Saturday, March 8, 2014

Understanding How To Hold An Auction Fundraiser

By Jaclyn Hurley


Raising money for charity course may not be as easy as it sounds sometimes. It requires elaborate planning and high level of publicity in order to succeed in such a noble venture. There are many approaches that can be used for such kind of fund raising including auction fundraiser that has been existence for many years now. How to hold an auction fundraiser however may not be understood by many people.

The first thing to consider is the nature of event as this determines many aspects of such event. The time, venue, date and many other aspects depends on the course of the event. For instance, when it is for raising money for a children home or any other reason that has to do with children well-being, then the event is best held on a fun day when many families are able to attend. Such events are also best organized on day time while the events where the main audience is adults are best organized in the evenings.

The rule of the thumb is that the item always goes to the highest bidder. In order to get the best deal out of this, the item needs to be unique and decent. As much as possible, the item should be unique and rare as this encourages participants to fight for the possession giving out extra cash in the process. The other trick is to auction items from celebrities. If the participants are informed in advance that the items to be auctioned comes from notable celebrities, their curiosity increases and more people are likely to attend with more cash.

Having a celebrity attending the event can be a total game changer. The celebrity can be asked to give a motivational speech that goes long way in inspiring those in attendance on the importance of the occasion and the way money will be used. This may make individuals propose higher bids for items when bidding begins. This is a tactic that is well tested and proven by many firms and organizations allowing them meet their objectives.

The targeted participants in particular must be invited 90 days before the D-day in person if possible. Taking advantage of mainstream media may also help in promotion. Social media pages like Facebook and Twitter can also provide a good platform to quickly spread the message given that it is accessible to very many people and comes completely free.

The next and perhaps the most important step is publicity. There are several options to resort to including the mainstream media and social media to invite people. With the right date, the organizers should take step of informing the expected guests through invitation letters and emails at least 90 days before the D-day. If they are made to buy tickets ahead for reservation, the number changing their mind at last minutes may reduce.

The other important part is to come up with appropriate items for auctioning. If there are celebrities around, then it is important to contact them and as for donations as they may donate unique and rare items that motivates for more bidding. The business community around may also be willing to participate by donating gift items and funds for the event. Giving notable figures in community chance to give inspiration speech may also at as motivation for more bidding.

Successfully holding an auction fundraiser may not be very easy particularly to the first timers. With a proper guideline of what to do and what not to do, you should be able to hold this event and get the maximum out of it.




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