In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:

Donation Acquisition My family accompanied me to an auction event being held by a chapter of the national organization I was working for at the time. It was at a beach resort, so there were other families at the event. My children were present during the early fundraising activities, among which was a raffle with a series of prizes. I bought a few tickets and split the stubs among my three daughters. Sure enough, my lucky daughter who was about six years old at the time held a winning ticket. She was soon engulfed in a police-style jacket, with all the labels cut out. What I mean by “cut out” is that all of the labels normally sewn into the fabric of the jacket had been sliced out, leaving holes where the labels had been. It was obvious this was a “clearance” or “surplus” item from a uniform supply house. The host organization had obtained this and many other items by soliciting local businesses. This prize was out of character for my daughter, but the real issue was that the prize was also out of character for virtually all the other attendees. So were many other prizes. Old cheap fishing rods, out-of-style items of clothing, and wind-up merchandise in a digital age stocked the raffles. The auctions fared no better, with old prints, faded merchandise, and useless services among offerings . I have attended events where auction and raffle tables stacked full of useless goods gave me the impression the event was a garage sale. There is plenty of “stuff” for attendees, but is it the right stuff? I suspect it would be for attendees with a passion for unsalable and out-of-date merchandise, but that is a rare demographic characteristic and not one typically targeted by event planners. Why offer a sophisticated crowd unsophisticated auction items and raffle prizes? The host organization’s volunteers had collected 13 126 ParT 2: CreaTing The PerFeCT seTTing Know the Attendees and Bidders the look and feel of an auction event is largely determined by the kinds of items offered to auction bidders and raffle ticket buyers. this interplay between “feel” and “fundraising offerings” plays a large role in the success or failure of an auction event— and in meeting net fundraising goals. auction and raffle items need to “match” the buyers’ interest and willingness (ability) to spend. items too fancy or expensive will not sell to a blue-collar crowd who cannot afford the items or have no use for them. items too cheap or tacky will not sell to a highbrow crowd seeking unique and flashy new toys for their homes and offices. Whom the event planners wish to attract and who will actually come to the auction and bid determine the kinds of auction items to acquire. realistic planning requires catering to the interests of those who will actually actively participate in bidding and other fundraising activities. the success of any live or silent auction depends on matching auction items with actual bidders. this is a subtle point that event planners often miss. Yes, it matters who attends an event, but the only ones who matter during fundraising activities are those who bid, buy raffle tickets, and otherwise pay to play. some knowledge of the demographics of the host organization’s membership is helpful, provided it is the organization’s members who will make up the bulk of bidders. perhaps a different group is being targeted for attendance at the fundraising event. if so, auction items should be acquired with the demographic makeup of the bidders in mind. demographic information of value in planning an event includes economic information, such as household income, and other factors such as recreational interests , buying patterns, family status, home ownership , travel patterns, and type of employment. in most instances event planners will already have a general idea of the interests and economic status of members and probably many potential bidders . Many events are attended mainly by friends and neighbors or members of the host organization. as a result, event planners may have a very good idea what kinds of auction items will receive an enthusiall that stuff in a door-to-door canvass of local merchants. They got exactly what they asked for, which was probably “a donation of merchandise or a service.” The volunteers obviously took whatever the merchants had handy to give. The result was an event full of odds and ends, some new, some old, some good...

Share