Every fundraising event has the potential to exceed your goals. At Artisan Auctions, we like to call that potential “Hidden Dollars”.
Hidden dollars exist in all facets of your fundraising event, whether it be virtual, live, hybrid, from your appeal story to your auction items and more.
It’s important to unlock that potential at every opportunity during your event. People are drawn to charities because of the story you tell – the compassionate and emotional elements of your appeals and mission that make people feel connected. People want to give when they feel connected to the work you do. Let’s take a quick look at some of the keys you need to unlock the potential of hidden dollars while planning and executing your fundraiser event or gala.
Master Key:
Foster and maintain a positive and friendly connection with your donors and your audience to help unlock those dollars during your fundraising event. This is going to be a bit of a duh moment, but we all get busy and taking the time to connect with your donors is meaningful on a lot of levels. This connection makes your donors feel special because, let’s face it, they are special! They feel a connection to your organization and mission, and we’re not kidding when we say “this is made possible by donors like you!” Make time for your donors. Go to coffee once a month, or happy hour. Go for a walk or sit with them and ask them how their family is doing. How is business? Engage with your donors. Create a relationship with them that extends beyond a phone call with you on the other end of the line asking for money.
This connection also helps you when it comes time to curate your auction items, plan your event, and more.
Stay Organized:
Do you have everything ready for night-of? Do you have a backup plan, and is everybody on the same page? Staying organized and meeting your deadlines every step of the way can help you foster the connection we mentioned in the Master Key.
Fundraising Event Auction Strategy and Appeal:
What stories are you showcasing at your event? When working on your appeal story, keep the focus on the human element. Avoid diluting the emotion with hard-to-follow facts and statistics that don’t matter to your audience. This isn’t your board of directors’ annual financial meeting, tell us the human aspect.
Need More Keys? We cover all the good stuff in the webinar, including picking your auction items, hiring your hosts and auctioneer, marketing best practices, and more. Unlocking hidden dollars at your fundraising event is all about creating and maintaining the connection with your donors and community. You can create and maintain that connection through your marketing, through outreach and asks, and also, through a smooth-running event. When the end result is that your event feels like MAGIC, you know you have done everything right. It’s a lot of work, but you’ve got this.
