News & Insights | Fundraising Auctions

News & Insights

What's New?

September 2, 2011

Here we go into the busy fall season!

Creating warmth and appreciation at our special events is critical to our fundraising and relationship-building efforts. Consider asking your board and auction committee members to personally greet 3-5 guests they do not know during the silent auction or reception and welcome them. This reaching out will help your supporters know how their contribution will benefit your clients and the community.

Thank you for your continued business, and please keep in touch!

Paula Werner, Event Consultant and Business Manager

Articles of Interest

The Online Giving Study by Network for Good and TrueSense Marketing concludes “relationships” play just as much of a role in online giving as they do with other forms of fund raising.

A joint research project by Achieve and Johnson Grossnickle Associates examines the giving and engagement habits of millennial donors. Visit the study web site and download a copy of the report by clicking here.

Katya Andresen looks at the new book The Science of Giving chapter by chapter on her non-profit marketing blog.

Greater Giving has just released a new white paper on "Building Better Events." You can download a copy here.

Network for Good has also recently released an eBook entitled The Big Event -- Five Tips for Making Your Next Event a Great Success.

Interested in 50 great ideas for raising more money throughout the year? Download Network for Good's eBook: How to Raise a Lot More Money Now.

Learn how Minnesota nonprofits are faring so far in 2010 in the Nonprofit Current Conditions Report published by the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits.

Download a copy of "The Next Generation of American Giving," a new research study from by Convio, Edge Research and Sea Change Strategies. It's a facscinating look at the charitable giving behaviors and attitudes of Gen Y, Gen X, Boomer and Mature donors.

What's New Archive

Here's to Golf Tournaments and Succinct Programs (July 7): Happy summer to all of you!

We at Fladeboe are in the season of golf tournaments and planning for early fall events. One topic we’re seeing as extremely critical to the success of the organizations we partner with is having a succinct program and ending the live auction and direct giving moment as close to 9 pm as possible. Together, let’s do our best to respect our guest’s time and attention spans.

Also, with golf tournaments, we’ve found it very important to try to have additional guests attend the dinner portion of the event – to take part in the program, live auction and direct giving moment. These folks may be spouses of the golfers, other business associates who were not able to commit to the full day, etc.

As always, please use us as a resource when you come upon questions or want to bounce an idea off someone. Thank you for your confidence in our Fladeboe team!

Paula Werner, Event Consultant and Business Manager
Goodbye and Welcome (February 25): What's New?
February 25, 2011

This week is about goodbyes….and welcomes.

It is with a mix of emotions that I say goodbye today after six years with Fladeboe Auctions. When I was hired, Glen Fladeboe, the owner of the company, came to me with one file box, a list of about 50 clients and a head full of great ideas on how to make a difference for nonprofits through benefit auctions. Today, we are proud to say we have significantly more clients (and file boxes, I might add) and can look back and say we have been able to help our clients fulfill their missions by working hard to accomplish our own: “inspiring audience to give.” It is deeply gratifying to have been part of this process and to have met and worked with so many passionate people along the way.

And on to the hellos. We’d like to welcome Paula Werner as our new Event Consultant and Business Manager. She comes to us with many years of nonprofit development experience and true passion for working in the field. We are excited to have her joining the team and look forward to introducing her to all of you.

I leave you with a “daily affirmation” for fundraisers I recently read (thanks to Katya Andresen and her Nonprofit Marketing Blog):

I’m in the business of happiness, because when people give, they are happier.

I’m here to focus on what I give more than what I receive, because generosity inspires generosity.

I have a great job, because I make everyone’s life better: the people my organization helps, the people who support it, and the friends and family members whom I inspire with my work, every day.

Thank you for making a difference.

With best wishes,
Kimberly Proffitt, Director of Operations
2011 Funding Outlook (February 18): What's New?
February 18, 2011

The 2011 benefit auction season is off to a strong start! With almost two months of auctions under our belts, we can definitely say the fund raising climate feels much stronger than it did a year ago. Most of our clients are seeing double-digit increases in revenues raised in their live auctions and direct giving moments. The atmosphere at our events feels more optimistic – and generous.

This doesn’t come without some strategic work on the part of our clients. Many are reevaluating their silent and live auctions and choosing to make them smaller. More time is being spent on how to execute an A+ direct giving moment. We see more sharing of stories instead of statistics. And there is more emphasis on creating a fun, engaging and meaningful evening for guests – not just having a party.

The fund raising climate is constantly changing and strategies evolving. Take some time to step back and think about how you might do things differently at your event this year. And as always, contact us at any time to talk about what we are seeing. We are here to be a resource for you.

Until next week,

Kimberly Proffitt, Director of Operations
It's All About Relationships (January 13): It’s all about relationships.

Network for Good and TrueSense Marketing recently released the results of an extensive online giving study (you can download a copy here). All the information about when and how often and to what kinds of organizations donors give online is interesting and valuable. However, the point the authors choose to highlight is the most intriguing: “Raising funds online is not about technology, any more than raising funds through the mail is about paper. It’s about the relationship between the nonprofit and the donor who wants to support a cause. People who give online are no different from other donors in that they expect a relationship— not simply a transaction—with the organization they support.”

And it makes sense – not just for online fund raising, but for any kind of fund raising. Night after night, the organizations we see having the most success with their special events and auctions are those working hard to make guests feel great about being part of the cause – building relationships in new and often subtle ways. When an atmosphere of “all of us working together” is created, donor and organization alike benefit.

Building relationships takes time, but even small things done at a special event can start to create a foundation. Having someone welcome guests as they walk in the door, sending a simple thank-you card after the event and following up to invite donors to come visit your facility are all simple things you can do.

What can you do in 2011 to reinvent your donor relationships?

Until next week,
Kimberly Proffitt, Director of Operations
What's In and Out for 2011 (January 3): What's New?
January 3, 2011

Happy New Year! It is hard to believe the calendar has already turned to 2011.

I recently ran across a post about what's "in" and what's "out for non-profits in 2011, courtesy of Katya Andresen (The Non-Profit Marketing Blog) and Mark Rovner of Sea Change Strategies. Here are just a few of the trends they see:

In: Hitting it off with donors
Out: Hitting up donors

In: Fundraising basics
Out: Fundraising gimmicks

In: Metrics that matter
Out: Metrics that are easy to obtain

In: Integrated communications
Out: Multi-channel communications

In: Speaking from the heart
Out: Speaking from the left brain

In: Narrative
Out: Bullet points

We agree! Fundraising auctions/special events have evolved over the past several years to include more testimonials, better use of a variety of communication methods and a focus on accountability and being able to show that the dollars given are making a difference. Our philosophy has always been that building positive relationships through an auction will help you in your continued fundraising efforts after the auction. We've tweaked our "product" to reflect this, and hope you'll give some thought to how you might tweak your event to better connect with those attending.

Until next week,
Kimberly Proffitt, Director of Operations

Auction Tip
of the Month

Raise those Paddles!

Many of our clients ask us whether using bidder paddles (“on a stick”) or bidder cards (no “stick”) is really necessary for the live auction. Bidders can just raise their hands, right?

It’s true raising hands can work. However, we’ve found having a bidder paddle or card really makes a difference in an auction. Practically, a bidder card is much easier for an auctioneer to see than a hand. Once an item is sold, it is very easy to record who won the item. All the auctioneer has to do is call out the bidder number and winning amount. The same applies to a fund-a-need – it’s easy to identify guests pledging at each level by calling out their bidder numbers.

Just as important, there is a psychological benefit to having bidder paddles. Watching those numbers go up in the air creates an auction atmosphere and generates excitement. It also makes guests feel a greater part of the action.

Bidder paddles or cards can be had for minimal cost and the benefits are great. Make sure to include them on the list for your next event!