Auctioneers and Nonprofit Auctions: A Surefire Way to Raise More Money
Introduction
If you’re thinking about fundraising through an auction, you’ve come to the right place. Mast Auctioneers has helped hundreds of organizations raise millions of dollars for their causes. And yet, some nonprofits think that volunteer-run auctions are the only way to raise money for charity. We’re here to tell you why having an expert auctioneer at your event will help boost the total dollars raised for your charity!
Fundraising auctions with professional consultants and auctioneers raise more money than auctions run by volunteers.
The most important factor in determining the success of a fundraising auction is how well you price your items. If you overprice your items and sell them for less than they’re worth, your organization won’t get as much money for them and fewer people will want to attend the event. On the other hand, if you underprice an item or sell it at its true value, then people will be happy with their purchases but not so happy that they will buy anything else!
This is where an experienced auction consultant comes into play. We can help you price each item so that you get the best possible return on investment while also attracting a crowd of buyers who have money to spend and are interested in bidding on new items.
In addition to pricing expertise, hiring a professional auctioneer also can help increase attendance rates because attendees know the auction will run smoothly and be enjoyable. Professional auctioneers are there to assure everything runs smoothly and efficiently without sacrificing quality (or customer service).
Work with your auctioneer to market your event effectively.
Marketing is not just about advertising. It’s about building a buzz, creating energy, and making the event memorable!
The team at Mast Auctioneers are experts in marketing. We know how to generate excitement for an event, so we can help you market your nonprofit auction with that same enthusiasm. When it comes to marketing, auctioneers have what it takes to make your auction a huge success: storytelling, enthusiasm, and expertise!
Make sure your auctioneer is an expert in nonprofit events.
If you’re thinking about hiring an auctioneer for your nonprofit event, you should make sure that they have experience in this area. Auctions can be tricky business, and it’s important to know how things will go down before the event starts.
Make sure that your auctioneer knows all of the rules of the game. They need to be familiar with what constitutes a bid (more than just saying “I bid $10!”), as well as how much time is left on each item up for bidding (and what happens if someone bids after time expires). Also remember that if someone bids out of turn or makes any other mistake during the bidding process, it may not count towards their final bid amount.
Conclusion
Professional auctioneers know how to interact with an audience and create excitement. They have the perfect combination of enthusiasm expertise that will help you raise more money for YOUR charity or nonprofit organization. So when it comes time to raise funds for your organization, remember this simple rule: don’t try and do it yourself! Contact us instead!
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How to Host a Successful Charity Auction

Hosting a big charity auction is an exciting event! You may be ahead of the game when it comes to planning your location, the exciting theme, and various ideas for big-auction items to raise the most money possible. But how do you use those hot items to draw people to your event? The biggest secret to having a successful charity auction is to have exciting items and secure those items early for donors to think about and build anticipation for your event through marketing strategies.
What do the People Want?!
Before you start collecting your big-ticket items, you will want to contact big donors and see what packages they would be the most inclined to bid on. You could prompt them by asking what travel packages they would be interested in and what they would be willing to bid on. Another option is to send out a survey of what items they are interested in. If you are lucky, this could even give you a commitment to purchase before your event.
Make it Exciting
While people love gift baskets and collectibles, the experiences are where you will make your money. These activities are priceless and will bring a lot of attention to your charity auction. You can advertise sporting events, day trips, vacations, etc. Use flyers, social media posts, and email campaigns to show these once-in-a-lifetime opportunities. This will build momentum and draw more of a crowd to your auction.
Advertise Your Auction Items
A MUST in charity auctions is giving sneak peeks. This will help donors to start thinking ahead of time about your items and why they need to be in attendance. This will also help them to mentally prepare to bid on larger amounts. Donors are more likely to spend more money if they have had time to budget and think it over. Someone who is put on the spot the day of may feel differently about spending thousands of dollars on the big-ticket items. By sending out sneak peeks through various marketing strategies, you are sure to put a thought in the back of your donor’s mind that will build excitement up until it is auction day.
Sell an Experience
Travel packages are guaranteed to create some interest. Donors may even get competitive to win the prize for themselves or their families. Most people who fit the profile of high net-value donors have a budget specifically for leisure travel. Wealthy 50+-year-olds are going to bring the cash to purchase these types of Experiences because they have the time and money set aside to do so. Bidding on a travel experience that they were already planning to take and giving that money to a good cause is going to be a win-win for them. Another way to make a couple extra thousand for your nonprofit is to sell the experience multiple times. You can conduct normal bidding, but then sell to the top two or three bidders.
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Facing Conflict As A Leader
As a leader, you are guaranteed to face conflict. You must be able to address conflict in a healthy, productive manner. Yes – you could try to avoid conflict (bad idea), but you won’t be able to escape it. The fact of the matter is conflict in the workplace is unavoidable. Having the ability to recognize conflict, understand the nature of it, and being able to bring a quick, solid resolution to conflict will serve you well as a leader. If you can’t, that might just be your downfall.
So how should you effectively deal with conflict when it arises? The following tips will help to more effectively handle conflicts in the workplace:
Define Acceptable Behavior
Be clear. Don’t assume people know what you expect of them. Be clear of what behaviors around your workplace will and won’t be tolerated. Thoroughly define job descriptions and what outcomes you expect. Have a well-articulated chain of command that uses effective communication.
Hit Conflict Head-On
You won’t be able to prevent all conflicts. But the secret to conflict resolution is conflict prevention when possible. Seek out areas of potential conflict and proactively intervene. You will likely prevent some conflicts from ever coming up. When conflict does arise, minimize the severity by dealing with it quickly.
Plan Before You Meet
Before you head into a meeting addressing the conflict at hand, prepare. We all know that conversations that deal with conflict can be tense – which could cause you to say things you don’t really mean. You want to avoid blurting out words in anger by clarifying what you truly want out of the meeting – before the meeting begins. If you want a certain behavior to stop, write that down before the meeting. If you want a peaceful working relationship, write that down before the meeting. If you are seeking to understand what the other person is thinking, write that down before the meeting.
Understand the Other Side
Take time to hear out the other person at the table. While hearing them out – actually listen. You want to understand the other person’s motivations and views before providing your own. Part of your goal should be to help the other person succeed and achieve their goals. How can you both work together to resolve the conflict at hand? By establishing mutual purpose and mutual respect, you help the other person understand your motives and also help them understand that you appreciate them for what they bring to the table.
The question is not if you will face conflict as a leader, but more so how you are going to handle conflict when it does arise. A resolution can be found when there is a sincere desire to do so. Be clear about your expectations, face conflict head-on, be proactive, and seek to understand before being understood.
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