Want to wow your guests at your next event? Review the following tips for elements of a successful live program.
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Are you gearing up for an upcoming fundraising event? Planning to include a live auction, but not sure how many items to feature? Fear not! Here’s a guide to help you determine the right amount of live auction items for your next event.
When thinking about the health of your event it’s not always about how big it is - but how effective it is. So when thinking about growing your event - think less about how many people attend and instead think about making sure the right people attend. And who are the right people? People who are excited to show up and support your mission!
Before your event Long before your event - you will want to have a plan in place for growing your network of friends and supporters. One effective way to do this is through friendraising events. A friendraising event is one in which you invite people to learn more about your organization without an expectation to give. There are many formats for friendraisers that work well (reach out to explore the best format for your organization). The biggest thing to remember with this type of event is to follow up with attendees to learn more about why they came, and the ways in which they might like to be involved in your organization in the future. It’s not always easy deciding what type of dinner service will work best for your fundraising event. There are many factors to consider such as cost, efficiency, and overall donor experience and satisfaction. In this blog post we’ll take a look at some of the advantages and disadvantages of each of the following options.
Succession planning is a hot topic in the nonprofit sector for leadership roles such as the Executive Director and Board Members.
One area that often gets overlooked is succession planning for your fundraising event chairs and committee members, especially for organizations and schools that do not have dedicated Development staff and who rely on volunteer leadership for their events. Nothing can be more frustrating for an eager team of volunteers than to feel as though they are starting from scratch. The good news is that it doesn’t have to be that way. Here are some best practices that you can utilize to retain historical knowledge and set your successors up for success. Benefit events are a wonderful way to raise money for schools, nonprofits, and religious organizations. There are many revenue strategies to consider for your event including silent auction tables, raffles, games, party boards, live auction, and special appeal/fund a need.
Including a live auction as part of your benefit event is a great way to bring in significant money for your group. This post will focus specifically on tips for your live auction to ensure your success. I often get asked the question “Do we need a printed program at our event?” And the answer is... Yes, you do.
Having a printed program is another way you can engage your guests at your event and provide another avenue to showcase your mission, thank your sponsors and volunteers, show broad community support for your work, and if you have an auction it gives you another great way to highlight and market your live auction items. What makes an amazing live auction?
What makes people bid generously and over value on items? What is it that actually inspires giving when people gather together to support their favorite cause? These are important questions that every live auction planner should be asking themselves. Live auctions are rarely successful when approached from the mentality - if we build it they will come. Many groups work hard on their live auction packages only to see them not achieve the results they hoped for on the night of the event. How many events have you been to in which the Live Auction always feels the same? A boring PowerPoint slide pops up for each item (that is if anyone even bothered to make one) as the emcee reads verbatim what’s already in the program (and on the slide too). The auctioneer quickly sells each item, one after the other, with little to no fanfare or celebration to mark each winning bidder’s victory. No wonder so many live auctions lose steam and leave the audience exhausted - eager to never return to your event!
We’ve all been there. The CEO, Emcee, or Board Chair comes up to the stage just as dinner is finishing up, and begins, “let’s take a moment to thank our sponsors”. It’s a nice thought, and showing gratitude to sponsors is very important. But does it have to be so boring? Does it have to be so routine and by the book that it makes your guests tune out from listening to your speaker and tune in to talking to their neighbor?
How can you both thank your sponsors meaningfully while keeping it interesting for everyone else, and better yet, how can you go the extra mile in thanking your donors beyond the perfunctory podium “thank yous”? |
AuthorMichael Faith Benefit Auctioneer and fundraising professional Archives
August 2023
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