Donation Acquisition

My family accompanied me to an auction event being held by a chapter of the national organization I was working for at the time. It was at a beach resort, so there were other families at the event. My children were present during the early fundraising activities, among which was a raffle with a series of prizes. I bought a few tickets and split the stubs among my three daughters.

Sure enough, my lucky daughter who was about six years old at the time held a winning ticket. She was soon engulfed in a police-style jacket, with all the labels cut out. What I mean by “cut out” is that all of the labels normally sewn into the fabric of the jacket had been sliced out, leaving holes where the labels had been. It was obvious this was a “clearance” or “surplus” item from a uniform supply house.

The host organization had obtained this and many other items by soliciting local businesses. This prize was out of character for my daughter, but the real issue was that the prize was also out of character for virtually all the other attendees. So were many other prizes. Old cheap fishing rods, out-of-style items of clothing, and wind-up merchandise in a digital age stocked the raffles. The auctions fared no better, with old prints, faded merchandise, and useless services among offerings. I have attended events where auction and raffle tables stacked full of useless goods gave me the impression the event was a garage sale.

There is plenty of “stuff” for attendees, but is it the right stuff? I suspect it would be for attendees with a passion for unsalable and out-of-date merchandise, but that is a rare demographic characteristic and not one typically targeted by event planners. Why offer a sophisticated crowd unsophisticated auction items and raffle prizes? The host organization’s volunteers had collected all that stuff in a door-to-door canvass of local merchants. They got exactly what they asked for, which was probably “a donation of merchandise or a service.” The volunteers obviously took whatever the merchants had handy to give. The result was an event full of odds and ends, some new, some old, some good, some not.

For some events, a hodge-podge of out-of-date, surplus, and bargain-basement items might be acceptable, but for most events it is definitely not. Events that are full of items unattractive to attendees and that have values poorly matched to attendee spending potential produce lower revenue than those where attendees are presented more appropriate items.  But not just net auction revenue suffers. Year-to-year attendance at an event is often influenced by memorable experiences of attendees of past events. People talk to each other, and friends bring friends to events. If an event becomes known for its auctions and raffles being “full of junk,” that becomes the talk among potential attendees for next year’s event. Who wants to attend an event full of junk? Not me! How about you?

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Auctions underpin effective fundraisers because people are given an opportunity to purchase something that they would like to have and make a donation to their favorite charity at the same time. Auction items should be affordable and match the interests of the people who will attend the event. It does no good to offer a fabulous trip on the Yangtze River in China, which everyone at the auction might find absolutely irresistible, if none of the people who attend can afford to offer a minimum bid. On the other hand, significant revenue is lost when bidders are offered items such as a weekend stay at a local resort when they would prefer a trip on the Yangtze River and can afford to bid on such a trip to full fair market value and beyond. The success of an event rests on the attractiveness and affordability of items that will be offered to attendees. This includes all auction items as well as any raffle items or game prizes.

Know the Attendees and Bidders

The look and feel of an auction event is largely determined by the kinds of items offered to auction bidders and raffle-ticket buyers. This interplay between “feel” and “fundraising offerings” plays a large role in the success or failure of an auction event—and in meeting net fundraising goals. Auction and raffle items need to “match” the buyers’ interest and willingness (ability) to spend. Items too fancy or expensive will not sell to a blue-collar crowd who cannot afford the items or have no use for them. Items too cheap or tacky will not sell to a highbrow crowd seeking unique and flashy new toys for their homes and offices.

Whom the event planners wish to attract and who will actually come to the auction and bid determine the kinds of auction items to acquire. Realistic planning requires catering to the interests of those who will actually actively participate in bidding and other fundraising activities. The success of any live or silent auction depends on……….

Excerpted from the book, Money for the Cause: A Complete Guide to Event Fundraising by Rudolph Rosen. Texas A&M University Press.

(c) Rudolph A. Rosen, 2012