Picture this: You’re hosting a fundraising event, and have everything in place. The venue is stellar, you’re serving a carefully curated menu, and you even have a signature cocktail. The silent auction is all set up with a well-procured array of exclusive packages like vintage wine, boutique getaways, and signed sports memorabilia…but no one is bidding on the items.
When trying to meet your fundraising goals, a signature cocktail and live music are fun and exciting. Still, none of it matters if you’re not raising money, and one of the most effective ways to raise money at an event is to have an engaging silent auction.
A successful silent auction will not only help you to meet your fundraising goals, but it make your event a more enjoyable experience for attendees. This will also encourage your guests to come back to your events, year after year.
This guide will talk about how you can incorporate strategies to re-engage your audience with a silent auction event.
1. Incorporate mobile bidding into your auction.
Maybe your guests are really into their signature cocktails and catching up with old friends, which means they’re engaged in your event, but it prevents them from perusing your silent auction. An easy fix to this conundrum is to use mobile bidding software. Mobile bidding provides fewer interruptions than bidding on paper sheets because your guests don’t have to leave meaningful interactions to go check on their auction items. They hold all the information for the auction in their hand, on their phone!
When looking for mobile bidding solutions, seek out features that will allow your supporters to engage with the auction in tandem with your other event activities. Important features include:
Push notifications: Find software with a mobile app that will alert bidders when they’ve been outbid
Easy navigation of the auction item catalog: You want software that will allow bidders to peruse by category, no bid items, etc.
Easy check-out process: A huge component of a successful auction is an easy pay and pick up system. You don’t want your guests waiting in long lines to pay for and pick up their won items at the end of the evening.
A solid, user-friendly mobile bidding platform can skyrocket your engagement, participation in your auction, and ultimately raise more funds for your cause.
2. Gamify event activities to motivate attendees.
In this day and age, people need entertainment in short, energetic spurts. There are several ways to “gamify” activities to entertain your crowd, and we’ll explore some of them here. But before we dive into those activities, consider the following to make sure you’re setting those activities up for success.
Consider your seating arrangement
Strategically seat your guests so they’ll have similarities to your other auction guests around them. Are there multiple guests who work in the same industry? Seat them together. Is there an alumnus of your organization who could sit with a new donor and talk about the services or benefits of your nonprofit? For these reasons and more, it’s important to look at the big picture of your guest list and determine which groups are a good fit for one another. This is more of an art than a science, but it will help you facilitate engaging conversations among supporters.
Help start the conversation
Place cards with ice breaker questions or conversation starters on the table, or invite guests to discuss questions posed by the speaker among themselves
Give live updates during the event
Providing progress updates and telling attendees how they can help you meet your goals is a great way to engage them in your activities. This is where push notifications and texts through your mobile bidding software can come in handy! Having this feature is also especially important if you are hosting a virtual or hybrid event because it allows you to reach them directly on the platform where they’re engaging in your auction.
Once you’ve set the stage with these considerations, you can start incorporating other gamification strategies to engage your audience members in your fundraising activities. Some of these strategies include fundraising thermometers, leaderboards, and bidding wars.
Fundraising Thermometers
Tell supporters about your fundraising goal and create a thermometer or interactive visual to measure your progress. Donors are motivated by goals and seeing where their dollars will go to work. Plus, they can see a physical representation of the difference their donation makes when they give!
Leaderboards
Bidder and donor leaderboards show which supporters are making the greatest impact for your organization. This will also create some friendly competition among your guests! Showing these boards will make other attendees want to be ranked among the leaders.
Bidding Wars
Encourage bidding wars by announcing key auction items to your attendees and encouraging new people to bid on those items. Utilize your event Emcee to make announcements and name the bidders who are going head-to-head, if appropriate. Alternatively, you can showcase items without bids. Many supporters want to see every auction item sold, so you will also get those “sympathy bids,” and maybe even create a little competition.
3. Align event activities with attendee interests.
Different styles of events have different activities that your organization can lean on to engage your attendees. During the planning process for your event, you’ll need to carefully consider the options for these activities and how your audience is likely to respond to them. Carefully align the activities you offer with your audience’s interests while still connecting them to your cause.
Engaging event activities will also help promote your event because you can highlight the exciting opportunities you’ll offer as a part of your marketing materials.
Some of the event activities you might consider are your auction (of course), keynote speakers, and live musicians. Even just having background music near your silent auction that’s on theme with your event can boost entertainment and engagement.
Auction Items
Consider which auction items will be most appealing to your audience members. For example, if you’re hosting a school auction, you might auction off student artwork or kid-friendly trips. Young adult audiences would be likely to bid on EDM concert tickets while older audiences may prefer a classical performance.
Keynote Speakers
Your speakers should be experts on topics related to your mission, but also be well-positioned to motivate and relate to your audience. Make sure your speakers will make a connection to your cause, first and foremost. Then check that they have both the experience and presentation skills (effective slides, calls to action, and genuine approach) that will engage your specific audience members. For example, a local CEO might be perfectly positioned to inspire young professionals.
Concert Musicians
If you host a concert, carefully consider who will be most appreciated by your specific audience. If your audience is elderly, they are not likely to appreciate a concert of metal music. Meanwhile, young adults might find classical harps sleep-inducing rather than energizing. You might also consider what’s appropriate if your auction is a part of a larger event like a gala — calming background music might be better suited for this environment.
At the end of the day, you must have a carefully thought-out strategy for engaging your silent auction guests. The tips above can help you draw attention to auction items, get the crowd excited about the event, and increase bidding. Best of luck with your auctions!
About the Author: Jeff Porter, Founder & CEO of Handbid
Jeff has spent 18 years in the nonprofit industry. In 2004 he founded the Prader-Willi Syndrome Association of Colorado where he still resides as board chair. Jeff learned early on that nonprofits desperately needed better and more affordable fundraising solutions. Leveraging his software background, he built most of the tools his charities used, and in 2011 he launched Handbid at his own fundraising event. The goal was to improve the guest experience, reduce administration and increase revenue. Handbid accomplished all of those goals, effectively doubling revenue in its debut. Nine years later, Handbid's suite of tools has delighted over a half-million guests, generated millions of bids, and helped thousands of charities raise well over $100 million.