Charity fundraising gets members of your local community in the door, and sneaker fundraisers can happen year-round. Have you ever considered combining them to host a marquee event? For a business, a charity auction is a fun way to get more of your local community in your doors while also being charitable yourself! Whether you are adding on to a current fundraising event for charity or a stand-alone auction gala, there are many ways to do this. Sponsor an event or establish one yourself. Silent, live, and online auctions and events are similar: donations are requested, donor and donor information is recorded, then promote the auction to bidders and let the fun begin.
There are many options for hosting an auction, whether live, silent, or online, but live auctions are among the most popular choices. You can host a virtual live auction where participants can bid online at home for items such as sneakers or running gear and still enjoy the excitement of an auction.
On the other hand, you can also host an on-site live auction, following the traditional way. Set a venue, plan an entertaining event like a walkathon, and let participants enjoy a lovely event while they bid on the different items or packages offered.
Any way you choose, auctions are a reliable event that becomes the perfect way to raise financial support and host an attractive and interesting event that will help you engage donors and gain publicity for your cause.
Are you considering hosting your first live auction? You should know that there are many aspects you need to keep in mind to organize a successful event. But don’t worry; we’ll walk through every step and provide some key resources to help you plan your event. So, let’s dive right into it.
What are live auctions?
Let’s start with the basics; a live auction is a fundraising event where the times and packages are presented in real life while participants bid. Before moving on to the next object, a winner is selected based on the higher bid. Like running shoe fundraisers, auctions allow you to effectively repurpose donated items for a good cause.
As we mentioned, you can host a virtual live auction or an on-site one. Each option has its benefits, disadvantages, and features. To know which is the best for your organization, you need to understand each one very well and select the one that offers you benefits that better suit your goals.
On-site live auctions
There is the most traditional auction way; you rent a venue, hire some entertainment, book a catering service, and start presenting events or items such as select running shoes or an athletic event. This option has worked for a long time for many charity organizations since they usually bring major donors.
In this event, an auctioneer presents the items and directs bidding. On the other hand, attendees bid on the objects they prefer by raising bidding paddles or calling out the amount of money they are willing to pay.
On-site live auctions remove the anonymity factor, encouraging healthy competition throughout the event. These kinds of events are the best alternative if your goals are to score major donors with a high profile.
Virtual live auctions
This alternative brings the best of the two worlds together. Virtual live auctions combine the engagement of real-time bidding and the experience of online bidding from anywhere in the world. A virtual auction platform can turn your live auction into a virtual event.
Digital transformation has become an essential part of our lives. From socializing to running a business to studying, there are online tools to help us. So, it’s not a surprise that there are multiple online fundraising alternatives.
Virtual live auctions are an excellent alternative for organizations that want a profitable live auction but don’t have the resources to host an on-site one. With a virtual live auction platform like Auctria, you get everything you need to plan and host the event:
- A customized website for online live bidding and donations
- Control the live item’s bidding
- Tools to run every element of the auction: bidders register, donations, and bids
- Showcasing logos and sharing links to acknowledge sponsors
- Content to share and promote the event on social media
- Promote high biddings with maximum bidding and bid extension features
- Visualization of bidders in real time
- Show the amounts raised in real-time to engage bidders and build momentum
- Predefine donation levels for bidders
Recommendations to host a successful live auction
Whether you choose a virtual or on-site live auction, there are some crucial aspects you need to keep in mind to ensure its success. Remember that planning is essential to make the most out of the event.
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Choose the type of live auction that better suits your organization’s needs and goals.
The first step for any fundraising event is to define your goals at the end. Knowing what you want to accomplish and your budget will help you choose the best option for your cause.
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Create a support team
You shouldn’t do everything alone, so delegate tasks and create a collaborative team with people engaged in your cause. Auctions are a great way to keep members of sports or running clubs engaged with the group.
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Promote in different channels
Work on a digital marketing campaign to get the word out; the more people know about your auction, the more attendees you’ll have. Create social media campaigns, work on a landing page for your event, and reach out to influencers that can support the cause.
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Be creative
If you offer a notebook and a pencil at your auction, the truth is people won’t be interested. You need to think outside the box and offer exciting and creative items that motivate bidders.
Live auctions can be the best way to raise funds for your cause while bringing awareness to what you are doing. However, you need to keep in mind that careful planning is necessary to achieve your goals.
Guest Author
Laurie Hochman has a passion for helping groups exceed their fundraising goals. After using Auctria for many auction fundraisers, she joined the team to help others boost their auction fundraising for many wonderful causes. Auctria has been utilized in over 40,000 event fundraisers raising over $400M.
“The beauty in what is done with the money raised with Auctria is what motivates me every day to help auction teams succeed. Hope all your bids soar!”