How to Raise More Money with Your Auction & Fund-A-Need

Ready to turn your next event into a fundraising powerhouse? By bringing the energy and using the right software, your organization can boost donations and bids and create an unforgettable experience for everyone involved.

When hosting a successful auction and fund-a-need, timing is everything. From tackling common challenges to mapping out a clear timeline and understanding best practices, we’ll help you maximize your fundraising potential.

Let’s explore:

Common Auction Challenges

Planning an auction can be thrilling, but they come with their own set of challenges. The best way to improve is by listening to your donors’ feedback.

Let’s navigate a few examples:

“The program was too long”

No yawns or boredom here! Events should be engaging and activate donor participation. The average attention span is just 8.25 seconds per person, while the average audience attention span is 8 to 10 minutes.

Make the most of your audience’s attention by cutting back on speeches, video lengths, or breaks. Supporters are there because they want to advocate for your mission, so be sure to present them with ways to engage and give.

“People are too loud”

At events with music and mingling, it often feels like a competition to see who can talk the loudest. To overcome the excitement, provide your audience with clear signals to pay attention. Whether it’s lowering the music volume, a powerful call to action, or visual cues such as a spotlight, you want to get their full attention.

“The event ended too late”

Supporters are not only giving their money, but they’re also gifting their time to be at your event. Be respectful by maintaining a reasonable timeline that allocates sufficient time for your activities.

You don’t want to plan an unrealistic time frame for your goodbye speech and then go past the end time. It’s important to keep your program moving and capture your guests’ attention in a timely manner.

“The silent auction closed too early”

Oftentimes, supporters are unaware of the auction’s closing time and miss the opportunity to place their bids. Communicate a clear closing time for your audience to take action beforehand and remind them how much time they have left before closing the auction.

Your fundraising software should be equipped with tools to keep your event activities running smoothly. Mobile bidding technology has countdown capabilities to keep your guests and you on track.

Guests are more likely to place their bids at the end when there’s a sense of urgency, so be sure to remind the audience of the closing time a few times.

“Alcohol effect”

We all know fundraising events can be a lot of fun, but the reason for gathering can be overlooked after a few drinks. You want your guests to connect and understand your mission, so plan to fundraise early and then open the bar afterward.

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Event Timeline for Success

You know the common auction challenges and how to overcome them, now let’s map out the timeline of a memorable event to maximize support.

We’ll break it down into three parts:

  • Pre-program
  • Main program
  • Post-program

Pre-Program

Before the main attraction, it’s good practice for your organization to explain why and when you are going to do certain activities.

This includes when and where registration will take place for guests to receive their table number, or perhaps when and where the social hour will be to network before the event. Remember to communicate the date, time, and location with your guests multiple times to avoid any misunderstandings.

Main Program

Guests are seated – time to set the stage! Welcome event attendees by sharing who your organization is, what you do, and why you do it. And do so in a way that motivates new and current supporters to stand behind your mission.

Carry the welcoming momentum into your live auction. That’s right, the key to raising more money is to host your live auction before dinner!

The benefits of hosting an early live auction include:

  • No yawning or tiredness from the crowd
  • No plate scrapping or silverware noises
  • No dinner service distracting the audience
  • No setbacks with late catering or dinnertime

Once the auction is over, begin to serve dinner. During dinner, prompt guests to check out the silent auction.

After the silent auction is closed, bring in the energy and wait for your audience to settle down before presenting your mission statement. Remind the audience of the impact their participation has in making a difference and then present your fund-a-need.

Post-program

After all the fundraising is over, draw any raffles or play any remaining games. To wrap up the night, announce the total you’ve fundraised or share when and where your next fundraiser will take place. This is also the best time for sponsors to speak a few words or for you to thank everyone for coming to support.

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Timing Tools

The perfect way to engage your audience is with an interactive auction, but how can you incorporate them into your event without disrupting the flow?

Don’t sweat it, we’ve got you covered! Let’s break down the timing for live and silent auctions as well as fund-a-needs.

Live Auction Timing

Light up your event with some live auction fun! Here are a few timing strategies to make the most of your live auction.

Start with an icebreaker. Relate an auction item to your mission that is not on the bidding list to excite the crowd.

Auction off big items early. People who wait until the end to try to bid for the best item may not win, so their money is left unused. Start big!

Be wise with the number of items. Securing a plethora of auction items doesn’t always mean they’ll all drive bids, so it’s important to choose the items carefully.

Close with a consignment item. Remember to ask your volunteers or board committee what’s popular – you want to sell items that are a hot commodity!

Your goal is to create an engaging and dynamic atmosphere that prompts each bidder to participate throughout the entire live auction. Maintaining an energetic environment will help you drive impactful contributions.

Silent Auction Timing

Let’s take a look at how to maximize funds with a silent auction.

  • Open the auction early. Make the most of your auction by giving donors plenty of time to explore the auction items.
  • Be inclusive of in-person and virtual attendees. You’ll raise the most money by opening your silent auction to all supporters, whether they’re attending the event in person or not.
  • Be selective with the number of items. Again, choose your items wisely because more is not always better.
  • Plan a concentrated close for the auction. Align your audience to know what time the auction will close to avoid any surprises.

The unique benefit of silent auctions is that they allow supporters to engage at their own pace – but know that the more time supporters are given to bid, the more likely your organization will raise more.

Fund-a-Need Timing

Fund-a-needs are perfect to motivate participants to contribute to your cause without having to bid on an item. Here are our top strategies to effectively engage attendees:

  • Decide whether to utilize paddles or phones. Both offer unique experiences so choose whether you want to create a sense of community with paddles or allow multiple donations at once with phones.
  • Encourage giving with lead gifts. Highlight significant donations from past supporters and the impact they had on your mission to motivate potential donors to give.
  • Announce a match during your presentation. Keep the momentum going by letting your audience know their donations will be matched to encourage greater giving.
  • Incorporate the last hero game. The last person to raise their paddle wins! Or, if you’re using phones, the last person to donate before closing wins.

Although paddles can be fun in person, they can be a lot of work to organize. Consider investing in software that adapts to whichever event activity you’re planning.

With modern software, your organization can elevate the traditional auction and fund-a-need experience by increasing engagement, widening participation, and ultimately helping you raise more.

Auction Item Ideas

You can “wow” your guests with popular, valuable items that they truly want. Procuring the perfect range of auction items is the best way to ensure you’re making the most of your event.

Here are just a few ideas for auction items to consider including:

  • Gift baskets: Create themed or seasonal baskets that are flexible for any time of the year.
  • Travel packages: Consider whether your audience will be more enticed by domestic or international travel auction packages.
  • Entertainment tickets: Auction off a pair of concert or Broadway tickets.
  • Sporting experience: Offer VIP tickets to a local sporting game or a pair of courtside seats.

As you’re securing items, keep in mind that hard-to-get items will help boost your fundraising. You will want to leverage data from previous auctions to know which items are the best-selling and which items you should skip this time around.

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Host a Successful Auction

Whether your audience is full of seasoned bidders or first-time attendees, your organization’s goal is to encourage everyone to give and empower them to support your mission.

Check out how you can take your auction to the next level to skyrocket your fundraising.

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