Displaying Jewelry

Sun, 19 Oct 2008 12:22:55 -0700

Jewelry can be a tough sell because it involves personal taste. Displaying the items becomes critical when it comes to maximizing the bids.

Having a volunteer wear the piece of jewelry during the SIlent Auction does not give everyone the opportunity to view the item, only those that the volunteer engages. It is much better to place the item on a Silent Auction table where everyone will see as they cruise the auction.

Is Today’s Economy Affecting Fundraising Events?

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 07:11:59 -0700

I am often asked:
Is the Economy Affecting Fundraising Events?
And the answer, of course, is yes! Many people just do not have the discretionary funds to spend that they have had in recent years. Overall attendance at fundraising events is down slightly and the big spenders are harder to find in the audience.

Big ticket Opportunity Drawings require twice as much asking to find takers. Silent Auctions have not been affected as much as Live Auctions - small valued items vs. large valued items. Finding auction items, especially large auction items, is tougher than in previous years. Some Event Sponsors have reduced their level of giving or stopped altogether.

But all is not lost! You must learn to approach your fundraising event like a business and employ all of the tricks available to you to maximize your revenues. Be smart, use common sense and have a plan.

You must recognize the effect of alcohol on your guests, as well as your volunteers. Timing is everything when alcohol is in play. Set a tight schedule and stick to it!

Communicate effectively both verbally and visually - make things easy to locate. There is no better way to direct your guests in a crowded room than the use of colored helium balloons. Your investment in providing an appropriate sound system that matches your venue and the size of your crowd, will more than pay for itself and allow your auctioneer to do his/her job.

You must understand the bidder’s habits and provide user-friendly bid forms that maximize your Silent Auction revenues. Your item titles and descriptions must be to the point and printed large enough to be easily read from 2 to 3 feet away. Nobody wants to put their glasses on!

Most bidders wait until the end to place their final bids. You must allow and encourage heated competition at the close of every item. Never pull a bid slip out from someone who wants to bid! You want that money!

Don’t give away the profits on your Opportunity Drawings. People will purchase tickets to participate, not for the prize! You will always make much more on items placed on the Opportunity Drawing than on the Silent Auction. It’s not how many tickets you sell, it’s how much money you make!

When it comes to Live Auction items, think outside the box. Often the best selling items are items that cost little but provide an opportunity unavailable anywhere else. Make your Live Auction the priority and not placed after the blah, blah, blah of speeches and awardees. Make it quick, fun and profitable! Remember, alcohol is in play and timing is everything!

Provide your guests a chance to give one more time with a well choreographed, well timed and well executed Direct Giving, Raise the Paddle or Fund-an-Item. If you don’t ask, you won’t receive!

And lastly, the best piece of advice I can give you is to hire me for your next event! I will work with you and your committee prior to the event to ensure that you are doing the right things to maximize those revenues and keep the experience positive for your attendees. Plus the night of the event, I will work my magic and make your event rock! Really!

If I am not available for your event, or you have an Auctioneer or Celebrity that you are committed to, I am available to meet your organization to teach you what you need to know. Give me 1 to 3 hours and I will make you an expert!

All of my new customers this year made more than they ever had in any previous year. Some substantially! Repeat clients continue to see improvement in their bottom line and guest experiences from year to year. I am booked a year in advance for a reason!

Spotting the Spotters

Sun, 24 Feb 2008 11:29:02 -0800

For me, a Live Auction Spotter comes into play when I am concentrating on the final 2 or 3 bidders and no longer watching the rest of the crowd. When an unexpected bidder raises their bid paddle, the Spotter needs to get my attention and identify the new bidder.

There are many ways for a Spotter to get my attention. Here are just a few:

Flashlights. Forget it. They put a blind spot in my vision and can be intimidating to the bidder.

Bells. One of the Spotters in the room of 500 plus guests last night had a small teacher’s bell that they rang when they had a bidder. It really caught my attention!

Cheerleader Pom-Poms. They are colorful, make a shushing sound when shaken and are a great pointer for identifying bidders.

White Gloves. Not much sound but easily seen and a great tool to direct my attention.

Glow Sticks. Forget it. Even when they are not being used to get my attention, I can still see them. It can be very confusing trying to decide which green blob is in play!

Voice. When all else fails - yell!

Couple of other thoughts:

I will never take a bid from a Spotter, only from the bidder.

A good formula for required Spotters is 1 per 100 guest. I also like one Key Spotter that stands near me on the stage. Someone who knows the items and the crowd.

Spotters in white tops are much easier to see than in black tops.

Make sure you don’t take a big buyer out of play by making them a Spotter.

Class Projects

Sun, 3 Feb 2008 17:45:36 -0800

I have seen many different auction items created by students from elementary grade classrooms. My favorite items include:

Outdoor Furniture or Mosaic Tiles - Children’s projects are sometimes better suited for the outdoors then in the living room!
Artistic Collages involving all students - A Master’s work divided into 12 squares each painted by a different student.
Quilts with squares designed by students - The more user friendly the quilt is, the more interest they will receive.

Last night at the TIP Academy event, students from one classroom made earrings. They were displayed on a nice rack or in a small box with the artist’s name clearly displayed. The earrings were very colorful and fashionable and made of beads purchased by a parent. Most students made more than one pair. They sold for $15.00 per pair, were a big hit and probably the top grossing class project!

The concept of many items making up the class project has some great merits. More parents involved in purchases and more overall profit generated. Here are some other thoughts for class projects for your consideration:

Small garden frogs or turtles
Hand painted mouse pads
Small crosses decorated with beads and paint
Bracelets and necklaces

Themes

Tue, 1 Jan 2008 16:17:28 -0800

I like events with themes! Simple or elaborate, it always adds to the evening.

Tropical Nights! Your basic Hawaiian shirt event. Palm fronds, flower leis, tropical drinks, ukuleles, flip flops, Polynesian reviews. Commemorative photos taken on a surf board or in the mouth of a Great White Shark. Trips to Hawaii, luaus on the beach, custom surfboards, Tommy Bahama shirts. Everyone has something in their closet for this event! Aloha!

Cowboy Up! A chance to wear your Stetson hat and cowboy boots. Bails of hay, saddles, red bandanas, steak and beans, chaps and spurs. Line dancing and western swing. Red and white checked table cloths. Week at a Dude ranch, barbeque dinner with all the fixings, custom boots, side of beef, VIP seats to the rodeo. Yee-ha!

Feeling Groovy! Give peace a chance! Tie-died shirts, beads, flowers, straight hair parted down the middle, leisure suits, afros, hot pants. Weekend in San Francisco, Davy Jones concert backstage passes, overnight at the Mirage with tickets to Love, Beatle’s memorabilia. Twist contest. Pot roast, mashed potatoes, jello.

Movie Themes! Blues Brothers. Casablanca. The Wizard of Oz.

Television Themes! Who doesn’t like Grey’s Anatomy or ER? CSI. Perhaps old school with the Beverly Hillbillies or Gilligan’s Island!

Colors! Red Hot Chili Peppers - everyone dresses in red and all decorations too! The Blue Bayou! Yellow Submarine!

Ethnic Themes! Salsa - A Night in Spain! Caribbean with a Reggae beat! That Amore - with an Italian flair! Cinco de Mayo!

Type of Clothing! Skinny Black Tie. White Athletic Socks. Black horn rimmed glasses. You chose a form the event around it!

Be creative! Use your imagination!