Resolutions for Your Benefit Auction? Only if they help your school!
By: Sherry Truhlar of RedAppleAuctions
The New Year brings talk of resolutions and all the things we plan to change this year. I’m not a big believer in resolutions. I like to think I’m willing to make changes any time changes are needed. I do concede that January is the time to start thinking about our annual school auction. If resolutions help you get others on board with change, then I am a champion of resolutions!
When you’re working on your school auction this year, here are a couple of resolutions to consider:
First, resolve to improve your benefit auction marketing. Successful auctions get people excited about the event in the weeks leading up to the fundraiser. Guests are eager to attend. Guests are excited to bid. Guests are curious about new activities. Guests are excited to see friends. To generate this level of enthusiasm, you need to be marketing to your guests. There are many ways to do this, and one suggestion would be to add Facebook to your arsenal of marketing tactics.
Facebook has not caught on big in benefit auctions, and I don’t exactly know why. Maybe it’s an administrative issue. A number of groups tell me that until their Board / attorney / school superintendent formulates a policy on Facebook and other social media, their school / nonprofit / foundation can’t do anything with those tools.
Darn it.
Facebook can be a useful marketing tool for your auction – it’s easy to add photos, upload some videos, ask questions – so see if you can work through any internal legal or administrative issues and give it a try this year. (When you're ready, see this article on using facebook to boost fundraiser buzz and participation.)
What else should your charity auction be resolving to do this year? What about a resolution to examine some of the more traditional elements of your event and considering how to re-invent them? Let’s make your school auction “fresh.” Putting some twists into your gala could keep guests talking about your fundraiser long after the big night.
For instance, your volunteers on the food and beverage committee might be recharged if you challenge them to – economically, of course – incorporate some of the trends happening in event foods.
Small, mini, and petite is what I expect to see on serving trays and buffet tables. The invasion of cake pops, mini cupcakes, and bite-sized delectables will give a new look to a school auction’s dessert table. (It also means I have less guilt about polishing off three desserts.)
About the author:
Fundraising auctioneer Sherry Truhlar, CMP, BAS, CAI is featured in national publications for her trend-setting work with auction fundraisers. She teaches auction chairs easy ways to improve an auction’s financial return. Start improving your auction today by getting her FREE Auction Item Guide TM. The Guide lists the 100 top-selling items sold for over value in charity auctions. Claim your FREE copy at http://www.RedAppleAuctions.com.
