Back when it first became clear that in-person nonprofit events wouldn’t be possible during the COVID-19 pandemic, I recorded a coaching call I had with two nonprofit leaders (Emily and Sydni) to advise them on planning their very first virtual fundraiser. With their permission, I released the call recording on May 1 in an episode called “Advice for Your First Virtual Fundraising Event”. This week on the Nonprofit Jenni Show, Sydni talks about the results of their online auction and shares some tips from my Silent and Online Auction Guide!
Six Tips for Online Silent Auctions
Sydni Dicke is the Development Director over at Williamson County CASA, and she downloaded my Silent and Online Auction Guide to help prepare for her first ever virtual auction. I recently learned her organization was able to raise $8,700 from their online auction, even though they only had a few weeks to prepare!
You’ll have to listen to the full podcast episode (less than half an hour) to hear the whole story of Sydni’s auction prep, but here are six tips she pulled straight from my guide:
Save time with volunteers and board members -- One of the biggest planning challenges of a silent auction is how much of a time suck it can become for your staff. Sydni used advice from my Silent and Online Auction Guide to learn how to empower volunteers to secure item donations for their event.
Aim for a market value of $100+ -- Most silent auction items will not “sell” for their full market value. For example, if one of your items is an Otterbox phone case worth $75, the highest bid may only end up being $50. I recommend focusing your efforts on securing auction items which are worth at least $100 so you can feel like every item brings in enough revenue to justify the time it takes to secure, list, and deliver to the highest bidder. If you end up getting item donations worth less than $100, consider bundling them together (like in a themed gift set) to increase the overall bids.
Credit your sponsors and major donors -- Sydni used a built-in sponsor webpage on BiddingOwl to recognize the corporations that had already committed to sponsoring CASA’s event before it had to transition into a virtual event. This is an easy way to add some extra value to virtual sponsorship packages!
Leverage your close connections -- Sydni and I talked a lot about how some nonprofit leaders feel vexed when it comes to securing high-value auction items, such as vacation packages and luxury gift items. Sydni explains that her nonprofit’s biggest auction items come from board members and other close connections. I’ve seen nonprofits hire outside contractors to provide big ticket auction items before, but the results can be really hit-or-miss.
Nurture healthy donor and corporate relationships -- Sydni explains that many of her organization’s donors and corporate supporters have come to expect CASA to request silent auction item donations every year around the same time, and even look forward to contributing on an annual basis. Remember to nurture these relationships throughout the year so your contributors will feel the same way!
Keep my free “Easy Ask” spreadsheet handy -- Sydni’s team didn’t have enough time to really dig into my list of 140+ corporations that are known to donate silent auction items, but they plan to make good use of it next year! Many companies require a certain lead time ahead of your event to process your request, ask for any additional information they need, and get their donation to you. Fortunately, my guide includes a free gift: The spreadsheet I’ve compiled after working on a ton of silent auctions which includes contact information for over 140 US corporations that love to donate to charity auctions, plus notes about the lead time they require, how they prefer to receive donation requests, and more.
Download my Silent and Online Auction Guide for just $49 so you can get all of my instructions for hosting a virtual charity auction! You’ll find expanded advice on the tips Sydni mentioned, plus:
Answers to FAQs about how to host a charity auction
Tips for preparing volunteers to request items for you
Advice for setting bid amounts and attracting a wide range of bidders
BONUS GIFT: My spreadsheet with contact info for 140+ corporations which are known for giving in-kind donations
Get Professional Help Deciding Your Next Steps
Do you need more help deciding which direction to go with your marketing and fundraising plans? Schedule a free initial consultation call to chat with me about your challenges. I would love to help you figure out the best next steps to take to protect your organization and mission. Also, don’t forget to subscribe to the Nonprofit Jenni Show for free so you won’t miss any new episodes about nonprofit management, marketing, and development!
Also, I want to thank Little Green Light for sponsoring this episode! Little Green Light is my favorite donor management system because it was built by nonprofit development professionals who know what features and metrics nonprofits really need for their fundraising and relationship building. LGL is also extremely affordable for small nonprofits and offers free fundraising resources for my podcast listeners! Visit www.littlegreenlight.com/jenni for free ebooks like “How to Retain Donors After Your Giving Day”, “Six Steps to a Successful Appeal”, and more.