In my last post I talked about the Good, the Bad, the Ugly and the Easy of silent auctions.
Today I want to talk about the big kahuna: The Items
If you’ve got the right items, the auction is a winner for all concerned: the bidders, the donors, the item solicitors and your organization. If you’ve got the wrong items, not so much.
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Got a silent auction coming up?
Silent auctions are a bit like the story of the little girl with the curl in the middle of her forehead: When they are good they are very, very good; when they are bad they are horrid.
Silent auctions can be a great way to increase event revenue and entertain your guests.
The very best events I’ve witnessed are those where
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I know you’re strapped for time. But that’s no excuse for slapping your communications together with the sole purpose of “getting them out there.” Why bother? Checking this task off your list (and maybe reporting to your boss and/or board that you did so) may make you feel a bit better. But it won’t help your readers (and potential supporters) feel good.
If you want to get gifts you must give them. Consider your communications a gift to your supporters. Don’t give something generic. Give something your recipient will appreciate. Ask yourself…
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Sometimes it seems as if bequests actually do come from storks. They drop out of the blue, and you have no idea why. The gift isn’t from someone you recognize as a major donor. Often you don’t recognize the giver at all.
Because they seem mysterious, it can be hard to know where to look for bequests. So what do you do?
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A mixed bag of great links from around the web. I leave them to you to enjoy!
Fundraising is Fun
Click-it: Why Fundraising is Fun. This opinion piece by Arthur C. Brooks in the New York Times echoes something I’ve taught for years. Fundraising is a way you facilitate philanthropy.
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Philanthropy, Not Fundraising
For too many nonprofits something isn’t working. Change is happening at a rapid pace while people try to employ yesterday’s ‘best practices,’ seeming to work harder and harder to make do with less — while needing to serve more.
Before the digital revolution, an information imbalance existed. This facilitated a one-way ‘push’ model of marketing/fundraising. We could define our own brand and sell it. Guess what?
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First comes love… then comes marriage…
Are your supporters showing you they love you? Are you showing your supporters you love them? And finally — do you love your supporters?
It’s a long way from “I like you” to the altar.
Too many nonprofits forget this. And frankly, it’s hard to fall in love with someone you’ve barely met. So if all you have are solitary transactions with folks
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This week is all about building relationships using online media – with tips from some of my favorite nonprofit and for profit fundraising, marketing and social media gurus.
With donor retention rates hovering around 30 – 40% — yes, that means you’re LOSING 7 out of 10 new donors and 6 out of 10 repeat donors – it’s more important than ever to use every tool at your disposal to truly engage with your constituents. The majority of them are online, either a lot or a little. So read these articles and put your best foot forward!
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Stop counting likes and follows. If your work plan has “increase FB likes from X to Y or increase Twitter follows from Y to Z” as an objective, delete, delete, delete! Your objective must relate to your “why;” it can’t just be a “what.”
Who cares how many “friends” you have if none of them are engaging with you? Liking is passive. Engaging is active. What do you want folks to feel/think/do? You simply won’t get there by wishing and hoping. You get there by inspiring.
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If you’re not using social media to get and retain more donors, be afraid. Be very afraid.
Social media has ceased to be a nice little “toy.” An “add on thing.” It’s the thing. If you’re not hanging out where the majority of your constituents are getting their information, you may as well fold up your tent and go home. David Letterman didn’t “do social media.” ( See “Do you use the Twitter device?” ). He’s going home.
Letterman may be ready to go off into the sunset. But you shouldn’t be. You can learn new tricks!
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