Includes Online Auction Strategies

YOUR STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE FOR PLANNING A SUCCESSFUL

Nonprofit CharityEvent Auction

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DAY IN & DAY OUT

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Introduction

Determine the Best Type of Auction

Set a Budget and Share the Goal

Look to Software Solutions

Team Recruitment

Item Procurement / Event and Auction Item Promotion

In-Person Day-of Execution

Follow-Up

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Table of Contents

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With the help of an auction, nonprofits can raise a considerable amount of money simply by taking bids for donated auction items, packages, and experiences and selling them to the highest bidder. Charity auction events present an incredible opportunity to showcase the cause and its goals and bring together those that care about its mission. But no matter the size or setting, planning a charity auction can feel extremely

overwhelming. By the time you’ve read through our step-by-step guide for planning a successful charity event for your nonprofit, you’ll be on track to creating the perfect auction event that will serve to further your mission while entertaining contributors at the same time.

Let’s get started!

If your nonprofit is looking for a fun and exciting event to host and raise money for your cause, you have many options at your fingertips: organized events, tournaments, peer-to-peer social fundraisers, year-round online giving, and one of the most popular and coincidentally the topic of this resource — charity auctions.

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Event attendees love to browse auction items while they’re waiting to check-in, at home on their couch (if virtual), when in line for a beverage, or before the program starts. Auctions ramp up the competitive spirits of the attendees, keeping them continuously engaged in the event.

But, as with most charity events, a fundraising auction can’t be successful for your nonprofit or for your attendees unless comprehensive planning and foresight has been put into the event.

Why Host an Auction?First, it’s important to consider the goals of the fundraiser and to think through how you and your nonprofit team will position the event to be different than others that your contributors attend.

Charity auctions are among the most popular type of nonprofit fundraising event—and for great reason! Between silent auctions, online auctions, live auctions, or a combination of auction events, there’s a fit for every nonprofit.

Nonprofits raise money during auctions by taking bids for auction items and selling these items to the donors with the highest bid, which—when done correctly—can leave both your nonprofit and your attendees on cloud 9.

These types of events can be a great addition to an existing celebration—like a gala or golf outing—by helping organizations bring in a significant amount of additional funding. Winning a prize while also making a charitable contribution? Talk about a great incentive for even more giving!

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ADVANCE PLANNING

8 Ways Your Nonprofit Can Bid Your Way to a Great Auction

1. Determine the Best Type of AuctionSilent auction? Online? Live? A combination? Determining the right auction depends on your nonprofit and its specific goals. There are clear pros and cons to each type, so let’s review each so organizations can find the perfect fit.

Silent AuctionA silent auction is often anything but silent! During a traditional silent auction, items are displayed around the room and supporters place their bid on the item(s) that they’re interested in winning. This extremely popular style of auction provides opportunities for benefiting a nonprofit both socially and financially.

Silent auctions create an excellent atmosphere for attendees to easily place bids via their mobile devices on available items such as experiences, trips, or products without receiving pressure from the nonprofit or others to bid. Attendees can simply enjoy the event while the nonprofit’s staff and volunteers mingle with donors while also tracking bids and donations, and they can check in as they please to increase their bid or place a new bid on another item.

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Auctions can be a lucrative type of fundraising event available for your nonprofit. From deciding what kind of auction is best for your nonprofit’s needs to finding the right team and gathering the right types of items, they require careful planning to see success.

BONUS! If you’re interested in learning more about the ins and outs of planning a virtual auction, check out this guide.

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Alternatively, supporters can donate money online in the Giving Center before the event or during the event on mobile devices. Your nonprofit team sets the goal, describes the cause, and customizes a button to appear on the Mobile Bidding home page. Donors simply press the donation button, select the amount they want to donate, and, voila, your cause has raised more money!

Appeals or calls to action are most effective when you have an emcee or auctioneer on stage soliciting donations with a Scoreboard projecting the total money raised in the background. Of course, live auctions bring the most energy and are typically engaging, often serving as the focal point of the evening’s event as it gives all involved that rush of competition and urgency for their bidding.

While thrilling and competitive, live auctions can also be overwhelming for attendees who prefer to keep their donation amounts to themselves. Some donors would rather not be the center of attention, which is why utilizing mobile bidding options for guests can save the day yet again.

Online AuctionsAn online or virtual auction is held exclusively online through a dedicated website and item catalog. Auction software helps organizations manage the process while mobile bidding features make it easy for donors to get involved. Choosing the right solution makes the logistics of virtual fundraising much simpler than in-person auctions.

Nonprofits of all shapes and sizes are adding online charity auctions to their fundraising toolbelts. Why? Online auctions can help nonprofits raise a lot of money. After all, the chance to walk away with an amazing item while also supporting a worthy cause spurs more giving. Even better, online charity auction software makes giving easy.

Live Auction & AppealsGoing once, going twice, sold! Sound familiar? During a live auction, an auctioneer calls out auction items and runs the bidding process. Charity event attendees place their bids by shouting out how much they’ll pay for a specific item, raising bid paddles or otherwise capturing the auctioneer’s attention.

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2. Set a Budget and Share the Goal

Because charity auctions can have many different aspects to them (the marketing, the food and drinks, the entertainment, and perhaps even some of the auction items), it’s critical to budget carefully. Anticipate expenses from start to finish and determine what will be required to cover every aspect.

To keep expenses under control, reach out to possible donors or area businesses to see if high dollar or high volume items (such as wine, centerpieces, and marketing material) required can be donated. As any nonprofit can attest: free is best!

Now it’s time to set the fundraising goal. How much should this auction raise for the cause? It’s important to be realistic yet audacious with the goal. If the goal is too high, it may seem insurmountable but if it’s too low, donors may not feel the need to give more or participate in the auction or Text2Give® prompts throughout the event. Once the goal has been set, it’s time to share it with the internal team and with the existing donor network. Getting these groups excited and rallied about the event and its possibilities can help make great strides towards achieving your charity’s set goal.

Every charity fundraiser—no matter which style you’ve chosen for your nonprofit—needs a budget and goal. Setting these two important targets needs to be done early, before other planning starts, as it will advise the type of auction and nearly every other planning activity.

DONOR CONVENIENCE AND EXPERIENCE

Nonprofit-specific software fundraising solutions allow many of the auction event activities to be done online and often in advance of the event (and even continuing on after it concludes). Through an integrated experience both offline and online, donors can purchase event tickets, browse auction items, bid on items via the nonprofit’s online Giving Center site, track their bids from their mobile device, and securely pay and collect their receipt after the event concludes.

And after the event? They can relive the memories by browsing photos and reading about how the charity will use the funds raised. By emphasizing donor convenience (and experience), nonprofit’s can attract larger turnouts, more activity, and of course, more fundraising for the nonprofit’s charity, which is the shared mission.

STREAMLINE THE PLANNING PROCESS

With all the moving parts that go into planning a successful charity event, auction software can be a planner’s best friend—both for the event at hand as well as future events. By automating processes like managing auction item procurement, putting together sponsorships and bundles, and keeping bidding information centralized, the planning team can see all activities in one spot. And with a few clicks, they can manage what remains to be done without switching platforms, meaning fewer chances a critical task will fall through the cracks.

LEARNING + GAINING VALUABLE INSIGHTS

From tickets purchased to items procured, having concrete data under one roof is an invaluable resource for charity auction planners. Certain nonprofit software platforms provide robust reporting and analytics that give additional insights for years to come so your nonprofit team can keep honing events until they’re the best they can be. The bottom line is that investing in the right nonprofit fundraising software not only makes the process easier, but it will help with continual event improvements to bring in the most donations possible.

3. Look to SoftwareSolutions

Software advancements specific to nonprofits have made planning and running charity auctions much, much simpler for both the charity’s team and donor participants. Utilizing technology focused on nonprofits means partnering with a service that understands the goals and the unique needs charitable organizations require. For charitable auctions—regardless of type—using software has a host of benefits for all involved.

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This subset of individuals will handle all event logistics from booking the venue to creating the marketing and promotion plan to sourcing any materials needed. They are the organizers who make sure that the event is planned to a tee and that day-of is as seamless as possible.

This group is crucial in that their only job is to solicit and procure high value or highly sought after auction items (a trip to Mexico for 8 friends, anyone? Or a wine pairing with a sommelier? Yes, please!). These volunteers can’t be shy about asking for donations and getting things on the auction block.

Whether it’s serving on the set up and tear down team, spotting and monitoring the auction items, or facilitating check-in and check-out, having an arsenal of general all-hands-on-deck volunteers will be the key to pulling off a successful auction. 

Regardless of the type of auction taking place, having a great host is necessary to keep things moving and fun. Because the importance this role plays in the event, it may be worthwhile to consider hiring a professional.

PLANNING COMMITTEE

PROCUREMENT GROUP

GENERAL VOLUNTEERS

AUCTIONEER OR EMCEE

4. Team RecruitmentNo one person can pull off this sort of event successfully on their own, no matter how talented and organized they are. There should be a large team of both staff and volunteers in place to cover a variety of tasks. Ideally, that team includes:

PRO TIP: Think about which staff members and volunteers have the time and skill set to manage these efforts. Time is an important element to success! onecause.com

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6. Event and Auction Item PromotionNow that the event is coming together and wheels are turning, it’s time to make sure potential donors are aware of the event with ample time so they can clear their calendars and invite friends who may also be interested in the charity!

Be sure to create a guest list considering both the size of the venue and the current donor base. And if its a virtual auction, your donor base isn’t restricted to the venue limit—recruit donors far and wide! Then, send out the invites several weeks (or even months) in advance, using digital communications like email and social media as well as direct mail invites to high priority guests or past attendees.

Of course, this is where nonprofit fundraising software is once again critical to ensuring a seamless and trackable process. With a nonprofit-specific software solution, event organizations can sell and keep track of tickets easily online. Selling online gives event supporters an easy way to grab their spot and allows and easily share event details and invite others while allowing the nonprofit team to see how many have been sold and to whom.

5. Item ProcurementWhile this may seems like a given, there are special nuances to procuring auction items that are worth mentioning. After all, the winning bids are where the majority of funds raised come from! As the procurement team is going out to the community or to past or potentially new sponsors and asking for donations, they should make sure that the items fit the nonprofit’s audience. It can be helpful for them to ask these questions before beginning the process:

WILL THE ITEM BE APPEALING TO DONORS?Items need to have appeal to earn bids, so experience-based packages tend to

perform well.

IS THE PRICE POINT APPROPRIATE?Make sure the items are such that donors have the financial capability to bid on them.

IS THE ITEM UNIQUE AND HARD TO FIND?There will be a higher demand for these items so the more available, the better!

onecause.com 11PRO TIP: Make sure to include a link to the online Giving Center page when the invites go out so supporters can RSVP “yes” right away!

Your charity event and auction day is finally here! But don’t let all of the careful advance planning go to waste by thinking the job is done. There’s still plenty to do on the day of the event and even after, so keep taking notes:

EVENT SET UP

You’ve heard the expression have a Plan A, a Plan B, and even a Plan C at the ready. And when it comes to hosting a charity event, that advice will most definitely come in handy. That’s why it’s key to have a team of volunteers at the venue early to scope out the layout, set up auction items, and place materials, freeing up time for your staff to deal with last minute issues or changes. Make sure that the check-in and check-out stations are set up early and make sure to test the nonprofit fundraising software being used for registration to make sure it’s online and working well before attendees arrive.

GUEST ARRIVAL

Once the guests begin to arrive, have staff or volunteers greet and assist them in getting set up at registration area and be sure to double check the meal preferences or dietary restrictions captured in the registration software. Your attendees should have everything they need to whip out their mobile phones and begin browsing items (whether online or in-person) and bidding within a few moments of stepping in the door!

AUCTION BIDDING

Taking advantage of fundraising technology solutions can make the entire process convenient and engaging for both staff and participants. Setting up mobile bidding allows participants to bid directly from their phones and also keep track of competing bids in the case of silent or online auctions. Simple and quick automation means the guests can keep having fun while bidding and staff can keep an eye on where the fundraising goal stands. Auction software can also enable organizations to provide guests with additional donation avenues like donation portals and fixed price items, helping them raise more money—even after the event ends.

GUEST CHECK OUT

Nothing ruins an auction faster than a confusing checkout process. Guests want to see what they’ve bought and head home to enjoy their winnings while they’re still riding the high of winning the bid. Make sure there are enough staff and volunteers available to help answer questions, particularly at peak times. Additionally, mobile bidding can take care of most of the item checkout process simply and easily—payments are already processed, items are ready to go, and attendees receive an automated receipt.

PRO TIP: Consider surveying attendees to see what can be done to improve the next auction!

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7. In-Person Day-of Execution

8. Follow-UpThe event is over and the last item has gone home with a happy donor. Goals have been reached and it’s time to relax, right? Not quite. While there is certainly time to celebrate a job well done, follow up after the auction is critical for future success. There are two main follow up tasks that can’t be ignored:

THANK YOU NOTES AND ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Make sure to thank the team, volunteers, and item donors who made the event possible by sending handwritten notes (or at least signed notes). It’s also important to send a timely and personalized thank you note to all contributors that explains how their donations will help further your nonprofit’s important cause. This small act will go far in making sure they return for next year’s (or next month’s) event.

TRACKING PERFORMANCE

Tracking performance is a key element to measuring the success of an event and planning the next one, particularly if auctions are going to

be a reoccurring staple in fundraising events. Run a variety of reports easily with a nonprofit fundraising software solution and gain valuable and detailed insights into auction items and bidders.

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They are fun, lively and can certainly be a win for all involved. And with this quick guide and resources, you’re ready to start planning an amazing auction event!

With some foresight, planning, and hard work, a charity auction can be one of the most lucrative ways a nonprofit can fundraise.

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Now that your team is loaded up with what’s new and hot in auction fundraising, it’s time to start planning your own!

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For more fundraising resources, please feel free to check out:

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