10 tips for smart silence and live charity auction

10 tips for smart silence and live charity auction

1. Select the right date for your silent and live auction

Choosing the right date for your auction is crucial. Most auctions are held in the spring or autumn. Summer is a good time to hold a major event because many guests are having a rest. Winter is also considered to be a bad time of year many training or rehabilitation of holidays. As a rule, fall is the best time of year to auction, because many of your guests are starting to get into the holiday shopping mood and can prove that what you have to offer on their shopping list. In the evenings, on weekends are the most popular time for auctions with most auctions last night.

2. Select the correct Auctioneer for your live auction

You have two options, a professional Auctioneer or volunteers. This decision usually comes down to the following considerations. Professional Auctioneer will charge for their services. However, they will auction more gifts, faster and more money. Professional Auctioneer can auction approximately 75 units in the evening at 20-25% higher than amateur Auctioneer. If you're running a small auction, you can use volunteers. He also may make sense to use volunteers, if you have someone in your organization that has a great personality and known to many of your potential guests. Best of all they are free. However, volunteers can cause very late at night and kill to get visitors to return in future auctions.

3. use the most efficient strategy to get free stuff for your silent auction and live auction to your

Groups provide moral support needed to deal with a potential donor. Besides using helps ensure that documents are completed properly. When you create a command, note the personal dynamics. Some members of the group is asking donors for more convenient than other gifts. These individuals should be shared with members of the group, which did not necessarily have the talent. In addition it enables teams to share the workload, allowing more discreet man to take on tasks that are better suited for them (documentation, collection gifts, etc.).

4. get real gifts for your silent auction and live auction to your where possible

Many businesses, especially restaurants, will offer to provide you with gift certificates instead of actually gifts. Focus on local enterprises that can donate goods. You must not from businesses that can provide only gift certificates, but they shouldn't be the focus of your campaign. Real gifts create a very interesting night auction. Just imagine an auction not actual gifts, but rather just a bunch of gift certificates lying around on the silent auction. Secondly will only gift certificate in the amount of the certificate, or sadly, sometimes not even that. A tangible gift it's far more likely to value that exceeds its fair value.

5. know what to put in your "auction package»

The auction package is available to guests when they arrive. Some of the items, you must include in your package are:

Auction program
Add to auction catalog
The newsletters
Auction rules
Payment options
Advertising
Closing time silent auction table
Drink coupons
Lottery tickets
Leaflets for other upcoming events
Auction paddles
6. close the silent auction table properly

The closure silent auction can be a bit tricky. There can be multiple bidders for the right item until closure. To prevent a situation that is perceived as unfair, it is important to close the table in exactly the time announcements. It's a good idea to announce the closure of the tables in intervals before, such as 15 minutes, 5 minutes, etc. This helps get stakeholders to enter their "best and final offer" before the end of time. This is also useful for closing various sections of the silent auction at different times to enable your volunteers rapidly pick up all sheets.

7. use other opportunities to earn money on your auction

Entrance fees, sales of beer, wines and cocktails, raffles, door prizes and sell advertising in your program are some of the ways you can extend your auction revenue.

8. send invitations for your auction

If you're lucky enough to your database of members or guests of previous auctions, you can send out formal invitations. Design your invitations can range from very simple to very elegantly. Your should send their approximately 90 days before your event to make sure that your guests have not made other plans for the evening. You should also develop a plan to send reminders to those who have not sent their RSVP basis. Remember, RSVPs also tell you who dropped that reduces the number of reminders that you want to send.

9. know the laws concerning the silent and live auctions and stay out of trouble

Fundraising events are the tax consequences for the guest and The event. According to the IRS; "The donor cannot claim a tax deduction for any single contribution of $ 250 or more, if the donor receives written confirmation of the deposit period, the recipient organization. In addition, the donor may only accept contributions deduction to the extent that its contribution exceeds the fair market value of the goods or services received in exchange for donor contributions; Thus, donors need to know the price of the goods or services.

10. use checklists to make sure that everything goes smoothly

Reservation checklist
Checklist: installing a room
Checklist for starters
Sound system checklist
Registration checklist
Check-out checklist
Raffle and door prize checklist
Checklist for silent auction
Checklist: Live Auction
Checklist for auction