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.

If you’re looking for a home based business system to help you build a staggering organization in record time, I want you to pay very close attention to this article. In it, I will outline a four step process and home based business system that will get you to the top of your company’s leader board in record time.

Traditionally, most people get caught up in their company’s home based business system to market their business. They pass out product samples, brochures and DVDs. They plaster their body, their car and their home with company logo-covered stuff, making themselves virtual walking billboards for their company – and for someone who is going to try and sell something to everyone they meet.

While this kind of home based business system is one way to build a business, it is a painfully slow way to do it. I am going to open you up to a mental paradigm shift so that you can start to see your business in a different light. In order to do that, there are four critical steps you need to understand.

Home Based Business System Step #1: Understand that building a business is really just a big game of numbers. Having said that, it is your job as a marketer to understand certain things so that you can stack the odds of success in your favor. Passing out CDs etc is not putting yourself in a position to stack the odds in your favor.

A much better home based business system is to use the Internet as a platform to reach the masses. That starts with a squeeze page designed to do one thing: brand and position yourself to generate the lead. All you’re looking to do is to get the lead, so that you can enter the relationship building process with them (which I’ll outline in a minute).

Home Based Business System Step #2: The next step in this home based business system is to drive targeted traffic to your squeeze page. There are a lot of proven strategies and methods to make this happen. One simple and proven way – one which you can also do without breaking the bank – is article marketing. You’re seeing this in action right now as you’re reading this.

This is nothing more than creating articles optimized under specific keyword phrases, so that when someone types in that keyword phrase they will hopefully find your article in the top 4-5 non-sponsored listings of page 1 of the search results. This is known as natural or organic traffic. Although there are several different ways to drive traffic, the most important thing to keep in mind is “k.i.s.s.” (keep it simple stupid). Start with one form of traffic, master it, then add another.

Home Based Business System Step #3: At this point in the process, you need to build and create sound relationships with your prospect. The better the relationship, the more likely it is that they’ll buy your products and services.

One solid way within this home based business system to create solid relationships with your prospects, is to share meaningful content with them free of charge and with no expectations. Your first 4-5 emails should consist of nothing more than information to help your prospects solve the problem that got them to find you and join your list in the first place.

For example, if you have a list of people who are looking to eliminate acne problems, then those emails should be geared to talking about things people can do in their daily regimen to help their acne issue, which ointments to uses and where to find them, which kind of foods keep your skin clear, and what kind of soaps can reduce/prevent acne. You get the idea. Just remember that you need to provide content that is relevant and make it free of charge.

Home Based Business System Step #4: This step in this system is all about how to start making money from your list. So at this point – starting around email 5 or 6 to your list — you can start to do offers. Maybe you will invite them to a conference call or webinar. Maybe you will offer downloadable products that you’re selling online or offline. Maybe you will invite them to call you for a 25 minute “needs assessment” where you can introduce your products and services to them.

You get the idea here. What is critical to note about this, though, is that if any of the first three steps aren’t done properly, then this whole home based business system will collapse like a ton of bricks.