for donors, volunteers, buyers, supporters, attendees, etc. --Because of competition, it has been getting harder to get attendees --Getting enough people to attend --Holding to deadlines --Donor fatigue --Generating more income(!) and higher value items --Bottleneck checkout line --Doing it on totally volunteer group Our guests had some great suggestions and challenges, and we'll do our best to tackle some of these as we continue adding stories here. It was great visiting Seattle (and we loved the seafood and the coffee, too!) February 20 Minimum Bids for Silent ItemsMinimum BidsFrom time to time, clients ask "What percentages do you use for minimum bids on silent items?"
When we were first involved in fundraising auctions, almost every item started around 30-40% of value. The goal was to provide a minimum bid (and raise) that fostered spirited bidding, and could still leave someone feeling like they got a deal. We've never been able to apply a "one size fits all" formula, and as time has gone on, we've broadened that range considerably. (And we're trying to change the silent auction from feeling like an elegant garage sale.)
Restaurant gift certificates pretty much always go for full value, or higher. Bidders know that they will be able to enjoy the full value of the certificate. As a result, they are generous when they bid on these. So we now set the minimum bid for restaurant gift certificates at 50% of value.
Unique "guy" gifts tend to do well at our events. For instance, a donor put together a package for "grilling" comprised of a non-stick grill tray, cookbook & electronic wireless temperature gauge. It had all the perfect appeal for men... it involved danger (fire) and electronic gadgetry! ;-) So we put the minimum up around 50% for items such as these.
On the other hand, "tchotzkies" for the house, such as a ceramic figurine, can be a tough sell, unless they have special emotional value, or are originals. Most people already have too much "stuff" and may hesitate before adding to the collection. So, at the risk of offending a donor, these items might have a minimum bid of only 20-25% of quoted value. Note--it's even more embarassing if an item doesn't receive any bids at all!
We still use the 30-40% range as a starting point. The majority of our tangible items end up with a starting value in this range. Nicer and more unique items start around 40%; more ordinary items, that could be readily found on sale in town will be closer to 30% starting bid.
What about items where the donor does not provide a value, or the value provided seems peculiar? The internet is a great resource. Visit your favorite online shopping or auction sites to find similar items; this will give you a good idea of the market value for the item. Once you've established this, then you can begin to set minimum bids & raises.
Handmade, one-of-a-kind and "personal gifts" are the most challenging items for which to establish bid sheet values. Some will go sky-high--such as child's chair, with colorful painted "hand-prints" of the kindergarden class. Others will have a more limited appeal, such as a cross-stitched throw pillow in a teal & peach floral design.
Ask your team for guidance...and hope for the best on these!
What about used items? They can be every team's nightmare--do your best in pre-event publications to discourage used goods. The donors seem to mean well, but dowdy items will make the entire silent auction look tired, and reduce bids overall. We've received a used fax machine that required special paper, lamp with dented lampshade, aquarium with cracked glass on one wall, etc. Except for antiques and artwork, it may be necessary to ask the donor if their gift would be better received at a local thrift shop. This is very difficult. If your organization feels they must accept these items for the auction, put them in a "Bargain Basement" section, and set very minimal starting bids on these, or even "make an offer" as part of the full description. It's no fun to have unsold "junk" that you have to cart away after the event.
In summary, setting minimum bids is not an exact science. Balancing revenue and getting items to "move" is a retailing art, and you'll need to consider minimums thoughtfully.
(c) 2007, Auction Systems Inc, all rights reserved February 15 Let Go of Perfectionism (part 1)We know--this is hard! Typical auction chairs (including ourselves) are control freaks. We want everything to be perfect! It isn't always possible. Sometimes it could be possible, but it means you or your teammates will lose sleep and be very stressed. TRY to maintain perspective; on the scale of human endeavors and tribulations, minor details of a fundraising auction really are just that--minor details.
Last Minute "Stuff"When valued members of your community bring last minute items, and the items don't fit in the precisely numbered sequences designed for each category, don't agonize over the numbering. Don't renumber everything at the last minute. Your guests will not check to see if each item on the tables is in perfect numeric order. They won't reduce their support of your organization when there's a skipped item number in the catalog. Just give it an item number and move on.
Catalogs are last-minute stressors. The items just keep coming in, past the deadline, and you feel compelled to include every item. Then you're up all night revising item descriptions instead of handing the copy to your printer.
Use the Auction! Catalog Addendum capability to create an insert of "late arrivals" if you like, but send the main catalog with "on-time" items to the printer as planned. You'll get more sleep, and do a better job overall.
You may even have donors bringing items in on event day. Don't feel compelled to write "glamour descriptions" for these items. Create a few pro-forma items, say 995, 996, etc., with the title "Just Arrived!" a few days before your event and print their bid sheets. When an item is brought in at the last minute, HAND-write a brief description under the "Just Arrived!" title, along with a minimum bid and bid increments, and put the item on an auction table. If you have time to revise the description to something more specific, great, but don't worry about it. You've done everything you need to sell the item on event night.
(c) 2007, Auction Systems Inc, all rights reserved February 14 Try as you go - Name EntryName EntryAuction! is designed to handle many conventional and some unconventional forms of addressing people. The formats are documented, but many clients don't feel they have time to read the user guide. In this case, the fastest way to learn a program is to try it out, look at the results, and then check the user guide for additional insight.
So, enter a few names and items, and then try printing name tags, bid sheets, catalogs and reports, etc. Review the results carefully, and take a few moments to look through the appropriate sections of the user guide. Pay particular attention to how you've entered husbands & wives with identical or different last names. The Sample V3 Pikes Peak Snowball Project has examples of different data entry styles, so you can review them without typing a variety of cases.
Test your data entry format in the sample project. You can readily adjust your team's data entry style for best results, instead of correcting entries later.
(c) 2007, Auction Systems Inc, all rights reserved Record Payments PromptlyFrom time to time we hear from organizations who are struggling with post-event financial accountability. How does this happen? In some cases, the reservations team focuses on table groupings and menu selections; setting up tickets and payments in the software seems like "overhead." Or on event night, the cashier does not record payments on invoices, but simply accepts payment. The school business manager picks up and deposits the cash and checks, and now the auction team is trying to figure out who paid, whose credit card to charge, etc. Financial accountability is important for your event. When you're about to charge guest credit cards (via Auctionpay or manually,) it is vital to have recorded cash and check payments correctly. We suggest:
(c) 2007, Auction Systems Inc, all rights reserved February 01 Welcome!This blog is for discussing all aspects of fundraising, charity and benefit auctions. It is focused on gala auctions—events where guests attend and bid on items in person. These events also connect to online auctions and payment systems, so these topics may be included from time to time.
We welcome your comments and feedback, based on actual event experience. We are glad to present different points of view. Please phrase comments in civil language to prevent removal. Don't see a topic you're interested in? Send us an email, and let us know. How Many Computers at Check-In?This question comes up a lot. Our best answer is "none," and that's probably not what you expected from an event management software company. We recommend you structure your check-in so that you don't need computers at check-in. The structure will vary somewhat, based on whether or not most guests purchase tickets and make reservations in advance, or if the majority of your guests "walk-in" to the event without advance reservations.
Before that point, some preparation is needed to make your check-in flow more smoothly, and planning for a Solutions Table can really improve guest satisfaction!
Pre-EventPre-load your dataset with all likely or potential attendees for whom you have names. Ask your organization for a complete parent/member/invitee list, and import names, addresses & phone numbers into your dataset. (Ideally, this is done when you begin your project, but late is better than never.) Auction! can import lists from Excel, Word tables, comma-separated or tab-delimited files with ease.
Case 1: Advance Reservations/Ticket PurchasesThis is our preferred choice. As your guests RSVP, be sure they're added to your project data, Record their ticket purchases and payment, and issue bid numbers in Auction! Print catalog tags for each bidder group (couple or single) and name tags for your guests. Place the catalog tag on the packet for each couple/single bidder, or directly on their catalog.
Print the Bidder Report, including purchases & payments, to list all guests by name and indicate their tickets & payment status. When guests check in, the volunteer can check off their name, and hand them their catalog/welcome packet. (This also serves as a cross-check on attendance. Packets that are not picked up reflect guests who were unable to attend.)
If there is no packet for a guest, do NOT hold up the check-in line! Direct the guest to the Solutions Table to handle the situation. Then you can continue checking in guests.
One other note, reception volunteers should be standing, not sitting when guests are arriving. They will be able to hear guest names and reach for packets more rapidly, and the guest will feel more welcomed--the volunteer can readily shake hands, etc if they desire. If there is a snag, it's easy for the reception volunteer to even walk the guest over to the Solutions Table.
What is a Solutions Table?In all our discussions with clients about ideas to improve check-in flow, this is one of the most useful concepts we've run across!
Near Guest Reception, but not at the same table, create a Solutions Table staffed by a one or two of your premier volunteers. These volunteers should be key Reservations team members, who are familiar with the RSVP cards sent in, know "who's who" in your organization, and have significant diplomatic skills. The Solutions Table has spare packets or catalogs with available bid numbers, cards for registering walk-in bidders, a cashbox for storing walk-in payments, etc. They know which tables have space and where a walk-in might be placed, and they know the situation on catering--whether there are more London Broil or Chicken & Pasta dinners available for walk-ins.
You might consider providing a chair or two for the guest to be seated while filling out a registration card or writing a check, etc. Some events go so far as to offer the guest a beverage here. The goal is to handle the walk-in, exception case in a way to make the guest feel welcome.
The solutions table volunteer must be able to resolve situations appropriately for the guest who says "but I know I mailed my check two weeks ago," or "I thought the Wilsons purchased my tickets since I'm at their table" when in fact the Wilsons sent a list of different guests to fill their purchased table. The important point is to handle the exceptions that always occur gracefully, to get guests into the event as soon as possible, and keep the regular reception areas flowing smoothly by moving exception cases away the regular reception area.
This volunteer MIGHT want a computer--it depends on their style. They may prefer to search the database for additional information, or they may prefer to work with the reservation cards sent in, bidder reports, etc. In our experience, these volunteers often prefer to work with registration cards and paper reports, and send the results back to the data entry area, but it's your choice. We've seen it work well both ways. This is the only place we recommend you consider a computer at check-in.
If you do use a computer at check-in ...The best feature for reception is Insert, Quick Names. This screen is designed to enter additional bidders with an absolute minimum amount of data entry, and minimum tabbing between fields. As you enter the first and last name, it searches the existing data for likely matches. When a match occurs, you can choose one of the existing matches, or ignore it and continue. You can add the address and other details later, at your convenience.
Case 2: Guests Walk in to the Event (no pre-purchased tickets)The pre-event step (above) of importing potential guest names into your project dataset is triply important. The other step, pre-event, is to assign bid numbers to all potential guests. When a guest arrives who's on your list, notify them of their bid number. You can use a broad-tip marker to write the bid number on the back of their catalog, or give them a card with the number; methods vary for these more casual, walk-in events.
If a guest is not on your preassigned bid number list, the Solutions Table comes to your rescue. Direct the guest to the Solutions Table, where a volunteer can welcome them, have them fill out a registration card, and assign an available bid number. Again, do not impede the main flow of guest reception by handling the exceptions; have a Solutions Table to the side.
At this type of event, depending on the clientele, the Solutions Table may have more staffing than the primary reception area. It depends on the percentage of repeat guests you will have already pre-registered versus surprise walk-ins.
Should we have computers at the Solutions Table? Again, this is a maybe. I have a personal distaste for being seated at a computer and having guests "stand over me." I dislike it even more when guests get "in my face" and it does happen occasionally. (There's a reason why airline desk staff work standing, face to face with the passenger, with a narrow counter between them.)
If all guests are walk-ins, my personal preference is to give each reception clerk a stack of available bid numbers (different for each clerk!), an invitee/bidder report, and registration cards. If an event is comprised entirely walk-ins, completely unknown to your organization, then your entire reception area should really be configured as if it were Solutions Tables. Data entry can be done by volunteers in a quiet back room, and continue during the silent auction. Meantime the guests are welcomed into the event rapidly, to bid and enjoy themselves, and help your organization achieve its goals!
(c) 2007, Auction Systems Inc, all rights reserved January 28 Keeping the Silent Auction OpenWhen should I close the silent auction? Should I keep it open during dinner to try to raise more money? What about during the live auction? Good questions. We've spent a lot of time discussing this with clients and auctioneers. Our best advice is:
Close the silent auction before dinner & live auction. You can close it in sections or all at once, but we repeat Close the silent auction before dinner & live auction. Guests should enjoy themselves.In our experience, once dinner is served, bidding diminishes to a trickle. A few stalwarts will continue bidding. The rest of your guests will breathe a sigh of relief--"I'm ready to eat!" A small cadre will make half-hearted attempts to return to bidding occasionally, and more than a few will be annoyed that they still need to protect their bids, and can't simply enjoy dinner and the live auction.
It's exciting!When you count down to closings with all your guests in the silent auction area, it's exciting, and people eagerly bid against each other, raising more money for your cause. When you count down during dinner, perhaps 10-15% of the guests participate, and generally don't need to bid to win. The rest of the guests wonder when the emcee or auctioneer will quit talking on the microphone so they can return to their conversations.
It's friend-raising, not just fundraising.A fundraising auction is about raising money, AND it's also about building community. Your guests should be enjoying dinner and visiting with each other. They should feel free to enjoy the live auction and the auctioneer's performance--this is part of the evening's entertainment. If they're worried about a silent item they want, or trotting back and forth to check the bid, they're not having as good a time as they might, and they're not bidding in the live auction. Maybe they can't afford to bid in the oral auction, but you can't afford to have them distracting others who might.
Won't we lose revenue?In our experience, the incremental money raised by keeping the silent auction open during dinner & live auction is insignificant. But don't take our word for it: at your next event, go around and place a "tickmark" on the silent auction bid sheets just after the last bids, as dinner is being made available. When you pick up the bid sheets later, we believe you'll see that most items don't have higher bids. Once most bidders are done, they're done.
We don't have a live auction.OK, but the real question is "Why not?" All of our clients' and our own experiences shows that a well-run live auction, even with only 12-18 items, plus a pledge/fund-a-need/give from the heart/raise your paddle will raise as much or more as you've already raised in your silent auction. (usually more) If you're going to the trouble of organizing your event, and dinner, and table seating, and a festive theme, you're leaving too much money on the table by skipping a live auction. And yes, you need to hire a professional auctioneer--but that's a topic for another entry.
Data entry is easier.Ah yes, enlightened self-interest... Even with the fastest keypad entry operators and great software, it still takes a finite amount of time to enter winning bids, perhaps 5-10 seconds apiece. Multiply that times 300 items; 25-50 minutes, or more if there are interruptions, illegible bids, etc. You can reduce the time by networking several computers together, but it still takes some time. Then you want to run reports, check your data entry and print invoices for your guests. When you keep the silent auction open late, you reduce time for data entry. If guests try to leave early, you'll feel rushed, and have lines for checkout.
We've always done it this way...Yes, you have. We know this is a big change for some organizations. Don't be afraid to change. Focus on making your guest experience marvelous from start to finish. They'll thank you for it, they'll bid more cheerfully, and they'll be back next year!
(c) 2007, Auction Systems Inc, all rights reserved Triplicate Bid SheetsMany organizations have used triplicate bid sheets for bid entry at their silent auction, usually three copies, white, yellow and pink, and placed by the item on the table. This paper is also called "NCR paper." Guests place bids by writing on the top copy with a ballpoint pen. The chemicals on the paper combined with the pressure of the pen create carbon copies of the written image. Is it necessary or useful to have three copies? Let's explore further. Why triplicate bid sheets?At traditional events without event management software, when bidding is completed, the top two copies of the triplicate form are pulled off by volunteers. The remaining copy is left on the table near the item for reference. The top two copies are torn apart; one copy goes into a file or binder sorted by item number, the other copy is sorted into a hanging file by bidder number. Tearing the sheets apart, sorting, and filing them requires several volunteers and significant time. When the guest is ready to check out, the bidder copies for that guest are pulled from their hanging file and totaled by adding machine or calculator. Sales tax should also be added for certain items in many states. However, most organizations choose to reduce total event proceeds by paying the sales tax out of the payments, or simply fail to comply with local and state regulations. Depending on legibility and the cashier's facility with the calculator or adding machine, the cashier may be able to total the bid sheets quickly, or it may take some time. Why NOT triplicate bid sheets?With event management software, bids are entered into the computer by typing Item #, Bid # and Bid Amount into a rapid data entry screen; the software produces comprehensive, itemized and totaled invoices. Multiple copies of the invoice can be printed so both the cashier and guest can keep a copy of the invoice reflecting payment. Event software, such as Auction!, can add applicable sales tax for the flagged items. Bids are entered as sections close and during dinner, so invoices can be printed in batch or singly, on demand. As a result, bidder copies of the bid sheets are no longer necessary. What about duplicate bid sheets?This is a tougher question--Leaving the second copy on the table can be helpful for your item redemption team. When guests bring itemized invoices to item redemption, it's easier to confirm the correct item to be picked up. However, a copy of the bid sheet left on the table once a section is closed encourages "looky-lou's." These guests spend time investigating who bid against whom, and who won certain items, rather than continuing to bid in the next section or enjoying the company of friends at the event. While this is an understandable curiosity, it is not particularly productive behavior at your event, as they often drag others to review those same bids. If you choose to leave a copy of the bid sheet on the table, we strongly encourage you to rope off or isolate those sections once closed. How do I print multiple copies?Auction! is flexible; you can set it to print one, two, three, even up to five copies of your bid sheets. See My Photos, Bid Sheets & Catalogs Or you can print your bid sheets to a PDF file, and email or take the file to a printer who'll create your duplicate or triplicate sets. You can control the exact result! See Printing Duplicate or Triplicate Bid Sheets for details. (c) 2007, Auction Systems Inc, all rights reserved |
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