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The Secret to Successful Event Fundraising in Good Times and Bad The economy cycles from good to bad and so does fundraising success for organizations that fail to discover the secret to successful event fundraising in good times and bad. One such organization helped pioneer effective auction-event fundraising techniques and, in so doing, built one of the largest nonprofit wildlife habitat conservation organizations in the nation. But when the economy faltered, their fundraising did, too. This organization failed to use more recession-proof techniques in auction-event fundraising discovered by other organizations with similar missions. Top-level staff responsible for event fundraising in this organization aggressively prevented anyone from bringing in ideas from outside their ranks. The only ideas for recovery had to be theirs and theirs alone. Although their auctions always carried some “recession-proof” items, staff analyzing fundraising success just didn’t seem to understand the difference between fundraising in good times and bad. The organization ’s auctions were loaded with items people didn’t really need, and probably didn’t want. These items produced decent revenue during good economic times, and even in the worst of times the items sold. I ascribe that to the dedication of the organization’s supporters and volunteers who, in their desire to shore up the organization, felt they had no option but to bid on items they really didn’t need or want. But there are only so many people willing to do that and for only so long, even in good economic times. So attendance, dollar spent per attendee, and revenue started a long downward slide that accelerated as the economy declined. Then an amazing business decision was made. Production of most of the items was outsourced to the nation’s biggest foreign competitor in an attempt to reduce cost of manufacture. The result was auctions 3 The seCreT To sUCCessFUl evenT FUndraising 15 ing the fundraising power of offering items to attendees that bring their bidding and raffle ticket buying to a fever pitch. We were able to capitalize on presenting attendees just the right items and services. the result was continuously increasing fundraising success, even through changing economic times. the early leaders of the organization did no objective analysis or complicated business plans to discover the perfect auction and raffle items. instead , they just stocked the organization’s auctions with goods and services they personally wanted or needed. Members joined the organization to raise funds for a common cause. those who came to the organization’s events had similar interests, wants, and needs, which made for exciting and profitable auctions and raffles. attendees all arrived with one thing in common—they wanted or needed the same things. such commonality of interest among members is not unusual in membership-based nonprofit organizations. The Right Stuff Further Defined there are several characteristics that make an item a winner at auctions and raffles in good times and bad—they are items and services that event attendees want or need, but there is more to it than that. Only Found Here in the case of the organization last mentioned, early planners of the organization’s events brought merchandise and services to auction that were also hard to find or expensive, particularly for individuals seeking to acquire the items or services on their own. an example is wildlife-related adventure travel at a time when such travel was expensive and there were few providers. With the buying power created by the organization’s auctions and associated consumer trade shows, such travel opportunities were brought directly to the organization’s members. Where attendees are presented with merchandise or services that are hard to acquire outside an organization ’s event, the items can drive high bidding at auction and strong raffle ticket sales. But making and raffles stocked with the same kinds of items, but many items were now of lesser quality and all carried the name of a foreign producer. Attendees at the organization ’s events were presented with lower-quality items for which they still had little or no use. Now produced at the cost of sending American jobs overseas, foreign manufacturing stickers on each item reminded event attendees why America is losing jobs. The cost of the auction items was never at issue to event attendees. The problem was auctions and raffles filled with too many knickknacks for the shelf or wall that had little or no value to attendees, regardless of price. The organization’s event revenue continued to decline...

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