A Publication of Diamond Mind
Auctions A Beginner’s Guide
Creating your Independent School’s First Auction
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. Introduction
2. Best Practices and Planning
3. The Art of Asking for Donations
4. Raise the Paddle and Raffles
5. Selecting Vendors
Auctions: A Beginners Guide
Hos$ng an auc$on at your school is not a simple feat; however, with the right planning and resources it can lead to funded projects and increased giving. Bake sales are the way of the past, and schools are now turning towards auc$ons as a way to raise funds and pull their communi$es together. This guide will act as your key to crea$ng a successful auc$on for your school by highligh$ng the moving parts that are involved: • Choosing a theme • Forming volunteer teams • Event budgets • Marke$ng • What kind of bidding paddles to use Each piece of the process contributes to how much money is raised. AGer reading this guide you will be able to develop best prac$ces, improve your payment flexibility by using mobile card readers, learn how to acquire items for your auc$on, and ask ques$ons to help you get started. The guide is also developed with the assump$on that your school has not previously hosted an auc$on; however, it will include some great informa$on for those who already have. For those who have planned auc$ons in the past, you will have considerably less planning to do, especially if you already have volunteers and a process that can be reused. The important thing to note is that while fundraising is the ul$mate goal, your first auc$on is a stepping-‐stone for growth year-‐over-‐year. Each year that you con$nue to host an auc$on successfully will lead to greater aMendance numbers and funds raised.
CHAPTER ONE
An Introduction
to School Auctions
Planning for an auc$on won’t happen overnight, let alone in a week. You need to develop a volunteer team, select a venue, get the aMen$on of your parents and community, find items to auc$on off, and get a process in place for accep$ng the winning bids. At a minimum, you should develop a team three months prior to the auc$on, and use the preceding $me to plan out all the details; however, if you want to play it safe, start planning a year in advance. This will allow you the flexibility to work around your volunteers’ schedules without being too taxing, and build in ample $me to market it as well. Once you have a $meline in place, start looking at themes. One of the most important factors for your auc$on is choosing a theme. Having a general auc$on is acceptable, but for your parents, alumni, and community to fully support your cause, it’s ideal to have a specific mission. If you are looking to improve the technology available in your school, replace part of a library, or finally get rid of all your chalkboards for touch-‐enabled boards, going into planning with this mission in mind will act is a founda$on to build on. Further, tying your mission to a story about how the raised funds will posi$vely affect the community, it will draw in a greater crowd. Though the auc$on may be about your school, bidders will be more apt to give money if it affects them. Top your mission and story off with a theme, and you have an aMen$on-‐grabbing event that your community will love to be involved with. Finding volunteers will also be easier since you will have a beMer grasp of who can relate to the theme.
Planning | Themes | Stories
If you are looking to improve the technology available in your school, replace part of a library, or finally get rid of all your chalkboards for touch-‐enabled boards, going into planning with this mission in mind will act is a founda$on to build on. Further, tying your mission to a story about how the raised funds will posi$vely affect their community, it will draw in a greater crowd. Though the auc$on may be about your school, bidders will be more apt to give you money if it affects them. Top your mission and story off with a theme, and you have an aMen$on-‐grabbing event that your community will love to be involved with. Finding volunteers will also be easier since you will have a beMer grasp of who can relate to the theme. Once you know your mission and how the resul$ng funds will benefit your community, it will be easier to iden$fy volunteers and parents who can make the largest contribu$ons. Asking these people to par$cipate not only plants a seed so that they know their contribu$on will be valued, but you’ll likely gain some excellent volunteers to help plan and execute the auc$on. Another important member of your team will be the auc$oneer, which can either be an experienced auc$oneer or even a local celebrity.
Story| Volunteers | Theme
You will draw in a larger crowd if your story benefits the community
The last necessity to focus on besides acquiring items for your live and silent auc$on is the venue. Some schools use their own facili$es while others will rent a beMer space that can be beMer decorated according to the theme. Selec$ng a venue is mostly dependent upon the cost, availability, and the number of guests you expect will aMend the auc$on. An auc$on may ini$ally seem rather costly, but with the right amount of planning the en$re cost can be covered through sponsorships from the community, admission to the auc$on, and even mini raffles throughout the night. If you can find someone to donate space, food and beverages, and create a volunteer team, a majority of your costs will only come in the form of $me spent planning. Factor this in for who you ini$ally reach out to when planning, as some of your community or parents may have suitable facili$es.
Venues| Budgets
With proper planning and additional sponsors, budgets can be reduced
1. Auc$on commiMee design and opera$on: • Which parent and community
volunteers are best suited for specific tasks?
• How oGen should your team meet, and when are the best available $mes?
2. Day of the auc$on: • What needs to be in our day-‐of
checklist to ensure each volunteer has a job?
• Should there be food and drinks? If so, what kind?
• Where should the auc$on be held?
3. Event budget: • How much do we need to spend
up front? (Food, venue,
decora$ons, websites, marke$ng material, etc.)
• How much do we need to charge for admission to break even or make addi$onal money?
4. Marke$ng: • What are the best ways to reach
our community? • Who can build a website for
informa$on about the auc$on and let people register?
• Should we also use social media or other crea$ve outlets?
5. Post-‐event follow-‐up: • Were donors, sponsors and
par$cipants formally thanked? • Have fundraising results been
reported?
Questions For Your Plan
Now that your team has been formed, it’s $me to build a plan around your mission, theme, and story. The following are ques$ons you should ask your team to develop a plan:
6. Silent Auc$on: • Which items should be in the
silent auc$on? • How should we accept bids? • What should be the star$ng bid? • Should we have a buy it now
price? • How should we accept payments? 7. Live Auc$on: • Who should present the items and
take bids? • What are the best items we
should feature? • How should we follow up with the
winning bidders? • How should we accept payments? 8. Corporate Sponsors: • Who can we ask for venue space? • Who can we ask for items to
auc$on?
• Who can we ask about discounted or donated food?
• Can someone be a celebrity bar tender?
9. Raise the Paddle: • Should we feature a raffle or raise
the paddle in the middle of the live auc$on?
• What should be the specific call to ac$on/project for the money raised?
10. Bidders: • Who can we talk to in advance to
help get the bids moving? • If we do use Raise the Paddle, who
can we talk to in advance to bid first?
• Which bidders might be open to pre-‐event commitments or establishing a challenge match pledge?
Questions For Your Plan
Now that you have answered these ques$ons your team should be able to develop a plan, assign tasks, and iden$fy key people and companies within your community to begin having conversa$ons with.
Auc$on Room, Chris$e's (1808): Use this space to provide credit to the original photo or graphic creator
Section wrap-up • Expect to plan your auction over a
minimum of three months, ideally one year
• Identify your mission and the story you will tell potential bidders
• Select a theme to make your event more entertaining
• Build a team that has connections • Find an auctioneer or local celebrity
for the live auction • Select a venue
Chapter 1
Wrap up
CHAPTER TWO
Best Practices
and Polishing Your Plan
Now that you have a team, mission and theme, it’s $me to really hone in and develop messaging around what your community will best respond to. One of the most important aspects is building your story, and specifically sta$ng what the funds will support. Once the story is nailed down, marke$ng the auc$on will be easier. The result will be that you can easily build a website to direct the community to reduce expenses because you have a specific focus rather than broad scope, messaging will become consistent, and marke$ng concepts will be easier to $e together. On the other hand, it’s important to note that once you pick a theme, it will be challenging to waver from it and may not appeal to everyone in your community. Remember that auc$ons are not a one-‐$me deal, and with this being your first, it’s all about the learning experience. Simple will be your best friend. That goes for your messaging, too. Use your theme and message as a guide for when your auc$on should occur. If your auc$on is holiday themed, add some winter treats and decora$ons. If you plan a luau, hold the auc$on during warmer months or summer. A signature cocktail can also add a nice seasonal touch and reduce the cost by having only a few select beverages.
Messaging | Your Story | Timing
When it comes to the day of your auc$on, it will fly by in a breeze. You and your team may have spent nearly a year in planning; however, the event itself should not feel that way for guests. Mix a fun theme with some beverages to get people into the spirit, have some passed hors d'oeuvres as the community par$cipates in the silent auc$on, and wrap the evening up with live auc$on. In all, the night of the auc$on will take three-‐to-‐five hours, depending on whether you serve food and a few other factors. Es#mated Auc#on Schedule Setup and decorate: 5 pm Brief team: 6 pm Open Doors: 6:15 pm Silent Auc$on, mingling: 6:20 pm Sit down meal (op$onal): 7:30 pm Live auc$on: 8:30 pm or 7:30 pm Addi$onal Mingling 9:30 pm or 8:30 pm Clean up: 10 pm
Planning | Entertain | Schedule
There are several op$ons available for gekng auc$on items: create them, use exis$ng resources, or ask for dona$ons. Crea$ng items for your auc$on will oGen appeal to parents, especially if the items are made by their children; however, this method usually requires different items to be included in the live auc$on as these may not appeal to your broader community. The second op$on is to look at what your community already has and package it in such a way that it appeals to a broader group of bidders and donors. Exis$ng resources can be great auc$on items. Is there a local celebrity who can take a winning bidder on a fishing excursion? Is a local chef able to provide a behind the scenes look at what they do and a special tas$ng? By having a varied team of personali$es, you should be able to quickly iden$fy various packages that would appeal to all of your community. Many community leaders are happy to provide their $me while gaining aMen$on for what they do.
Auction Item Options
For silent auc$ons, give your students an art project to work on. It can be anything from pain$ng, woodwork, or even a collec$on of school branded apparel that has been fashioned into a work of art. Alumni and parents will love the ability to purchase something that represents their community, school, and the students, too. Some of the more common items included in a silent auc$on are giG cards. GiG cards don’t always do well, and more oGen than not the bids do not exceed the cards’ face value. However, giG cards are oGen easy to acquire. Consider community items such as a cooking class lead by the principal, a car wash by one of your sport teams, or even a fitness class lead by your clergy. When it comes to acquiring material items for your auc$on, it will require a bit more finesse. Your messaging will play a key role, and there is an art to asking for dona$ons.
Auction Item Ideas
Auc$on Room, Chris$e's (1808): Use this space to provide credit to the original photo or graphic creator
Section wrap-up • Know your messaging, theme, and
plan for the auction • Create an elevator pitch • Develop an estimated schedule for
the auction day • Look into simplified payment
solutions • Find auction items from within your
community, and get creative about it
Chapter 2
Wrap up
CHAPTER THREE
The Art of Asking for Donations
and Bidders
Learning from History
No maMer how well you decorate your func$on room or nail your theme, your auc$on’s success is determined by how much money you bring in for your school. Ul$mately, every penny earned comes from the work you and your team do in the months leading up to your event. You need to electrify aMendees, and you must master the art of directly asking for dona$ons from poten$al donors. So what do you do if the hard sell is outside of your comfort zone? It’s not a problem according to legendary salesman and rela$onship developer Dale Carnegie:
-‐ Dale Carnegie
“Flaming enthusiasm, backed up by horse sense and persistence, is the
quality that most frequently makes for success.”
Start by fanning the flames. You have stepped up to this role because you believe in your school, and your school believes in you.
Before you reach out to donors, answer these ques$ons: 1. Why is this school such a high priority for me? 2. What does this school give my children and my community? 3. What sets this school apart from other similar ins$tu$ons? 4. Why is the par$cular ac$vity you are seeking funds for cri$cal
to the school’s mission?
Once you know the answers, develop a 60-‐second elevator pitch about how and why your school and the auc$on maMer. This will be your most important sales and marke$ng tool. Once you know your message, $e it directly back to your mission and theme. The result will be a winning trifecta that consists of dona$ons, interest, and volunteer involvement.
The Elevator Pitch
Plant Bidders
Nothing deflates the energy around a live auc$on more quickly than a failure to get an opening bid or a pledge at your highest giving level. Conversely, robust and enthusias$c bidders will encourage the en$re room, and s$mulate other aMendees to give. You may be surprised to hear that this does not have to be leG to chance. Savvy auc$on chairs cul$vate their high bidders well in advance of the big night. To lock in a high bidder before your big night, iden$fy which bidders might be amenable to pre-‐event commitments. Once you have your list, iden$fy your team member with the best rela$onship to each bidder, perfect your pitch and reach out.
Ensure your bids start off strong by planting bidders you’ve already
spoken with
Auc$on Room, Chris$e's (1808): Use this space to provide credit to the original photo or graphic creator
Section wrap-up • Understand what your community
wants • Tie fund raising to improving the
community • Create an elevator pitch customized
to each potential donor • To ensure bidding goes smooth, gauge
interest in advance and plant bidders
Chapter 3
Wrap up
CHAPTER FOUR
Raise the Paddle and
Raffle Activities
Raise the Paddle
A terrific way to increase dona$ons with minimal effort is to include a Raise-‐the-‐Paddle ac$vity. You may have heard of this referred to as a Paddle Call, Cash Call, Fund-‐A-‐ Need, Flurry, or Special Appeal. Whatever the name, the purpose is simple: during the live auc$on por$on of your program, the auc$oneer announces a special appeal for a discrete purpose, and then asks the audience to raise their paddles to give at different levels to this project. Ideally, a small group of donors gives at the largest level ($1,000 -‐ $10,000 or more depending on your community) inspiring more donors to give at each successively lower level. By establishing a range of giving levels, the format encourages more guests to raise their paddles, hopefully spurring almost everyone in the room to join in. Raise the Paddle are oGen successful because they promote camaraderie and healthy compe$$on amongst the aMendees.
Raise the Paddle | Raffles
To maximize the power of the paddle, choose a compelling, but emo$onally gripping purpose for a short and quick fundraising appeal such as a large piece of equipment, a scholarship fund, or a special project. Be sure to market your appeal item and explain the Raise the Paddle ahead of $me in all of your pre-‐ auc$on marke$ng including your signage, display tables, etc. Ensure you are also sekng appropriate levels for your school. Establish levels of giving that you can reasonably expect par$cipa$on in. When choosing, your high and low price points are cri$cal. In choosing your high end, be sure to incorporate planted bidders and leverage the $ming. Time the Raise the Paddle strategically so that it takes place near the middle or second half of the program to re-‐energize the room. These ac$vi$es should only last about 2-‐3 minutes. Raffles work in a similar way, in that they are great for helping to reenergize the room. At the start of the auc$on and as aMendees join, one of the first things offered should be a raffle $cket. Raffles allow you to set a small entry fee, but are appealing since both the aMendee and your school split the pot. Having one or two raffles amidst the live auc$on help cleanse the bidding palate, and also keep people around through the en$re event.
Auc$on Room, Chris$e's (1808): Use this space to provide credit to the original photo or graphic creator
Section wrap-up • Breaks keep the excitement up • Raise the Paddle helps to increase
giving in a simple way • Always have a bidder seeded for
Raise the Paddle activities • Raffles will make your attendees
happy while increasing giving
Chapter 4
Wrap up
CHAPTER FIVE
Selecting the best Vendors for Your School
Simplify Your Payment Options
An event that focuses on bringing in money will mean that you will have a lot to track, and anything that you can do to ease a donors ability to pay is ideal. Rather than trying to manually write down what check or stack of cash goes with what donor and item, accept credit cards using a mobile reader. Mobile readers are affordable solu$ons that not only save you planning and accoun$ng $me, but it also makes it easier for donors to contribute funds. Mobile readers make one of the most daun$ng follow up tasks for auc$ons a simple, streamlined process. Between quickly sending donor receipts via email, using your current merchant account, improving security of finances with an encrypted system, and simply using a smartphone or tablet that you already have available.
Looking for a mobile
card reader? Check out
Diamond Mind’s
various solu$ons
hMp://bit.ly/auc$onmr
Payments and Software
A dollar saved is a dollar earned. Be sure to bring a cri$cal eye to all the costs involved in your auc$on as you prepare your event budget. You already know to examine the costs for the venue, catering, marke$ng, décor, entertainment and professional auc$oneer services; however, there is an oGen-‐overlooked hidden cost that may save you a significant amount of money, electronic payments. There are also several auc$on soGware solu$ons throughout the independent school community that offer to collect and process electronic payments as part of their auc$on services. However, chances are good that if you look carefully at the total cost of using the auc$on company’s process you will end up spending much more than you should. The more your auc$on raises, the greater poten$al savings if you s$ck with a payment expert such as Diamond Mind for this cri$cal piece of your event.
Independent School ePayment Solutions
When hosting an auction, make your process easier by using Diamond Mind ePayment processing and our mobile payment solutions. To learn more, contact a Diamond Mind representative today.
Speak with a Subject Matter Expert today 888-566-0945 X 777
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