Book description
Transform fundraising events into long-term revenue with expert auction advice
A Higher Bid is the nonprofit school and organization guide to planning and executing more exciting, more lucrative special event fundraisers. In this book, award-winning consultant, fundraiser, speaker, and professional auctioneer Kathy Kingston shares her proprietary and proven approaches to audience development, board empowerment, leadership succession, guest cultivation and engagement, and donor development. You'll learn how live auctions, special appeals, innovative icebreakers, silent auctions, and new technologies can help increase revenue, and how to execute these events in a way that translates to a stronger donor base for long-term giving. Kingston describes how to match the guest list and catalog for better results, and reveals the strategies professional auctioneers use to curate the right auction items and discover the right people to generate optimum revenue and engage donors.
This book offers a fresh approach to fundraising, showing you how charity benefit auctions can be made a centerpiece of fundraising special events to drive both short- and long-term fundraising goals while providing a fun and inspiring opportunity to generate awareness and keep supporters excited about the mission. Using Kingston's proven framework, you'll learn effective ways to:
Strategically increase high-profit revenue streams
Increase your organization's donor base
Empower the board toward efficiency and productivity
Engage supporters more deeply and keep them invested
Donors are the lifeblood of any nonprofit organization, and sustainable revenue depends upon their high engagement and willingness to give. Well-executed benefit and charity auctions have proven to be effective fundraisers for nonprofits, associations, and schools of all types, and A Higher Bid is the expert guide to optimizing these special events for maximum impact.
Table of contents
- Title Page
- Copyright
- Dedication
- About the Author
- Foreword
- Introduction
-
Section I: Strategic Benefit Auctions: The New Catalyst for Philanthropy
-
Chapter 1: The Shift: Event Transaction to Philanthropic Transformation
- Pillar 1: Find Out What Matters Most to Your Supporters
- Pillar 2: Invite Your Supporters In
- Pillar 3: Inspire Your Supporters to Fall in Love with You
- Pillar 4: Give your supporters reasons to stay in love with you forever
- Pillar 5: Invest in What Counts; Ignore the Rest
- Revitalized Leadership Roles for Board Members and Auctioneers
- Philanthropy Model versus Transaction Model of Auction Fundraising
- The Giving Gap
- Conclusion
- Notes
-
Chapter 2: Bid High and Prosper: Are Auctions Right for You?
- Critical Factors for First-Time Benefit Auctions and Every Year, Really ...
- Decide What Kind of Auction You Want
- Consider These Questions for a First-Time Auction
- A: The Role of the Professional Benefit Auctioneer
- U: One-of-a-Kind Items Make Your Event Unique
- C: Cultivate Auction Guests
- T: Timing Is Everything
- I: Inspiration for Impact
- O: Outcomes
- N: No Bidder Left Behind: The Fund-a-Need
- S: Sound, Lights, Action!
- Conclusion
- Notes
- Chapter 3: Energize and Empower Your Board and Team
-
Chapter 4: Make Your Auctioneer Your Quarterback
- Catapult Your ROI: Increase Your Profit by 20 Percent or More
- All Auctioneers Are Not the Same
- Audience Motivation
- Lead Time
- The Style of Selling: The Chant (That Thing Auctioneers Do)
- Showmanship and Fun
- Advantages of a Professional Fundraising Auctioneer
- Your Magic Formula: Return on Auctioneer (ROA)
- What Do Organizations Want?
- How Nonprofits Benefit: What's in It for You
- Other Services Fundraising Auctioneers Offer
- The Auction Team: Professional Auctioneer Bid Assistants
- How to Retain a Great Auctioneer
- How to Interview an Auctioneer
- Competencies of a Benefit Auctioneer
- Auctioneer Compensation
- Your Mission Ambassador
- The Fundraising Auctioneer—Your New Philanthropic Partner
- Your Auctioneer Can Be Your Coach Too
- Conclusion
- Notes
-
Chapter 1: The Shift: Event Transaction to Philanthropic Transformation
-
Section II: Designing Strategic Benefit Auctions
-
Chapter 5: Attract the Right People First
- Obsess on Strategic Audience Development
- A Philanthropic Approach to Audience Development
- Attract More High Bidders
- Draw on Your Development Professionals Expertise
- Empower Your Community of Champions
- The Super Connectors
- Get Rid of Your Ticket Committee
- Kathy's Top Strategies for Audience Development
- Five Mistakes You'll Want to Avoid
- We Sold Out! Create the Expectation to Give
- Make Your Event a Signature Networking Opportunity
- Conclusion
-
Chapter 6: Procure Incredible Auction Items
- It's All about Relationships
- What's Hot? Fulfill Fantasies, Hit Emotions
- What's Not? It's Personal
- How Many Items to Procure?
- Analyze Your Auction Data
- Use Time as a Guide
- Making the Ask
- No Is Not Always No
- Kick-Off Rally
- Connections to Procure Auction Items
- A Few of My Favorite Things
- Consignment items
- The Dream Game
- Conclusion
- Note
- Chapter 7: Make Your Show Flow
-
Chapter 8: Communicate Donor Impact
- It's Not the Plane—It's the Destination
- Riveting Remarks Raise More Money
- Getting to the Heart of Your Message
- Extreme Focus on Fundraising
- Kathy's FAB Formula
- Leverage Your Sponsors' Marketing Power
- Sponsors Have Powerful Relationships
- The Gift of Influence
- Public Relations
- Specialty Newsletters and Publications
- Social Media Marketing for Benefit Auctions
- Item Solicitation and Procurement
- Marketing during Your Fundraiser
- Climb the Golden Ramp
- Conclusion
- Notes
- Chapter 9: Measure Impact
- Chapter 10: Leverage New Technology
-
Chapter 5: Attract the Right People First
-
Section III: Conducting Strategic Benefit Auctions for Donors and Dollars
-
Chapter 11: Optimize Silent Auctions for Loud Results
- Too Little Money for Too Much Work?
- Strategically Cultivate Guests during Silent Auctions
- Empower Your Leadership Team Now
- Your Auctioneer Is Your Ambassador Too
- Learn from the Retailers
- Claim the Prime Space
- Amazing Grazing
- How Many Silent Auction Items?
- Generate Crowd Momentum
- Elevate Your items
- Superb Sound
- Silent Auction Quad Pods
- Timing: When to Close Silent Auctions
- Volunteers Are the Key to Success
- What's New in Silent Auctions? Mobile Bidding
- Conclusion
- Notes
-
Chapter 12: Maximize the True Worth of Your Live Auction
- Twin Morals of the Story
- Twin Strategies for Ultimate Live Auctions
- Why Live?
- Stop Selling Items—Start Selling Your Cause
- Why Risk It?
- Stand Up Front and Gain a New Perspective
- Combo Auctioneer and Emcee
- A Hidden Benefit of Live Auctions
- Increase Generosity: Prepare Your Guests to Bid
- New Stakeholder Leadership for Higher Bids
- Curate Your Live Auction Items
- The Fun and Profit Factor at Your Live Auction
- “Auction-tainment”: Lights, Camera, Auction!
- Double Double—Dollars and Donors
- When Bigger Is Better—Bid Cards
- The Value of a Live Auctioneer Team
- Engage Donors in New Ways
- Note
-
Chapter 13: Ignite Generosity with Fund-a-Need Special Appeals
- Double Your Income in 10 Minutes
- Inspire Generosity and Goodwill
- The Secret Ingredient
- Communicate Emotionally
- Characteristics of a Successful Fund-a-Need
- Showing Donors That Their Gifts Made a Difference
- Why You Need a Professional Benefit Auctioneer
- Preparing Your Fund-a-Need Speaker
- The Run-Through Required
- Visuals during the Fund-a-Need
- A Long-Term Strategy
- Eight Key Points for a Successful Fund-a-Need
- Conclusion
- Notes
-
Chapter 14: Add Strategic Income Streams (…and Fun)
- Make Every Minute a Revenue Minute!
- Planned Spontaneity and Profits
- Add More Fun
- Fresh, Fun, and Profitable Income Streams
- Heads-and-Tails
- The Mystery Grab Bag
- Premium Dessert Frenzy
- Auction Chicken
- Party Boards
- Gift Card Frenzy
- Centerpiece Auctions
- Silent Auction Green Line Auction
- Golden Ticket
- Pot of Gold
- Wild Card Auction
- Mini Live Auction
- A Word on Raffles
- Great Fundraiser Warm-Ups
- Notes
-
Chapter 11: Optimize Silent Auctions for Loud Results
-
Section IV: Leveraging Strategic Benefit Auctions
-
Chapter 15: Keep the Money Flowing
- The Party's Over—See Ya Next Year…Maybe…
- Stop Inviting Guests and Start Engaging Donors
- Do You Treat Every Guest as a Donor?
- Your Auction Items Are Sold, but Are Your Guests?
- Cheers! Sonoma Harvest Wine Auction's Stunning $4 Million Success
- Pick Door Number 3: Take Your Organization to the Next Level
- Create the Greatest Impact—A Strategic Donor Cultivation Plan
- Get to the Heart of What Matters
- The Power of a Story
- Notes
-
Chapter 15: Keep the Money Flowing
- Acknowledgments
- Resources
- References
- A Final Call: Giving Back and Passing Forward
- Index
- End User License Agreement
Product information
- Title: A Higher Bid: How to Transform Special Event Fundraising with Strategic Auctions
- Author(s):
- Release date: May 2015
- Publisher(s): Jossey-Bass
- ISBN: 9781119017875
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