Kathy highlights why people choose the Kingston Auction Company over others.
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Why Choose The Kingston Auction Company?
Posted in Charity Auctioneer, Do I Hear A Million?, General, non profit, non profit auctions, podcast
Tagged auctioneer, auctioneers, benefit auction, benefit auctioneer, charity auction, fundraising, fundraising auction, fundraising consultants, how to raise more money, kathy kingston, kingston auction company, make more money from auctions, non profit, nonprofit, philanthropy, raise more money, record breaking fundraising auctions
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Strategic Auction Item Acquisition – What Sells Best?
The top question I am asked is how do I get the best auction items that sell for the most money? By far, this is the number one area of interest for nonprofits. What sells best? Well, let’s look at this very strategically.
If you understand who your guests are at the auction and what they want and you solicit auction items that match the audience you will be very, very successful. For example, if you are at a school auction and you know the audience is filled with parents who will do anything to support the school then your items should be filled with trips and activities and class gifts and experiences that really relate to the school and the parents. Now, in the school auction many times each class/each level will prepare a class gift, first grade/first level all the way up to whatever. Parents in the first grade are only going to bid on the first grade class art or gift. So taking that example if you knew that the first grade made these beautiful garden mosaic stepping stones and they had put their initials in those stepping stones every first grade parent will want those stepping stones because it is such a memento of their child’s activity at this wonderful school. In addition to being strategic in knowing what they want you have got to pre-promote those items to those specific guests. So that is a school auction example. A quick school auction example that is so unique is being the head of the school for the day or the principal for the day. That is very unique. That would be something that would only be sold at that particular school. It wouldn’t work for the public school down the street and it wouldn’t work for the local hospital gala.
Matching the audience wants and needs to the items is critical. Outside of the school auction example you could look at maybe a Boys and Girls Club auction. Boys and Girls Club auctions tend to have a lot of folks who are interested in the community. They like to travel. They like experiences, wine, dining out. If you know who those people are it is important to pre-promote those items too so there’s really two strategic moves here on auction item acquisition. One is match your audience, and two pre-promote specific items to people who typically like them and the way to know that is to go back into your auction data and look at who bought trips in the past, who bought experiences, who bought sporting activities, who bought kids items and then if you know your audience you can pick up the phone and say, “I know that you love to go on trips. We have got a trip to Greece at our auction and I know you have been talking about that. I just wanted to send you a link to it. Here is some more information. Isn’t this exciting?” That is how you’re strategic in getting auction items today.
Posted in Charity Auctioneer, General, non profit, non profit auctions
Tagged auctioneer, auctioneers, benefit auctioneer, charity auction, fundraising, fundraising auction, fundraising consultants, how to raise more money, kathy kingston, kingston auction company, make more money from auctions, nonprofit, philanthropy, raise more money, school auction, school auctioneer, school auctions
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The Event Is Over – Now What?
Kathy shares important post-event activities that are critical to a successful fundraising auction.
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Posted in Charity Auctioneer, Do I Hear A Million?, non profit auctions, podcast
Tagged auctioneer, benefit auction, benefit auctioneer, charity auction, fundraising, fundraising auction, how to raise more money, kathy kingston, kingston auction company, make more money from auctions, non profit, philanthropy, raise more money
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Why Is It Important to Know Your Audience For A Successful Benefit Auction?
I am often asked – what do nonprofits need to know to better know their audience? Well first of all, let’s look at why is that important? The key to an excellent fundraising auction is connecting your audience to your cause and helping them understand how they can make a difference with their generous contribution. So why is it important for you to know the audience? A couple of categories.
One is, for auction items it is important to match the audience wants and needs to the types of items that you get. Let’s look at that as an example. Let’s say you have an organization that is an arts and culture organization. Maybe you are a dance organization or a theater group. If you know that the audience prefers trips and arts and cultural experiences, perhaps a show in Los Angeles or Hollywood or a Broadway show rather than a sports oriented audience as opposed to a Monday golf auction where you have very sports oriented guests, in that case you would have golf packages, trips to the Masters, maybe some other sporting events that are popular in your area. On the first part, when you are acquiring auction items it is important to know the audience to match that.
The second thing is to know the audience in terms of follow-up after the auction. Know who bought what. Know what level someone gave in the Fund-A-Need special appeal to fund a mission and so that you can tailor your follow-up or your cultivation efforts after the auction so that you understand what the donor, who they are and why did they give. That is critical to help integrate them into your long-term development program. How do you better know your audience? It is easy. You talk to them. You look at your data. You look at what they bought. You look at your top bidders or your top donors. You look at your sponsors. But the most important part is if you can establish that personal relationship and that personal follow-up because people give to people first for things they care about.
Posted in Charity Auctioneer, General, non profit, non profit auctions
Tagged auction items, auctioneer, benefit auction, charity auction, fundraising, fundraising auction, how to raise more money, kathy kingston, kingston auction company, make more money from auctions, non profit, philanthropy
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The 2011 Kingston Fund Grant Award Winners Announced
I’m excited to announce our 2011 Kingston Fund grant award recipients.
The Kingston Fund Board of Advisors, my nephew and seven nieces, Arley, Megan, Alysha, Molly, Erin, Lexi, Brianna, and Lindsay (ages 15 to 28 years old) have selected the following nonprofits to receive Kingston Fund grants this year: Homeless Prevention Council, Family Continuity, Community Health Center of Cape Cod and Robert F. Kennedy Children’s Action Corps.
Winne and Willie Kingston
The Kingston Fund was established in 2005 by Kathy Kingston in loving memory of her parents Winnie and Willie Kingston. To play an active role in philanthropy, Kathy Kingston and the Board of Advisors, her nephew and seven nieces, meet annually to make grant recommendations to support educational and charitable programs of Cape Cod.
2011 Grant Awardees from The Kingston Fund
Homeless Prevention Council
To support the Child Enrichment Program, which provides school supplies, winter clothing, and Christmas gifts to children of clients who are low-income and at-risk of losing their housing.
Family Continuity
To fund the development and implementation of support and educational groups for families raising children with behavioral and mental health needs.
Community Health Center of Cape Cod
As a program of the Youth Suicide Prevention Project, funds will be used to provide suicide prevention training for students on the Cape Cod Community College Campus. The project focuses on much needed prevention and early intervention strategies for the at-risk population of Cape Cod Community College.
Robert F. Kennedy Children’s Action Corps
To support the Youth in Progress program, which is an after-school leadership development program for ages 13-18. The program helps young people develop the skills and tools necessary to transition into adulthood. It is estimated that approximately 240 youth will benefit from the Youth in Progress program over a year.
More About The Kingston Fund
Kingston Fund was established by Kathy Kingston in loving memory of her parents Winnie and Willie Kingston. To play an active role in philanthropy, Kathy Kingston and the Board of Advisors, her nephew and seven nieces, meet annually to make grant recommendations to support educational and charitable programs of Cape Cod.
Willie and Winnie Kingston taught our family to always find the positive, to have fun in whatever you do and to care about and reach out to others. Through The Kingston Fund, Winnie and Willie Kingston will always be remembered for their love of Cape Cod, strong values, great sense of humor, and their deep love and caring for their family and many friends.
The Kingston Fund is a donor-advised fund of The Cape Cod Foundation. Tax-deductible contributions to this fund may be made at any time by sending your gift to The Cape Cod Foundation address listed below.
Grant proposals for 2012 are now being accepted through the Cape Cod Foundation. Areas of interest include supporting nonprofits who serve abused children, disabilities, homeless families, Hospice, Cape Cod beaches and the environment, scholarships and families in need.
To apply for Kingston Fund grant, please contact:
The Kingston Fund ~ The Cape Cod Foundation
259 Willow Street
Yarmouthport, MA 02675
www.capecodfoundation.org
800-947-2322
Posted in General, non profit, non profit auctions
Tagged grant, non profit, non profit fundraising, The Kingston Fund
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