How to Maximize Your Auction Fundraising
Brian D’Angelo
Marketing and Sales Operations Manager
Who Is BiddingForGood?
The undisputed leader in fundraising auctions and events
for organizations of every size and shape.
• Founded in 2003
• Over 31,000 auctions/events run
• Raised over $335 million and counting…
• Works with all types of schools and non-profits
2
Auctions Tap A Different Pool Of $$
• Supporters have a specific budget that they tap
to give charitable donations
• Auctions tap household
discretionary spending:
- Sports tickets
- Theater tickets
- Restaurant certificates
- Travel: all come out of
a household/gift budget…
3
It’s All About…
4
Online Means More Bidders
Invite your ENTIRE community to your auction
• Think outside of the attendees at your event, or your usual donor pool
• Take advantage of email lists, mailing lists, and social networks to drive
traffic to your auction and attract more bidders
• Attracting new bidders to your auction helps build your donor list
5
The Anytime, Anywhere Fundraiser
A fundraising auction that allows bidders
to bid on any device from anywhere.
6
• Online
• At school events
• At galas
• At golf tournaments
• In stadiums
Several Ways To Run Your Event
The BiddingForGood platform is flexible
Event
Details
Tickets
Social
Sharing
Your
Brand
Tell Your StoryAccept
Donations
Track
progress
It’s Easier than You Think to Build Your Event WebsiteOur template-based system enables you to have an event homepage up in under an hour.
Best Categories For Online Auctions
• Dining
• Travel
• Entertainment/Celebrities
• Unique Experiences
• Fund-a-Need
9
Fully integrated event management
We’re helping our clients raise more money and
we’re minimizing the work and the stress to do it.
10
Live Event Features
Ticketing
Table seating
Streamlined registration/checkout
Mobile Bidding
Leaderboard
Quick sale
More relaxed auction committees
Sell Tickets Online
11
Table Seating
12
Our table seating tool helps you to plan your room layout with ease
Our drag and drop tool allows you to seat your guests and arrange your space before your event
Smartphones are Replacing Bid Sheets
Streamlined registration, bidding, and checkout
When you power your silent auction with mobile
bidding, our platform collects and stores all bids
and bidder information, alleviating several silent
auction woes.
What takes the place of clipboards?
Any smartphone or tablet, laptops
13
Traditional silent auction = crowds
14
How bidding works at the event
• It’s a mobile version of our site
• Day of event registration –
guests receive text message
with auction url
• Let the bidding begin
15
A Better Bidder Experience
16
Before the event
• Register to bid
• View catalog online
After the event
• Payments processed
• Go home happy!
During the event
• Receive outbid alerts
• Bid competitively without
interrupting the party
Encourage more bidding
17
5 MINS
LEFT TO
BID!
YOU HAVE
BEEN
OUT BID
Outbid Alerts Max Bids Bid Extension
PLACE
MAX BID
First timers mobile checklist
Connectivity assessment
Spread the word that you’re doing mobile
Guests, board, volunteers etc.
Train your volunteers and your auctioneer
Set up bidding kiosks
Have charging station
Get ready for some fun
18
Leaderboards keeps guests engaged
19
• Promote sponsors
• Show auction progress and highlight featured items
• Thank donors & volunteers
Quick sale feature
With our point of sale system, you can roll all
transactions from your event into our system.
• Tickets
• Silent and live auction items
• Raffles
• Paddle-up
• Buy now
Checkout is a breeze…
guests go home happy
21
Health Education Arts, Culture, & Humanities
Media Community Service
Corporate
Charities we have worked with
22
• First time auction raised
almost $50,000
• Gala Celebration
• Online Auction Before
• Mobile Bidding During
• Auction closed day after the
event.
23
Theatres
There’s No Business
Like Show Business Online to Bid Sheets
Golf Tournaments
25
Build your item catalog to match community interest
Gear:
A Hybrid Club
Memorabilia:
Arnold Palmer Shadowbox
26
Golf Outings:
18 holes of golf at a clubUnique Experiences
US Open: Trophy Club Passes
Utilize Sponsorships
On the course + your online auction site = more $$
27
Consider the venue
Ideas:
• Sponsor signs on course
• Item descriptions on course
• Auction URL on Snack Cart
• Print the auction URL on the score cards
28
• Passionate supporters: Listeners keep public radio
on the airwaves
• Promotion: Used on-air promotion to promote the
auction and their goals
• Hosted a kick-off event for their
most passionate supporters
29
Online Auction
Great Packages, Stellar Promotion Online Only
• Partnered with other
Western State NPR stations
for the Western States
Online Auction
• Each station solicited items
in their market
• Each station promoted
the auction on-air
30
Partnerships
31
Sponsorships drove big $$
32
This school did it all
• Sold tickets online - $32K
• Strong catalog
• Opened online auction days
ahead of the event
• Live auction and paid
sponsorships
• Paddle Up supported
scholarships
• Remnant Auction raised $30K
33
Some stats
34
35
Tapping into local passion
36
Fabulous packages
Creative Promotion
37
Promotion is essential: large database, constant emails,
information in conference packets, leaderboard
Buy in from all over the country: Asked chapters all over US for
item donations, especially if specific to their region
Mobile allows people to bid during conference, travelling, hotel
room afterwards. Open online bidding days ahead of conference
Volunteers & Visibility: Prominently featured in conference
entrance, with rotating teams constantly reaching out to
passerbys proactively.
38
Massive community, huge event
Maximizing for items and biddingMobile
Bidding
Summary
39
Find the passion within and without your organization
Build a great auction catalog
Promote it every way you can
Partner smartly
We’re Here To Help…
Support Options
• Email and phone
• Knowledgebase
• Planning center with videos, tutorials, webinars and checklists
How We Help You Raise More Money
• Include more bidders from your community
• Get more items with tools to request more item donations and manage
volunteers
• Use mobile bidding at your event for a better bidder experience and
more participation
• Sell sponsorships
• Collect cash donations online
• Sell tickets online
41
“I found that the cost to run a BiddingForGood
auction is greatly outweighed by the benefits they
provide. My auction will generate more revenue
than it ever has before....
I highly recommend this program for anyone
currently running an online auction or those
considering it for the first time.”
-Junior Achievement of Akron Area
Happy Fundraising!
No one has more experience than we do in helping nonprofits
and schools raise money at their fundraising events.
Our complete, end-to-end event management solution offers our customers an
increased opportunity to raise more money and include more of their community
in bidding on their auctions
Our customers tell us that they raise more money from successful online
auctions and events with happy bidders, less frazzled staff, and an expanded
community supporting their cause.
42