How Important Is the Fundraising Auctioneer to the Success of Your Event?

I want you to think about the term “Fundraising Auction”.

A “Fundraising Auction” is an event where items of value are gathered, and then sold in a competitive bidding situation, either in a Silent Auction format, or in a Live Auction format by a Live Auctioneer. And since typically the best items are saved for the Live Auction, arguably it is the Live Auction that should generate a significant portion of the proceeds in any Fundraising Auction.

So why do so many non-profit groups consider the Fundraising Auctioneer to be the least valuable component in a Fundraising Auction?

The Hosting Facility gets paid.
The Printer gets paid.
The Caterer gets paid.
The Liquor Store gets paid.
The DJ gets paid.
The Florist gets paid.
But the Auctioneer … the individual who is expected to raise the lion’s share of the event’s proceeds… is expected to work for Free. And is usually under-appreciated for the professional services he/she provides.

I’m not trying to underscore the value of the invitations & programs, food, booze, music, and decorations. All are important in their own way. But each of these are “Expenses”. It is the Auctioneer who is going to bring “Revenue”… and thus, the “Profits”… into any event. Which is the ultimate objective of any Fundraising Auction.

Here is a real-life example of how under-appreciated the Auctioneer can be. In two comparable events we worked last year, during the dinner portion of the event one non-profit group sat the Auctioneer (me) at a table with the DJ, the Interns, the Volunteer Staff, and other event “Help”. The 2nd non-profit group sat the Auctioneer (me) directly next to the CEO of their organization, where we chatted about how important the pending revenue would be to their organization. Which group do you think valued the services of the Fundraising Auctioneer more?

Don’t ever under-estimate the value that a professional Fundraising Auctioneer can bring to your event. The Auctioneer adds value as a pre-event consultant. And the Auctioneer can change an event from a moderate to a huge success.

A Case Study Once I was scheduled to call an Auction for a major local non-profit group. They represented a very good cause and they had a strong and dedicated following. Their event was sold out, quality Live & Silent Auction items had been solicited, and the Special Pledge Appeal had been choreographed and was ready to go. The facility was first class, the appropriate caterer was booked, and the food was ready to cook.

But quite unexpectedly, some unseasonably inclement weather forced the event’s cancellation. Despite all of the committee’s hard work, cancelling the event was the proper decision considering the circumstances.

So the Event Committee scrambled to re-schedule the event for the following weekend.

They confirmed with the Hosting Facility.
They confirmed with the Caterer.
They confirmed with the Liquor Store.
They confirmed with the DJ.
They confirmed with the Florist.
Since they already had the Mailing List of those scheduled to attend, no new invitations had to be printed as all were contacted by email or telephone. So with everything in place, the group went ahead and re-scheduled the event for the following weekend.

But guess who they failed to confirm? You got it… the Professional Auctioneer. They thought so little of the Auctioneer’s contribution that they “assumed” that the Auctioneer would be available and at their beck and call.

But the Auctioneer already had another Fundraising Auction booked for that date with another non-profit group. It was only hour away from the re-scheduled event, and things could have been easily worked out. All Group #1 had to do was start their event one hour earlier, or one hour later, than the Group #2, and the Auctioneer could have helped both groups on the same day.

But because Group #1 failed to anticipate a possible Auctioneer conflict, because they failed to confirm with the Auctioneer before re-scheduling their event, their preferred Auctioneer had to bow out and they had to scramble to locate substitute “Volunteer” Auctioneer only days before their event.

And it cost them.

Learning Points

The Live Auction is usually where the profits are made at any Fundraising Auction.
A Professional Fundraising Auctioneer can be vital to the success of any Fundraising Auction.
The better Fundraising Auctioneers usually get booked quickly.
You need to recognize the important contributions that a good Auctioneer can make to your event.
Michael Ivankovich is a Bucks County Fundraising Auctioneer based in Doylestown PA, and serves the Great Philadelphia PA area. He has been a professionally licensed and bonded Auctioneer in Pennsylvania for nearly 20 years, has been named Pennsylvania’s Auctioneer of the Year, and has considerable experience in conducting Fundraising Auctions. Michael loves helping groups raise needed funds for good causes and one of his specialties is the “Special Pledge Appeal” or “Fund-A-Cause Appeal” which usually enables clients to double their revenue in a single evening.

Home Based Business Ideas – Change Your Future By Starting A Business At Home

If you’ve ever thought about working from home then there are many different home based business ideas available to you out there but it can be a little scary to make that jump; the intention of this article is to take your mindset to the right place to allow you to explore this possibility.First of all let’s touch on the different types of home based business ideas that are available to you. Essentially they fit into 7 unique categories each based around a different way of making money so let’s list them out here:1. Advertising
2. Services
3. Subscriptions
4. Products
5. Commissions
6. Licensing
7. Being a BankWhichever of the home based business ideas you decide to go with it will be fundamentally based on one of the above models but in this article I just want to cover the most common one linked with home based business ideas and that is services.Home Based Business ServicesIn most of our lives we offer a service to someone and in exchange they pay us money to do so. We tend to refer to this as work and unfortunately it’s usually something we don’t like doing so how do you break the cycle and take back control of your life?Well one of the more common ways nowadays is to start your own services business from home. This can be a life changing moment because suddenly you start to see your ‘work’ not as work at all but something you bounce out of bed for with a smile on your face, imagine that. The first thing to do however is to decide which of all those different home based business ideas would be your calling and start to create a plan, a road map if you like to get you there. The following is just a small list of the many varied home based business ideas you could look at:1. Teaching from home (piano, academic, whatever your passion)
2. Web design
3. Writing articles for Internet marketers
4. Updating various social media for online marketers
5. Transcribing audio
6. Translation services
7. Scoring / editing films or shows (very achievable from home believe it or not)
8. Coaching (Skype is becoming ever more popular and gives you global potential)
9. Cooking (you can setup your own home cooking business)
10. Home nursery / child careNow think what you really love doing and before long you will find the idea that is right for you. I can’t help you with your decision but I certainly can and will help you plan your journey.Getting Started-Making That Leap Of FaithOne of the hardest parts of any journey is the beginning and you are bound to have worries and concerns about making the change. Let’s be frank here, you are probably going to leave a stable (albeit boring) job working for someone else and become in control of your own destiny. This means leaving behind security and walking into the unknown. Now this can be a scary experience but it’s also exciting and that should be your focus. The key to making the right start is to focus on the reasons why you are changing. Never lose sight of the goal, your ‘why’, as this will be the fuel for your vehicle throughout.Procrastination Is The Lock, Daily Action Is The KeyEinstein once said that the 8th wonder of the world was compound interest and although he was referring to money the exact same concept applies to time. The key to unlock your procrastination door is daily action and this works for home based business ideas just the same as for money. By doing a little every single day your business is going to soar but there are two caveats here. Firstly you need to take action EVERY day without exception, don’t miss even one single day. Make it a habit and you will slowly join the ranks of the highly effective people out there. Secondly, you need to be constantly reviewing, evaluating and then redrafting your goals and targets. The reason for this is twofold. Firstly it’s very easy to ease off the gas when you approach your target, a lot of us have trouble achieving closure on them and so by constantly pushing those targets forward you are always challenging yourself so that you never get complacent. Secondly, it helps you keep a regular track on your reason for doing what you’re doing, your ‘why’ as we called it before. This will stop you having your head in the sand and allow every day to feel fresh and new.

Differences in the Types of Auctions That Take Place Around the World

Auctions are those events where properties or goods are sold to the highest bidder. Auctions are mostly public events, where bidders make a series of bids and purchase a particular item for a high price. During auctions, bidders decide the price of an item rather than the seller. It depends on bidders to decide the amount they would want to pay for a specific item. During an auction, a bid is a proof of a legal binding. Bidders agree to pay the amount that they have bid. In a high profile auction, bidders may have to pay a deposit in escrow accounts or give a proof that they can pay for those items.

Types of Auctions:

Different types of auctions take place around the world. Below mentioned are some types of auctions:

1. English auction:
This is a basic type of auction. In this type, people can see the item and then start bidding. Bidders slowly raise the value of their bid until everyone gives up. The highest bidder is the winner. An auctioneer manages an auction, keeps records of the on going bid and decides the winner. Sometimes, the seller will quote a minimum amount for an item to the auctioneer, below which the auctioneer cannot sell that item.

2. Dutch auction:
In this type, the auctioneer sets a particular price and then gradually lowers the price. People in public will start bidding and later decide which prices are suitable for the item. A seller may use this type of auction to sell large quantities of same products to the public. For instance, a seller may want to sell a large amount of hay and will thus, decide to sell this hay to people for the same amount, once a reasonable price is decided.

3. Silent auction:
In this type, the bidders in public will present their bids in a sealed format. These sealed bids open at the same time and bidder with the highest bid wins. There could be a modification in this type of auction. The bidders are allotted a specific period to bid. They can roam in a room displaying the items, and write their bids on an associated sheet of paper. The bidders are allowed to see bids of other bidders and can choose a higher price for an item. At the end of the allotted time, bidder with the highest bid is the winner.

Examples of Auctions:

Auctions can be of two types either public or private. Sellers may trade any kind of items in both types of auctions. Some areas where auctions take place are:

1. Antique auction: An antique auction consists of a trade opportunity as well as provides entertainment.

2. Collectable auction: In a collectable auction, the seller may put up collectables like coins, vintage cars, luxury, stamps, real estate, and luxury for sale.

3. Wine auction: In wine auction, bidders can bid for rare wine, which may not be available in retail wine shops.

4. Horse auction: Bidders can bid for young horses of the best breed.

5. Livestock auction: In livestock auction, bidders can buy pigs, sheep, cattle, and other livestock.

The other examples of auctions may not be public. These auctions are for bidders from corporate levels. Some examples of private auctions are:

1. Timber auction
2. Spectrum auction
3. Electricity auction
4. Debit auction
5. Environmental auction
6. Auto auction
7. Electronic market auction
8. Sales of business auction

Bidders in an auction need to examine the items displayed and decide an appropriate price for an item. Thus, auctions help buyers in getting the best deals and in gaining better profits for sellers.