Elevate Your Fundraising: The Ultimate Live Auction Guide

Live auctions are widely recognized for their capacity to generate significant revenue for nonprofit missions. However, they sometimes miss the mark in delivering an engaging experience that leaves supporters eager to participate in future events. To charm your audience and encourage anticipation for upcoming gatherings, nonprofits must innovate and adapt. 

How can you achieve this? By leveraging technology and applying creative strategies, you can elevate your live auction beyond the ordinary. 

ClickBid CEO, Matthew Burnell, recently sat down with Louis Murad from Murad Auctions to deliver key insights on how to elevate a traditional live auction. Together, they explored the importance of hiring a professional auctioneer, effective event marketing ideas, and innovative strategies to maximize donor engagement and fundraising potential. 

Check out the pre-recorded webinar below to learn how to elevate your fundraising through live auctions or read the recap below for more information. 

The Power of Professional Auctioneers

There are several things that contribute to hosting a successful fundraising event. The first step to making that happen is by hiring a professional auctioneer. A professional auctioneer is trained to control crowds and inspire generosity. Their efforts push donors to contribute and not let the energy fall.

At the heart of every successful live auction lives the expertise of a professional auctioneer. This skilled individual plays a key role in energizing the crowd, driving bidding wars, and ultimately elevating your fundraising efforts to new heights. Their ability to command attention, build excitement, and create a memorable giving experience is unparalleled and makes them an invaluable asset to your fundraising event. 

Engaging Live Auction Games 

In addition to traditional bidding with live auctions, auctioneers can lead engaging auction games to enhance donor participation. Popular live auction games include heads or tails, paddle sweep, and last man standing, each designed to boost excitement and offer friendly competition in the fundraising experience. 

Unlocking the Potential of Live Auction Items 

The success of a live auction also directly depends on the appeal of its auction items and their alignment with donor preferences. From luxury cooking experiences to once-in-a-lifetime trips to exclusive event tickets, the key is to offer unique items donors can’t find anywhere else — giving a feeling of exclusivity. 

For each live auction item, create a captivating display to draw your donor's attention. Include high-definition pictures and elements that stand out. Then when the time comes, the auctioneer will describe the highlights of each item, allowing donors to envision themselves partaking in unforgettable adventures while supporting a worthy cause. 

Whenever you’re planning for a live auction, be sure to ask your auctioneer about their plan for engaging the crowd to ensure donor participation. 

The Importance of a Dedicated Giving Moment 

Beyond the exciting auction items available for bidding, your donors are gathered together for your event – to support your mission. 

A dedicated giving moment allows your nonprofit to tell its story, showcase impactful visuals, and inspire generosity among attendees. By fostering this emotional connection and highlighting the outcomes of their contributions, nonprofits can ignite a sense of purpose and philanthropy that will leave a lasting significance. 

During the dedicated giving moment of your event, use display features like thermometers or visual effects that update in real-time to thank your donors. These features show your donors what impact they are making, encouraging them to keep contributing to hit your fundraising goals. 

Marketing Strategies for Live Auctions

Proper promotion of both your event and live auction plays a huge role in your fundraising success and attendance. Start by announcing high-ticket auction items to encourage conversation and gain excitement. You can also share updates when new items arrive, call out new sponsorships, and give a countdown reminder on social media/email campaigns.

Like any marketing strategy, the importance of repetition is key. Behavior studies show that in order to capture attention or properly communicate a message effectively, a reader must interact six times before remembering. Keep this theory in mind when marketing your fundraising event and live auction to ensure effective communication. 

Embracing Technology and Innovation 

As the fundraising landscapes continue to evolve, so must the tools and technologies used to engage donors. Current trends include hybrid events and digital programs to capture a greater audience. By seamlessly blending your in-person event and online participation, you can conduct a hybrid event that reaches more donors and crushes your goals. 

ClickBid’s EventStream feature ensures that no donor is left behind. The new era of fundraising has moved online and encourages everyone’s involvement, no matter of geographic location. Conducting a hybrid event through EventStream allows donors to bid on live auction items and donate to your mission in real time.

Just like mobile bidding increases auction totals, streaming your live auction online and adopting the hybrid structure will increase giving totals due to the larger audience. 

Elevate Your Live Auction Today

Live auctions provide the traditional fundraising experience for donors and drive serious revenue for nonprofits. Yet, their true potential is achieved when promoted effectively, having exclusive auction items, and guided by the expertise of a professional auctioneer. 

By implementing new marketing strategies, playing live auction games, or building excitement around a dedicated giving moment, your donors will be excited to participate and eager to contribute. Working with a professional auctioneer will help enhance your live auction experience, leaving your supporters excited for future events. 

For more information about Murad Auctions and their services, please visit their website. 

For more information on how your nonprofit can implement a hybrid event structure to streamline fundraising efforts and surpass fundraising goals, click here for more information.