8 Tips for Running a Charity Auction

is a huge part of successful fundraising these days, but there are many other things that you need to put in place so your charity auction event goes with a bang.


1. GO WITH A PRO

Never forget that people are at your charity auction to have fun. The easiest way to make sure people have a good time and donate lots of money is to use a charismatic auctioneer who doubles as an MC. It may cost a bit more, but they are the experts at controlling the crowd, getting everyone's attention, talking up the important items, and generally laying on the entertainment. It's even worth getting them involved in the very early planning stages of your charity auction fundraising. They'll be able to give you a good idea what items will sell and what won't.


2. WATCH THE CLOCK

Timing is everything at your charity auction if you want it to run like clockwork and build to a crescendo of bidding. Take care where you place your big-ticket items in the line-up. Your auctioneer will be able to help with this, as will your charity auction software. Remember that people could start leaving as early as 9pm, and the place could be a ghost town by 10pm. Hopefully that won't happen, but you need to plan for it and structure your charity auction accordingly.


3. BUY WITH YOUR EYES

It's time to show off! The better your display, the more money you'll get for an item, so take the time to work on eye-catching ways to make your charity auction items look irresistible. Find the perfect spot and turn up the spotlights so nobody misses what you have on offer.


4. KEEP IT SIMPLE

Nobody has the time or inclination to read pages and pages of blurb at a charity auction, so keep everything clear and simple. What people need to do to sign up and bid should be clearly displayed and easy to follow. Use bullet points, not paragraphs in the catalogue you've crafted using your charity auction software and keep everything short and snappy. Remember, the less time people are reading the more time they will have for bidding.


5. PRICE POINT

Charity auction fundraising is all about the money, but should you let people know what the item they're bidding for is worth? It's a tricky question, but there's a good chance bidding at your charity auction will come to a shuddering halt once the value displayed in the catalogue is reached. It might be better to keep the reserve between you and the auctioneer.


6. ROOM WITH A VIEW

Seems like an obvious one, but make sure there's plenty of space for people to move around. The last thing your charity auction needs is a bottleneck around the display tables. People love to browse, so make sure they can.


7. SOCIAL WHIRL

With the advent of clever, easy-to-use
bidding is no longer confined to the room these days. However, you need to make sure all your virtual bidders are excited and in on the action. Make sure you tweet, blog and constantly update Facebook like a demon as soon as your charity auction fundraising kicks off. The more bids the merrier!


8. LEARNING CURVE

It's all over, and your online charity auction was a great success, but could it have been better? A thorough debrief is a must after your event so you can determine what went right, what went wrong and how your charity auction fundraising can improve in the future.