In most every non-profit, there is a core group of people who benefit from the services provided by the organization. Family and friends of those who have been helped are also willing to help. Looking within your beneficiaries is a great way to recruit volunteers who will be committed and enthusiastic about helping.

Some businesses, like Kohl’s and Best Buy, will give a donation to the charity if they are allowed to provide volunteers for your event. As with most donations, the non-profit must meet certain criteria and not all organizations are supported. However, if your organization is selected you will receive a monetary donation as well as the needed volunteers.

Plan for 25% more volunteers than you think you need.

Answer: For the best fundraising success, it is necessary to plan the following components of the evening: The reception, the auctions, the raffle or other fundraisers, the dining, the entertainment, the speakers and awards. Decide which components best suit the vision and mission of your organization.

Scheduling the Components of a Fundraising Gala

The main goals for a gala fundraising event are typically:
1. To net the most money possible
2. To build friendships and gain support from attendees who can become future patrons
3. To have an event infused with energy, where people aren’t just going through the motions of attending a fundraiser, but instead are engaged; moving around, involved, and emotionally connected to the event.

A charity organization can do a lot to meet these goals by strategically scheduling components which meet and enhance these objectives.

First, keep the most money possible

There are lots of variables that factor into your net revenue; ticket price, number of tickets sold, number and size of sponsorships, raffle revenue, silent and live auction revenue casino profits, cash bars, money generated from parking, vendors, selling centerpieces, etc.
Conversely, expenses such as the venue, food, printing, mailing, entertainment, decorations, insurance and more will take chunks out of your revenue. As with any event, the goal is to strike a balance generating the most return for the lowest costs.
By the night of the event, ticket revenue, sponsorships, and most costs are already determined; not much can be done during the event to affect those areas.

Direct all Attention to Fundraising

During your actual event, there are multiple ways of generating revenue, so make sure the schedule will keep the patron’s attention focused primarily on the revenue-generating activities, such as the raffle, silent auction, live auction, or cash bar, if applicable.
Generally, most of the revenue produced the night of a benefit auction comes during the live auction or a huge raffle. This is usually where the intriguing items are placed. Thus, use the other elements to build and maintain excitement for the focal points of the evening.
Usually, there is a 1-2 hour period at the beginning of the event for cocktails, socializing, browsing and schmoozing. Keep the patrons focused on the things that make money for you, such as buying raffle tickets from volunteers making the rounds, repeated bidding at the silent auction, or casino gaming if it generates revenue.

Schedule Time for Browsing, Shopping and Spending

During the pre-dinner reception, make sure to put the silent auction tables and the Live Auction Preview (and other revenue-generators) as THE most important focal point of the cocktail/pre-dinner hour. This means that all the auction tables belong in the center of the room, not around the edges. If space permits, create traffic patterns where guests can walk on either side of the tables and bid on auction items on both sides of each table. Furthermore, put the bars near the silent auction tables.
If possible, create floor plans that limit most or all sitting until the revenue-generating activities close and it’s time to begin the dinner. People up and moving around create more energy than people sitting at tables ignoring the events around them, and the more the auction and raffle items are the focal point, then the more energy (and fundraising!) in the room.
Schedule Entertainment that Adds, not Distracts
The entertainment during this time should not distract from the revenue-generating actives. Ideally, don’t let them just go find their seats and sit down and watch anything. Suggested entertainment should help people to “get in the mood” and encourage them to have a few drinks, relax and have fun. This creates an ideal atmosphere for spending money. There are several ways to do this, deepening on budget choices.

Use Short Performances for Emphasis

Singers, dancers, magicians, comedians and other NON-HEADLINER performers can add power and punch to the schedule. If there are several groups or multiple performances, the best times would be during the VIP pre-party, as a teaser, then immediately following the close of the silent auction, to get people quickly into their seats, and then AFTER the live auction ends (this should be the highlight numbers and also when the largest raffle prize is drawn) to keep the people in their seats an additional 10-15 minutes to allow the check-out people to get ready.

Speakers for Emotional Appeal

This includes performances by children if they are intended to remind people where the money goes. These brief guest speakers or performances should be immediately before the live auction if the purpose is to provide an emotional understanding for the audience.

Big Draw Entertainment

If you guest speaker is a big draw but not directly related to your organization (such as a sports figure, nationally known singer, or even a fashion model) then that person or event must be scheduled AFTER the live auction. Whenever possible, that celebrity should assist during the live auction and even offer a chance-of-a-lifetime auction opportunity such as “dinner with the Celebrity” the next time they are in town.

Advertised Ending Time

It is always recommended to list the end-time as at least one hour later than you intend to wrap up. The reason is, if a party or social event and says it ends at 10:00, in most people’s minds they assume it will be winding down by 8:45-9:00 and they would not be missing much to leave at that time. However, with auctions especially, you need to calculate not only time for everyone to buy things, but also time for them to check out and still be out the door at least an hour before the posted end time. Otherwise, you risk comments about how “I had to stay until the very end to get my items”, even if that’s only 10:00. If you expect the event to end by 10:00, advertise the end time as 11:00. Also, 11:00 sets a more upscale, classier tone than 10:00, which feels a bit brief and casual. People will still attend for about the same length of time as they have in the past; listing a later time is just the psychology of event planning.

Answer: Exciting live auctions are generally the anchor for a successful fundraising event. There are many steps to take which will ensure that maximum revenue is generated.

1. Advertising the Live Auction Items in Advance. Since often the live auction items are substantial purchases selling for hundreds or thousands of dollars, it’s a good idea to give people time to think about them before the auction. The Publicity Committee can include auction item updates in their promotional spots and press releases. Event sponsors and corporate table purchasers can be updated monthly during the planning stages of the event. In the final two weeks, registered attendees can get an e-mail update or a reminder letter listing the 8-10 best auction offerings and all the juicy details. This teaser will begin to spark curiosity and anticipation for the big event. Finally, at the event, make sure that the live auction items have a prominent display and people available to answer questions.
2. Ensuring the “right people” are in the room. During the weeks or months of preparation for the fundraiser, the Audience Development Committee should be actively seeking to engage those who can “attend and spend”. These are businesses and individuals who share two important characteristics: they have both the means and the intention to support the cause. At the most successful benefit auctions, patrons have little concern for the actual items and are actually just playing along in the auction with the intent to donate a big chunk of money. (We frequently sell items at 200% or more of the value because those bidders come with the intention to donate). When this happens, everyone wins, because the auction is more successful, the audience has  a great time, and the cause benefits.
3. A Pleasant Event So Far. When the live auction follows a successful and active silent auction, more bids are generated. The crowd is warmed up and in a spending mood. If the silent auction closed in sections with ever-increasing values, then the attendees have already been conditioned to bid in larger and larger increments.
4. The Right Bidding Conditions.
• The bidders should have actual physical bid cards, preferably not numbers handwritten onto the back of the program. A separate actual bid card which is assigned at registration creates a psychological sense of ownership and the ability to purchase.
• The lighting in the room should be turned up brighter when the live auction begins, signaling a time for everyone to direct their attention to the stage. Better lighting also allows guests to read their auction catalogs.
• The sound system should be loud and clear, with a cordless microphone so that the auctioneer is free to move among the crowd.
• Trained and enthusiastic bid spotters (ring men) should be stationed throughout the audience, about one for every fifty guests.
• Either the auction items should be readily visible, or item information needs to be shown to the buyers in some other way, perhaps with a Power Point slide show on big screen TVs or detailed and descriptive write ups in the auction catalog.
5. Making Sure the Auction is Not Too Late. Since the live auction is the financial highlight of the evening, it needs to occur during the peak time of the event, not after. At most events where alcohol is served, the majority of guests will have several cocktails during the reception and during dinner. This creates “the alcohol curve”; if you can catch people during the upswings of this effect (usually the first 2-3 hours) then spirits are generally high and the crowd is receptive. As the alcohol, the heavy dinner, the dessert and the time begin to sink in, very quickly the audience becomes restless and their attention span lags. It is important to conduct the live auction no later than three hours from the start of the event, and preferably even sooner.
6. Auction Follows the Emotional Appeal. The live auction should immediately follow a brief (five minutes or less, not twenty) story, summary, speaker or video which demonstrates the importance of the cause. The emotional appeal should be something that pulls the heart strings and focuses on WHY everyone cane and WHY giving money will make a difference.
7. Any Other Distractions are Shut Down. During the live auction, any other activity that might distract the patrons or give them an excuse to leave should be stopped. Generally this means that bar service is suspended, buffet lines are paused, casino gaming stops and raffle sales stop. This works fine for live auctions under 30 minutes. If the auctioning will take longer, bars in a separate area may be left open.
8. Appropriate Auctioneer. An appropriate auctioneer for a gala fundraising event is one who understands the need to be both an auctioneer and an ambassador for the organization. Thus the live auction must be not only about selling the items, but about entertaining the crowd and encouraging patronage of the organization. A charity auction is a terrific place for smiles, jokes, gentle cajoling, applause, thanks, appreciation, recognition and even a few shows of emotion. A charity auction is NOT about efficiency or speed of selling.

A good benefit auctioneer will mingle with the crowd prior to the live auction. By introducing herself to everyone, the auctioneer begins to build a trust and alliance with the guests. Striking up conversations about the auction items will usually provide insight into potential open bids and likely high rollers. This information helps the dedicated auctioneer to adjust to the needs of the audience.

9. Great Auction Items. Of course desirable items to sell are the lifeblood of any auction. The Steering Committee and the Auction Committee can work with the auctioneer to determine which items are most suited to be live auction opportunities. Chance-of-a-lifetime experiences, travel and prestigious luxuries are the staple of many gala auctions.
10. No Consignment So Organization Keeps More Money. If you really want to make the most money possible, then all live auction items must be donated, with no minimum reserves. An auction is the truest way of determining an item’s value, and with the right promotion and auctioneer, each item will sell for exactly what it is “worth” to that crowd at that time. The restrictions which consignment minimums and reserve bids place on items actually limit the revenue that a charity will retain as proceeds. Keep in mind that if a bidder spends $5,000 on a consignment trip, you may only see $1,000 of that money. That same bidder would have spent the same $5,000 on a trip that was a pure donation, and you would have kept the entire $5,000.

But, that’s exactly what Rachel Gingell was doing recently. Gingell is the founder and owner of She Sold It Benefit Auction. She grew up around auctions since her father, Dan Gingell, is also an auctioneer. In fact, when Rachel was just eight years old, Dan allowed Rachel to auction an old, ugly orange sofa. After she successfully sold the sofa, her dad announced to the crowd, “She sold it!” Ten years later, the younger Gingell owns her own auction company and she named it She Sold It after her dad’s prophetic announcement.

She may be young, but she was First-Runner Up in the 2010 International Junior Auctioneer Championship and is a graduate of Missouri Auction School. And if she didn’t have enough to do, she also opened a flower shop and is a business major at Cedarville University in Ohio.

Gingell credits God with most of her success, saying, “My business exploded. God can do exceedingly more abundant things beyond what we ask or think.”

Recently, Gingell sold what was thought to be a one of a kind tractor. The 1972 Ford High Crop 4000 tractor was manufactured by Ford in its Troy, Mich., plant.

According to bidder Don Brotherton of Valdosta, Ga., the tractor was a prototype or special order tractor. It was designed by Ford’s engineers to meet the needs and specifications of the original owner (a corn farmer), which meant that standard items and specifications had to be changed.

One of the more innovative changes made was to increase the transmission gears from 10 to 12 and include a “creeper” gear that allows the tractor to move forward so slowly that a turtle might outrun it. Also, the rear tires and wheels are oversized, allowing the tractor to be higher off the ground than a standard Ford 4000. This extra height adds to the tractor being called a “high crop.” High crop tractors are designed to ride above whatever crop is being grown so that the crop is not beaten down when the tractor body hits it. Since this tractor was built for a corn farmer, the height was extended with the larger tires, allowing the tractor to roll over the top of growing corn instead of smashing it down.

The information Gingell posted online said, “Whatever the tractor’s intended purpose, it wasn’t used very much. With just 1300 original hours, the tractor is still as parade-ready as the day it arrived from the factory.

“We contacted five different engineers who worked with Ford during the time the tractor was manufactured. None of the men recalled working on a project like this one. They suggested the tractor could have been designed as a prototype, sent out to neighboring farms for testing. When the tractor’s design received negative reviews, perhaps the testing farmer was allowed to keep the tractor. One of the engineers had a different suggestion as to the tractor’s intended purpose. He speculated that this tractor might have been a special order, designed for use in a vineyard or with raspberry plants.”

This Ford 4000 was one of 14 tractors sold in this auction. After a heated bidding war with a Florida collector, Brotherton purchased this new addition to his collection for $10,500 and a 10 percent buyer’s premium.

Another tractor sold at this auction was a Friday Wiggle Hoe, a light duty weeder consisting of two rotary disks with hayrake teeth used for in-row weeding. Built by the Friday Company of Hartford, Mich., this tractor is also considered rare. It sold for $2,100 plus the buyer’s premium.

One advantage of online auctions is the possibility of a large number of bidders. And this antique tractor auction was no exception. She Sold It announced that more than 5,300 people viewed the online catalog, helping make this auction quite successful.

The Auction Exchange and Collectors News
By Larry LeMasters

Contact:
(810) 358-8018,
www.she-sold-it.com

Sold Out
Her adventures began with an ugly orange couch. As an auction-savvy 8-year-old, that’s the first item she offered to an audience.

She sold it. But neither Rachel nor her auctioneer dad saw this experience as both starting point and future business name.

“I’m not sure why Dad put me up there to sell that couch,” Rachel says. “But I was willing. I’ve been around auctions my whole life.”

That explains why another auctioneer hired her as his clerk (sales recorder) at age 14. Rachel handled the records—and the pressure—well. To develop her skills, the Michigan native decided to attend an auction school in June 2009. “I wanted to learn the business aspects, not become an auctioneer,” she confesses.

Birth of a Business
So how’d she make the leap from careful clerk to self-assured auctioneer? One word: perseverance. Rachel found herself in front of the class, practicing the rapid singsong chant and receiving performance critiques.

“After the first day,” she recalls, “I was ready to come home.” But with a little parental encouragement and lots of persistence, Rachel became a certified professional auctioneer.

Last November, she took another life-changing step when she attended auctioneer boot camp. Here, Rachel became so interested in benefit auctions (designed to help nonprofit organizations raise money) that she began her own business: She Sold It (www.she-sold-it.com).

Pay It Forward
Although Rachel still auctioneers for farms and other sales, benefit auctions have captured her heart. “They’re a fun, exciting way for people to give generously,” she says. “This spring, my business exploded. God can do exceedingly more abundant things beyond what we ask or think!”

The business major at Cedarville (Ohio) University plans to continue her sales efforts. Auctioneering, she believes, combines well with her studies and future plans. “My mom stayed at home with us,” she says. “I’d like to do that someday.” But Rachel recognizes another key aspect of She Sold It.

“In this economy, every nonprofit organization needs money,” she stresses. “God’s called us all to help. This way, I can give back.”

A successful business, a way to bless others. It comes as no surprise that—as far as benefit auctions are concerned—Rachel Gingell intends to keep talking.

This article appeared in the December 2010 issue of the Susie Magazine. To view the article, go to www.susiemag.com.

This award solidifies Gingell as a leader in the auction industry. “[Rachel] is an amazing role model to the younger generation” commented Beth Rose of Rose Auction Group in Maumee, Ohio.

The competition, located in Greensboro, North Carolina was sponsored by the National Auctioneers Association. Judges included past International Auctioneer Champions and prestigious professional auctioneers.

Gingell, the owner of She Sold It, an auction company that specializes in benefit auctions, also completed the course work towards her Benefit Auction Specialist designation. Only a small amount of auctioneers have obtained this prestigious designation.

Gingell, daughter of a professional auctioneer, first stood behind the auction block at eight years old but didn’t pursue this as a profession until attending Missouri Auction School in 2009. She then continued her auction education by attending Boot Camp for Benefit Auctioneers and is pursuing a business degree at Cedarville University.

Gingell’s business, She Sold It, specializes in benefit auctions for non-profit organizations to raise more money with ease. Non-profit organizations favor Gingell’s services due to her professional charm and poise along with compensation options which provide for 100% of the funds raised from the auction to go directly to the non-profit organization. Gingell encourages the audience to open their hearts and wallets to support the organization in a fun and exciting way.