Agenda: Finding Items for the Auction Fundraiser Where to find the good stuff 1. Understand the auction audience 2. Procurement letter basics 3. Who and when to ask 4. Online requests 5. No-risk items 6. Travel Packages, Guest presenter, Ciera-Winspire 7. Questions & Answers
The auction audience Understand what the auction audience will bid upon & be creative ● Define the audience ● Historical data ● National products & services ● Sports ● Unique experiences ● Large ticket items ● Local treasures ● Priceless items ● Keepsake items
Be Prepared Be prepared and organized ● Create an online presence ● Map out all the important dates ● Timing requests ● Keep accurate records ● Single person and location to store donated items ● No thank you is okay ● Do thank the donors after the event, plan for this now BONUS: being organized helps keep volunteers happy
Procurement Letter Basics Answer the question “What does the donor get out of it?” ● Be nice ● Be short ● Be direct ● Single page ● Include ALL key information ● Call to action
Who and When to Ask for Auction Donations In-Person Requests ● ALWAYS have a procurement letter available ● Ask all stakeholders ● Ask all prior donors ● Ask as you are using services or making a retail purchase ● Leave plenty of time but not too much time between request and closing date
Finding Donations Online Online Requests ● ALWAYS have a procurement letter available ● Many request additional information for verification such as tax id number, or school number ● Tend to have a much longer lead time ● May have limit on number of times requesting in a year or 2 years ● Follow Auctria boards for over 500 links to donation request letters
Online Donation Request Mega-Auction Donation Board ● Retail, services ● All major zoos & aquariums ● All major theme parks ● Water park ● Movie theatre ● Arts & Culture experiences ● Museums ● Restaurants ● Grocery & convenience stores ● Manufacturer
Online Donation Request- Sports Related Sports Requests: national, local, collegiate ● All professional teams donate: NFL, NBA, NHL ● Most collegiate and minor league teams donate. ● Many locally loved sports establishments donate, think high school, tennis center golf courses, batting cage. ● Local kids recreational leagues will donate a seasonal registration.
Priceless Auction Items Keepsakes & Priceless ● Emotional attachment to keepsakes ● Good match for schools and groups ● One of a kind items Priceless ● Unique to the group ● VIP anything- table, event seating, parking, access, early or late arrival ● Food at the event such as desserts ● Access to special people or events
Keepsake Items of Auction Examples Keepsakes are great marketing tools. Use these to promote the auction to encourage participation. Print display pages, send in emails that are targeted to the exact audience/ class. These items went for over $350.
Priceless Auction Item Examples Priceless are unique and one-of-kind. Priceless are experiential can be long term or short term. Create value out of something that is not ordinary or available on the retail market. Because they are one-of-a-kind it drives bids up.
More Auction Donations DonationMatch.com "One-stop shop" access to donated products from companies for silent auctions, raffles, giveaways. ● Pros- Free to use and secure 5 items, only one application to complete, instant delivery of printable gift certificates ● Cons- Selection limited in some areas
No Risk Auction Items No-Risk Auction Items Sports memorabilia, pop culture collectibles, vacation & luxury packages ● Unique and not available on the open market for sale ● NEVER be asked for a deposit or guarantee ● Get the small details in writing: shipping, airfare, black-out or exact dates & times, delivery services ● Guaranteed authenticity Remember- there is a nonprofit cost/reserve amount that will be paid back to the no-risk company if the package is sold.
No Risk Items: Sports & Memorabilia No-Risk Auction Items* ● Sports memorabilia ● Pop culture collectibles Used to attract bidders, market the event, should be low pressure, use multiple photos for these items Remember: the more bidders, the higher the bids, the more funds raised. *several links on resources page
No Risk Items: Vacation & Experiences Unique Travel Experiences ● Winspire provides highly sought after, hard to find, unique travel experiences for use in charity auctions and fundraisers. ● 100% No Risk Auction Items ● A simple way to fill any gaps within your auction offerings
Winspire Process ● Work with Ciera to identify packages that might be of interest with your donors. ● Reserve packages that you wish to offer at your event. ○ High resolution photos ○ Full package descriptions ○ Winning Bidder Letter ○ Silent auction display EVENT HAPPENS ● Let Ciera know which (if any!) packages sold at the event. ● Send a check for the nonprofit cost(s) and provide Ciera with your winner/s name/email/phone. ● Winspire’s Donor Experience Team will reach out to your winners to confirm and book their travel arrangements.
Theme Based Auction Items http://ctbk.com/community-involvement/2015/pumpkin-auction https://sierranewsonline.com/christmas-tree-auction-is-dazzling-event/ Boys & Girls Club of Oakhurst Annual Christmas Event Trash to Treasure Sign sold for $590
Don’t Do This Don’t Do Any of the Following 1. Be too pushy 2. Email when it says hand deliver or vica versa 3. Be wishy washy about picking up donations 4. Be scattered 5. Ask at super busy times 6. Wait too long to create a digital presence 7. Wait too long to distribute thank you letters 8. Waste your time with promotional offers
Wrap Up & Next Steps Procurement is greatly enhanced with early promotion ● Track all donors and items ● Website set-up ● Branding the auction ● Establish social media presence early ● Pricing items ● Promoting items Fill procurement gaps with unique travel or experiences
Resources Links Complete Catalog How to Run an Auction Fundraiser Solicit Auction Items Online Auctria Procurement Letter: How to & Examples Keepsakes & Priceless Items Do and Don’t Do: Asking for Auction Donations Pinterest: Auctria’s Mega Donations Board Pinterest: Auctria’s Mega Sports Board Pinterest: Auctria’s Keepsakes & Priceless Board Donation Match 3 Objections to Consignment in Charity Auctions Winspire Winspire
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