Moving into new offices this month has put many tasks on the daily schedule.
Our office phone and fax number has changed, but staff has not updated the web site pages, yet.
To contact me at the new office, call 775-969-3060. Or, just email me at KarinCosta52@peoplepc.com
Let's talk soon.
Karin
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
It's time to be strong
Now, more than ever, it is time to optimize under-utilized techniques to maiximize your benefit auction fund-raising efforts. Most of these techniques, taken from best business practices, can be applied to other fund- and friend-raising you are doing.
Critical for your success are: 1. Focus on your mission; 2. Cultivate and deepen relationships; 3. Ask; 4. Employ the best practices.
Capture your audience by branding your mission and communicating the lofty cause you are funding in every communication, including mailings, newsletters, on the save the date card and invitation, in the auction catalog and bid forms, and throughout the event. Let every guest know exactly where the money is going. Most of all, highlight how you make a difference in the community and show how your Supporters are part of the solution.
People give to causes that they care about, and a well planned auction event opens many opportunities to deepen relationships with guests, sponsors, members, directors, prospective donors, and even volunteers. When you think of the benefit auction as the easiest face to face donor cultivation opportunity of the year, you will ensure that the auction event will instill thoughts of future giving and invite donations and involvement long after the event. (Future Blogs will discuss opportunities for engagement.)
If you don't ask, the answer will always be the same! It's a rough economy and you depend on your donors more than ever, but if you don't tell them what impact you are making with the funds you raise and how critical their continued support is at this time, your clients may disappear. Look at all of your communications and collateral marketing materials: Do you only invite people to give or attend an event, or do you also include information about where previous and future funds will be allocated?
Does your event appear to be an amatuer event? To have a record-breaking fundraising auction in ANY economy, you must act like the best businesses: those that rise and succeed even in a slow economy. How do you sustain yourself? Develop an auction guest list of people who have the means and influential bidding power to increase "Giving bids", demonstrating that they support your cause and are not just bidding for bargains. Offer premiere items that your guests really want: staying focused on your guest donors demonstrates that you sincerely appreciate them and their donations.
Keep the event exciting, active and on-time. For many guests, particularly at school and small community events, choosing your event over another outing, activity or party weighs into their budgeting decision-making. If dinner is late, you've lost your audddience. Speeches, slide shows, brow beating appeals for donations, and events that get off schedule or last late into the evening are unpleasant memories for your guests, causing them to leave early or not return in the future.
Finally, you must employ technology throughout the pre-, post- and at the event. You can jump into Twitter, Facebook and You Tube, but if you haven't updtaed your web site in 2 years, don't bother employing the newest technology. Master the old (phone calls, face to face meetings, web site and hand written letters, and database management), before exclusively using the latest items. Have you contacted everyone in your database--or do you have one--who has donated, attended, inquired or recently moved to your area? Are there new businesses opening who might bring new sponorship and volunteer assistance?
Yes, benefit auction planning takes time--12 to 18 months for the best results, but you can succeed -- or exceed-- your goals when you take time to optimize. Remember, many of the longest sustaining non-profits and for profit businesses began during the Depression; therefore, you can rise, too.
Critical for your success are: 1. Focus on your mission; 2. Cultivate and deepen relationships; 3. Ask; 4. Employ the best practices.
Capture your audience by branding your mission and communicating the lofty cause you are funding in every communication, including mailings, newsletters, on the save the date card and invitation, in the auction catalog and bid forms, and throughout the event. Let every guest know exactly where the money is going. Most of all, highlight how you make a difference in the community and show how your Supporters are part of the solution.
People give to causes that they care about, and a well planned auction event opens many opportunities to deepen relationships with guests, sponsors, members, directors, prospective donors, and even volunteers. When you think of the benefit auction as the easiest face to face donor cultivation opportunity of the year, you will ensure that the auction event will instill thoughts of future giving and invite donations and involvement long after the event. (Future Blogs will discuss opportunities for engagement.)
If you don't ask, the answer will always be the same! It's a rough economy and you depend on your donors more than ever, but if you don't tell them what impact you are making with the funds you raise and how critical their continued support is at this time, your clients may disappear. Look at all of your communications and collateral marketing materials: Do you only invite people to give or attend an event, or do you also include information about where previous and future funds will be allocated?
Does your event appear to be an amatuer event? To have a record-breaking fundraising auction in ANY economy, you must act like the best businesses: those that rise and succeed even in a slow economy. How do you sustain yourself? Develop an auction guest list of people who have the means and influential bidding power to increase "Giving bids", demonstrating that they support your cause and are not just bidding for bargains. Offer premiere items that your guests really want: staying focused on your guest donors demonstrates that you sincerely appreciate them and their donations.
Keep the event exciting, active and on-time. For many guests, particularly at school and small community events, choosing your event over another outing, activity or party weighs into their budgeting decision-making. If dinner is late, you've lost your audddience. Speeches, slide shows, brow beating appeals for donations, and events that get off schedule or last late into the evening are unpleasant memories for your guests, causing them to leave early or not return in the future.
Finally, you must employ technology throughout the pre-, post- and at the event. You can jump into Twitter, Facebook and You Tube, but if you haven't updtaed your web site in 2 years, don't bother employing the newest technology. Master the old (phone calls, face to face meetings, web site and hand written letters, and database management), before exclusively using the latest items. Have you contacted everyone in your database--or do you have one--who has donated, attended, inquired or recently moved to your area? Are there new businesses opening who might bring new sponorship and volunteer assistance?
Yes, benefit auction planning takes time--12 to 18 months for the best results, but you can succeed -- or exceed-- your goals when you take time to optimize. Remember, many of the longest sustaining non-profits and for profit businesses began during the Depression; therefore, you can rise, too.
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