Posts Tagged ‘Benefit’
5 tips for Attendees at a Gala Auction
We have all been to them. I have been to more than most of
you reading this. As an observer of behavior at these Gala events I have a few
tips for those of you planning to attend a Gala Auction this Fall from a
Charity Benefit Auctioneers point of view.
I have conducted many a Charity Auction and 90% go well and with no “Buyer’s Remorse”. However I once heard about an attendee after one of my Auctions who woke up with a hangover and was distressed to remember he now had a $7,000 puppy. On another occasion an attendee was bidding on a trip she was sure others would love to go on and would therefore have lots of people help her with the $16,700 cost.
that. In addition if you are planning to bid on a Live Auction item have a glass of wine, or two but know your limits and do not drink so that your judgment is impaired. Have the Makers Mark
afterwards to celebrate your having the winning bid for the BMW at the Fundraising Auction!
2. Review the items before you go:
Most nonprofits now have some sort of capability to show you picture and descriptions of the Auction Items before the day of the Auction, if not a Technological solution to actually allow you to bid on the items like Qtego or Auction Source. Take a look ahead of time as to what they are offering in the Live and Silent Auction.
Also, read the description and ask questions of the Auction Chair or staff before the Auction begins. Sometimes Charity’s do forget to put the number of days or number of bedrooms in the trip to Cancun’s description. A few questions ahead of time will keep you from
having to interrupt the Charity Fundraising Auctioneer during the Gala
Auction.
3. Get a room and park the kids somewhere overnight:
This is not a swipe at couples who like to show a lot of affection to each other at the Gala. I have been too many Galas where the crowd emptied at 9PM right after the Live Auction or Awards ceremony was over. Once I wondered if there had been a bomb threat called in and I had
missed it.
4. Check the Menu
Ever have something for lunch and be served the same thing for dinner? How much chicken can you eat? Even if the menu is not published anywhere a quick call to the venue or caterer and they can inform you as to what the fare is for that evening. What if you or someone you have invited to sit at your table has an allergy to mushrooms? Whatis one of your guests is Lactose intolerant and the entrée is smothered in orstuffed with cheese? Make sure the Charity knows if there is a special dietaryrestriction or you may be stopping at the Wendy’s Drive Through (Open Late) on the way home!
5. Wear the right Clothes and Shoes:
I am not suggesting that anyone who reads this shows up to a Black Tie Gala in shorts and flip flops. What I mean by that is my wife has a couple if dresses that simply take my breath away when I see her in them. She also has a pair of shoes that I think she is gorgeous in. BUT,
these are not the most comfortable shoes she has (as she points out to me). How many items are there in the Silent Auction?
Do you plan to spend a lot of time standing and guarding your item? What is the dress of the event? Many Galas state on the invitation that their attire is “Austin Funky Chic” or “Crazy Cocktail”! What does that even mean? I suggest that if you are not checking in or the event is not in a hotel that men dress on the high side and then if the event is more casual when you arrive or not at a hotel ballroom just ditch the coat and tie in the car.
Come join us at the Gala!!
Examples of High Dollar "Ego Items"
“Ego” Items gain importance in School Auctions.
I read an article on the Wall Street Journals Website about how important PTA Auctions in New York were becoming in this age of Education Budget cuts.
It mentioned a parent volunteer that had been involved in her child’s school for years all the way back to Pre-K. Beacon School on West 61st in Manhattan is a New York Public School that is a high quality alternative to private education and in order to stay current and competitive raises money for the wide variety of extra curricular activities, arts programs and sports teams.
The School has decided that the annual school auction — the crown jewel of Parent Associations — is the best way to raise a lot of money in one night. They work and plan all year to prepare for the Auction with a six figure goal in mind There items were inspired and I thought I might share them with you. We always talk about “Ego Items” in the Auctions we work on and these are excellent examples!
Internships: Nothing seems to garner parents’ attention like internships. At the Dwight School on West 89th Street in Manhattan, parents had the chance to help their kids bypass the interview process and purchase a summer internship at Bobbi Brown Cosmetics, donated by Maureen Case, president of specialty brands at Estée Lauder Co. Starting bid: $6,000. And besides reaping work experience, the Bobbi Brown intern is paid $400 a week.
A $10-an-hour internship with the white-collar criminal defense group at law firm Hughes, Hubbard & Reed, donated by partner Edward Little, started at $2,500. A research internship with Professor Ray Horton, director of the Social Enterprise Program at Columbia Business School, started bids at $2,000—but the internship itself is unpaid.
A student at Poly Prep Country Day School in Brooklyn will work on a CoverGirl ad at Grey New York this summer, donated by the advertising agency’s executive vice president Alice Ericsson. Students at Manhattan’s Upper West Side Anderson School will get a glimpse of what it is like to work for Google or the United Nations with employee-run private tours of their offices.
Celebrity Appeal: Adrian Grenier, an alumnus of LaGuardia and star of HBO series Entourage, will invite a guest to stay in Los Angeles for three nights at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel and have lunch on the “Entourage” set.
News junkies at the Collegiate School on West 78th Street in Manhattan bid on a conversation about foreign affairs with CNN correspondent Christiane Amanpour and her husband, James Rubin, former assistant secretary of state. Rob Brown, Poly Prep alum and star of HBO series “Treme,” will take auction winners to lunch.
At Loyola School in Manhattan, crime writer James Patterson will use the winning bidder’s name as a character in an upcoming thriller. For politicos at Staten Island Academy, New York Sen. Andrew Lanza auctioned off a private breakfast meeting. Eye-Catching: Manhattan’s Mandell School head Gabriella Rowe will lead 12 people on a duck-hunting expedition in Melbrook, N.Y., followed by a round of scotch and cigars. At LaGuardia, parents bid on the chance for famous male voice-over artist and alum Les Marshak to record the outgoing message on their answering machine. At Bard High School Early College on East Houston Street in Manhattan, a bidder scored a walk-on part in Broadway musical, “Hair.”
Other “Ego Items”
Brooklyn Friends School parent and dog psychic Christine Agro auctioned off a one-hour consultation for the downtown Brooklyn school.
Car lovers at Staten Island Academy started bidding at $4,000 for five hours driving a collection of sports cars, such as a Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano and Lamborghini LP560. Emergency Tuition:
In case Wall Street hasn’t rebounded fast enough for some families, bids also border on the charitable. At Loyola, where tuition starts at $28,000, parents bid on temporary assistance to families that have experienced a “recent and dramatic change in financial circumstances” and can’t pay tuition, according to auction materials. Other options include providing support for scholarship students to attend an in-house SAT-prep program.
What I did not see in the article was the mention of a “Paddles Up” program or a “Fund a Need”.
I also noticed that an actor not a professional Auctioneer conducted the Auction.
The result? $140,000 for the weekend Auction. This is not a paltry sum but one that could have been doubled with a few ideas and a professional fundraising Auctioneer advising the committee on item order, logistics and techniques.
One quote that stuck out from the article I read:
“This is a sophisticated New York crowd, if people want to go on a fancy vacation, they’ll buy their own vacation. We have to scour for connections to things that you can’t buy,”
This is on point. The wealthy can buy all the jewelry, trips and automobiles they want. Want to get them excited? Show them something they cannot have.
Read MoreAuction Tips
Tips for a Successful Live Auction
1. Use a great sound system
2. Maintain a smooth flow all night long
A. Simple Check-in/Check out
B. Start Live Auction Early; Avoid long winded speeches
C. Close Silent Tables before live auction starts
D. Hold live auction first, entertainment later
3. Live Auction – 1/2 Hour
A. 12-15 items plus a paddle raiser
B. Attention spans are limited
4. Paddles Up & Special Appeal
A. Specific Need
B. Start where you know the money is
C. High to Low
D. Middle of the Auction
5. Avoid Commercial Art
A. Art seldom sells well at a fundraising Auction
B. A Piece with sentimental or unique value may be the exception
6. Don’t use minimum bids
A. Minimum Bids stifle bidding and set a Psychological price ceiling
B. Listing the values of the items in the program limits the bidding
7. Don’t accept High Price consignment items
8. Use simple Language in Catalog- Bullets not Paragraphs
A. Listing the values of the items in the program limits the bidding
9. Use Large readable bid numbers
10. Keep Table Decorations Low
11. Use Large NAME TAGS whenever Possible
12. Volunteers do not drink- ( Until Later)
Read MorePaddles Up
Paddles Up/Fund a NeedThe “Paddles Up” or “Fund a Need” is a technique of raising money at your special event. This technique is based on a simple formula:500 people attend your event. At this event you have 10 live Auction items and 50 silent …
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