Attributes Of A Perfect Benefit Auction

Posted on January 20, 2012 by Kathy Kingston

Kathy shares tips to have a perfect benefit auction.

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From Surviving to Thriving in Today’s Benefit Auction Environment

Posted on January 18, 2012 by Kathy Kingston

The economy has changed the way we are fundraising at auctions today. Make no doubt about it. One of the most key aspects to change the mindset from just surviving or being at a plateau for fundraising to thriving and having record-breaking fundraising auctions is to change into a transformational mindset because what I know from the last three years of being a fundraising auctioneer in some of the most challenging economic conditions is that I have raised more money for nonprofits and had record-breaking fundraising auctions than I have in my 25 year history. Why is that?

 First of all, clients that I work with understand the need to be very strategic and optimize every piece of their event. Number two, when my clients who are so successful tell their story, tell their transformational story about how they change lives, impact the community, save animals, help fund research, give scholarships and they communicate that explicitly and emotionally and impactful at the auction and when I can become an ambassador for that message that is when fundraising happens.

 How does a nonprofit learn to do that? Well first of all that is why I have created a number of workshops and teleseminars to help nonprofits and even auctioneers understand what are the trends now, what is working in the economy, and what is not. At the time of this recording I know that what worked last year doesn’t work this year. That the “less is more” concept is in full swing in a couple ways.

 One, if you have the same timeline as you did last year it is not going to work. Why? Because guests are leaving half an hour to 45 minutes earlier. Now how do you counteract that? If someone is gone they can’t give you money so you have got to skew or position your fundraising activity, your big fundraising activity, your Fund-A-Need and your live auction earlier than you ever have even over last year. That is why I have created some new workshops and teleseminars and if you wanted to go to my website which is www.kingstonauction.com you can take a look on our seminar page to have some wonderful training and professional development.

 The “less is more” concept also is imperative in auction items. Fewer silent auction items. Fewer live auction items.

 The third thing is the pre-promotion. You must pre-promote your items because the causal bidder who bids just because it is fun is gone. People are much more strategic in how they are spending money and so we can sharpen our pencils too and help them understand first how important their money is and secondly by pre-promoting those items people who like trips can plan ahead. People who like experiences can plan ahead. People who need to get a group of friends together for a wonderful gourmet dinner with a chef and wine they need to contact them ahead of time to find out how much everybody can give. So pre-promotion is important.

 Transformational mindset, focusing on fundraising, less is more and pre-promoting items will help change the way you fundraise and it will impact your bottom line significantly.

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10 Recipes for Benefit Auction Success

Posted on January 17, 2012 by Kathy Kingston

Set Your Table for Fundraising Auction Success

Don’t let food spoil your auction fundraising!

As you swing into charity auction planning, I want share how to fortify your auction fundraising against the unfortuate rising trend of meal timing and catering blunders.

What’s happening? I’m not sure exactly why, but over 80 percent of our benefit auction clients experienced late meals and food service problems last year. You can avoid a significant loss of precious charity auction dollars and event momentum due to food service problems.

Big Deal? You bet! Plan to take control of your fundraising.

Chefs and caterers may be fabulous with food. However, many are uninitiated in the unique timing requirements for your successful fundraising auction. Auctions are different than weddings, parties and corporate functions where fundraising is never the norm.

Remember, if you time your auction based on food service AND if the food service is late, you jeopardize your auction profit.  Remember, when your auction guests become distracted, hungry or leave early… so does their generous bidding. You can never make up that loss of income.

First and foremost, YOU must communicate your expectations and intricate timeline with your catering staff and event planners before and during your auction. Invite them to be a part of your fundraising team, teach them about your cause and their impact on raising funds that night.

Successful benefit auctions demand a crescendo of momentum, precise timing and tight teamwork.

Here are 10 vital recipes to insure you maximize your benefit auction fundraiser.

  1. Write out timeline minute-to-minute.  Work closely with the caterer for the exact food service timing. Explain how course or food station fits in with your program and auction timing.
  2. Meet with the caterer, review your needs, get a written proposal and final contract and final timeline. Underscore they key food service timing.
  3. Plan to stay on time. Appoint a key leader to communicate with the banquet captain in the kitchen on auction night.  Meet with caterer and key staff several hours prior for final details.
  4. Conduct your Live Auction during dinner. Go ahead. If you wait until after dinner it’s too late.  Just like dinner-theatre.
  5. Hold service at during Fund A Need Explain there will be a few critical times that you need to hold all service, such as during your inspiring testimonials and your all important Fund a Need.
  6. Serve dessert when is does not distract fundraising. Really. Assign a trusted volunteer to stand by the kitchen door and let servers know when it’s OK to bring dessert.
  7. Invite the servers to be part of your event. Announce the courses and thank the chef. Make it fun.
  8. Ban buffets. Consider a sit-down dinner OR food stations interspersed with silent auction tables instead. This way you can still raise money with silent auction and other interactive profit making activities while guests enjoy strolling, noshing and bidding.
  9. Avoid heavy pasta stations and turkey carving stations. (Hint: think what happens after Thanksgiving dinner  zzz…)
  10. Thank your caterers, hospitality staff, servers and chefs. Their kind and team-spirited support makes ALL the difference to your fundraising success.
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Why Choose The Kingston Auction Company?

Posted on January 16, 2012 by Kathy Kingston

Kathy highlights why people choose the Kingston Auction Company over others.

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Strategic Auction Item Acquisition – What Sells Best?

Posted on January 13, 2012 by Kathy Kingston

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.

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