The Coronavirus Crisis and Your Upcoming Fundraiser
Is your non-profit scrambling to make a decision about an upcoming fundraiser? Are you panicking about lost fundraising revenue that was a line item on your annual budget? We at Bid Partner know how important fundraisers are to non-profits, and we want to help you raise money in this time of uncertainty.
What is an Online Auction?
For many, pushing the event out that far causes issues with fiscal year budgets. It also could cause a risk to your next annual fundraiser if these two events end up too close together. A great option right now is to hold your fundraiser online. People are looking for ways to be a part of the solution during times like this. So why not give them a fun way to support their favorite non-profit?
You’ve spent months soliciting items for your silent and live auction. Mobile bidding technology, like that offered from Bid Partner, allows supporters to bid from anywhere! Even those who weren’t planning to attend the event due to a vacation or a conflict can now join in too! The whole family can join in the fun as they bid on their must-have items. We suggest opening the auction early in the week and leaving it open for three to five days. Any longer than that and people start to tune out.
What about my Live Auction?
Unless you are very tech-savvy, using an auctioneer is most likely not a feasible option for an online auction. We suggest moving all live auction items to the silent auction, and finding ways to highlight them in your auction. Bid Partner software allows you to mark items as ‘featured,’ drawing additional attention to them. In addition, if using categories, create a ‘Live Auction’ category so supporters know these were your featured items!
What about my other Games?
Often, games played at fundraising events are quite profitable. Loosing that revenue could significantly impact your fundraising totals. Get creative and create silent auction packages out of these items. If you have a gift card wall, bundle similar gift cards to form a basket. Create bundles by type (Mexican, Italian, Bar/Grill, etc.), geographically, or add them to existing baskets and increase the value! Anything goes when it comes to auction baskets, so get your creative juices flowing!
If you have wine already collected for a Wine Pull, you can also use it to create auction baskets. Create auction baskets by grouping the wine you have. Describe each bottle in detail in the description, and also provide a photograph if possible. Again, the sky is the limit. You could group wine by type (Red Wines, Sweet Wines, White Wines, etc.), add food to form a theme basket (chocolate and wine, Italian feast with pasta dinner ingredients and Italian wines), or add wine to existing baskets. Just don’t forget to increase the value of those baskets!
The dessert auction has become quite popular in recent years. Ask your bakeries or supporters who bake specialty cakes to provide a gift certificate or coupons for the cake they planned to donate. Add these items to the silent auction! Be sure to include expiration dates or exclusions. People love to purchase these items and use them for upcoming special occasions such as retirements, birthdays, or anniversaries!
Fund-A-Need
For many organizations, the money raised during the Fund-a-Need portion of the Live auction is critical for a current or upcoming project. Bid Partner software allows organizers to activate a ‘Donation’ button where supporters can enter cash donations. Because peer pressure is the key to a successful fund-a-need, you may also need to solicit volunteers to contact prior donors and personally ask them if they would match their prior year donation. In most cases, they are willing when personally asked. Setting a clear goal and providing updates on where you are against that goal is very important.
Keys to Success
Effective communication with your supporters is key to the success of your online auction. Use social media and email blasts to clearly communicate your auction details and goal. Then regularly give updates on where you are against that goal. Remind guests about the auction close date and time, and use all means possible to effectively ‘countdown’ to the auction close! If done well, you can expect to see the same, if not more, bids on your items as prior years!
Make sure you give clear instructions on how to bid. Explain how people who may not have been registered for the event can obtain a bidder number. If you expected a large number of bidders who are not technology savvy, set up a process where they can place bids with a volunteer!
Don’t Panic
Bid Partner mobile bidding technology allows supporters to bid from anywhere! When every Netflix movie has been watching, and every puzzle completed, your supporters will be anxiously awaiting a change of pace. Your auction is the perfect way to keep your organization top-of-mind during this crisis, all while raising money for your non-profit!
******************************************************************************************************************************************************************
Sara Rieland is a Fundraising Consultant and Auctioneer with Bid Partner, a Minnesota Based Mobile Bidding Company. Sara has over ten years’ experience in planning, executing, and evaluating both small and large fundraising events. She is a graduate of Continental Auctioneer School, and is a licensed auctioneer in the State of Minnesota, as well as a member of the Minnesota State Auctioneers Association. For more information about Bid Partner mobile bidding technology, visit www.bidpartner.net.