Do you need more than just an "auctioneer"?

Many of our new clients are pleasantly surprised after our second or third meeting about how we have offered many new suggestions and ideas about ways to grow their events. "Our last Auctioneer never mentioned any of this stuff, we talked a couple of times and then he/she showed up at the event, read our catalog to the crowd, and left!" 

We believe that the best way to have a great idea is to have a lot of ideas, ideas that are based on what has worked at hundreds and hundreds of events nationwide and what might work at yours.  Would you welcome suggestions and new approaches about:

• Getting your board on-board
• Getting everybody on your committee on the same page
• Timelines
• Messaging
• Silent auction strategies
• Unique new live auction lots and their ordering
• Crafted appeals
• Changing the mindset of your attendees from "They do the same thing every year" to "I wonder what they're going to do this year?"

As far as I know, the only way to accomplish this is to engage a CONSULTING FUNDRAISING AUCTIONEER, who will work with your team.  Just a few questions during the interview about what kind of participation to expect from a prospective Auctioneer should let you know whether you're getting a bid caller or a game changer!

The most exciting auction lots of 2015

Our annual compendium of the most exciting auction lots we saw at fundraising auctions is back, with a whole new list of creative and engaging items. This year we saw the Warriors become the hottest Bay Area sports team; on the court and on the stage. Chefs continued to be the rock stars of the fundraising world, as food-related lots continue to get more and more creative.

The Taylor Swift tour was so popular, we saw packages of tickets to her concert succeed at six different events across the nation. This year, we had so many lots to choose from, we opted not to limit it just to 10, and instead included the 15 lots we thought would best serve as creative examples.

As always, the goal of sharing these isn’t to get you to replicate them. The goal is to inspire you to create your own stellar lots, so we can include them in our next best-of list!

So without further ado, here are our most exciting fundraising auction lots of 2015, presented in no particular order.

Six Tickets to U2 and a Meet and Greet with Bono. Seriously!!

What can we say? It’s a U2 concert with five of your best friends. Oh and you’ll hang out with Bono beforehand. Enough said.

Conditions: Concert date is May 19th, 2015 at the SAP Center in San Jose.

Visit the Set of Modern Family and Lunch at the Fox Commissary

Watch an actual episode of the award winning show “Modern Family” being filmed on the set of 20th Century Fox Studios.  See the Emmy and Golden Globe winning actors and writers create one of the most popular sitcoms on television, and get a chance to meet some of the cast in person.

Enjoy lunch at the legendary Fox Commissary, home to stars ranging from Rita Hayworth to Mel Brooks and many more.  Arrive via Southwest Airlines, (your certificate is good between any two cities within the Southwest Airlines system in the continental US and expires 4/1/2016).  Stay overnight at Hollywood’s favorite luxury hotel, The Peninsula Beverly Hills, and be transported to and from the lot in a chauffeured town car.

Golden State Warriors Honorary Player Experience and Owners' Suite

Give your child the experience of being introduced alongside the Warriors starting lineup as an honorary player! He or she will be part of the team huddle, tour the Warriors locker room and receive a Warriors jersey of the player of their choice. Then, enjoy exclusive use of the Owners suite to watch the game with 18 of your closest friends and family!

Restrictions: Honorary player experience limited to 2 people; children must be between 8-16 years old. Owners suite includes 16 seats and 4 standing room tickets for a maximum of 20 people. Mutually agreed upon game; game exclusions apply. Non-transferable.

Behind the Scenes of “Check Please!” with Leslie Sbrocco

Behind-the-scenes of "Check, Please! Bay Area" in the KQED Studios for a group of four: watch a live taping, get tours of the studio, and meet our emcee this evening, Leslie Sbrocco. Leslie is one of the 100 most influential people in the wine business. She has won a James Beard award, three Taste Awards, and three Emmy awards.

She’ll welcome you in to the KQED studios and give you a VIP tour of the studio. Then you’ll get to watch the live taping of the show and meet the cast and crew. Afterwards, head over to the Mission Rock Resort for a lovely lunch.

[Note: Leslie was the emcee of the event, and did a fantastic job of establishing relationships with people long before she took the stage. Her lot sold spectacularly well because people were supporting her as much as the organization.]

Taylor Swift!

Winners gonna bid, bid, bid!

Where is The 1989 World Tour touching down on Tuesday, June 9, 2015 at 7:30 PM? The PNC Arena in Raleigh, NC. Who will be the biggest fans in the audience? The winners of this wonderful package which includes six tickets to see the fabulous Taylor Swift in concert.

Guys' Beer Bus III: I Left My Liver in San Francisco

Back for a liver-smashing third time, the Beer Bus! We've done the North Bay. We've done the East Bay. Now we are going across the Bay. Join us as we visit some of the finest breweries in San Francisco... and on a friggin' limo bus that has beer in it. Yeah, you read that right. A limo bus, with beer, taking you to places that make beer, to drink more beer! Oh, and that's not all. All winners get a year-long membership to the Hillcrest Dad's Beer Club, which includes FREE BEER during our monthly gatherings. So what are you waiting for?

Top 20 guys, bidding starts at $200/guy.

The Buster-Hug! By Jared Emerson

Jared Emerson doesn’t just paint people, he captures moments on canvas, live! Right before your eyes, at our event, Jared Emerson will capture one of Giants fans’ favorite moments: the Buster hug! 

For SF Giants fans, few moments are as memorable, or as endearing, as the BusterHug that closed out the 2014 World Series run. Sure, Buster’s given hugs to other pitchers, but few were as emotion filled as the hug he gave Bumgarner in 2014. You’ll get to see Jared paint it live, and then you’ll have the moment forever on your wall.

[Note: Art is usually a challenge to sell in a fundraising auction. This piece was created in real-time by the artist, and the subject matter was custom-chosen by the organization in advance. The artist wanted to do a different image, and the event was steadfast about wanting the “Busterhug”. It sold for $11,000 – twice!]

Stop, Hammer Time!

Internationally known, award-winning artist and entrepreneur M.C. Hammer has invited you, your friends or colleagues for the experience of a lifetime. Take this unique opportunity to gain one-on-one access to an outstanding performer and icon, to discuss technology or entrepreneurialism, or for the best dance lesson you could ever hope for.

Hammer skyrocketed to fame in the 90s, and has had an incredible journey ever since. From the start, he has constantly worked to reinvent himself, his sound, and his interests. In addition to being a multiple Grammy award-winning and chart-topping musician, M.C. Hammer has initiated several business ventures in music, technology, and often both. The knowledge he has gained during the past decades is the result of a unique perspective and interesting experiences. Don’t miss out on what he has to share.

If you’ve always wanted to learn to dance like a hip-hop idol or yearned to discuss business and technology with an innovator and risk-taker, don’t miss this first-ever offer to the ISTP community. Bond with M.C. Hammer in a small group while he teaches you to cut a rug like a super star, or invite him to share his incredible professional journey with you and your company for a lunch discussion or seminar.

Inclusions:

• 1 hour of time with MC Hammer to discuss business, technology, or dance lessons

• Offer good for individuals, small or large groups—depending on the chosen activity

Backyard BBQ with Jeremy Affeldt

16 guests will join San Francisco Giants pitcher Jeremy Affeldt for an afternoon BBQ featuring some of Jeremy’s favorite dishes. Larkin Street youth will co-host, helping prepare the feast and also ensuring that Jeremy never uses a knife! Grab a tasty plate, sip a cold brew, and chat with Jeremy about baseball, Larkin Street, and life. Hosted at the San Francisco home of Larkin Street board members.

 To be held on a mutually agreeable date with Jeremy Affeldt.

2015 Ford Mustang Convertible

Thanks to South Bay Ford, one lucky bidder will have the opportunity to have their designated driver take them home in his/her brand new Ford Mustang convertible! Ford has completely redesigned the iconic Mustang for 2015 inside and out. The sleek new aggressive profile is reminiscent of the true “muscle car” that the model was born from 50 years ago. This car is a quintessential example of the South Bay lifestyle and perfect for commuting around town or whisking a new graduate off to college.

The ingot silver paint with black convertible top gives it a classic look and will turn heads at every corner. The also redesigned 300hp 6-cylinder engine is designed for pure performance, yet still has impressive 20 city / 30 hwy MPG. Also sporting the select-shift automatic transmission, Ford’s revolutionary Sync audio system, and rear backup assistance, this is a car that puts you in the mood for performance. This auction is all-inclusive: includes the car, tax & license fees.

[Note: We don’t usually recommend selling a car, unless it is donated and is an exciting vehicle. This convertible Mustang met both requirements.]

Rockin' with Linkin Park

SoCal rockers Linkin Park became one of the most successful bands in the world by combining elements of hip-hop, modern rock, and atmospheric electronica into their music. Their popularity is exemplified by the band’s massive online presence. They are the biggest band on Facebook with over 63 million friends and were the first ever band to garner over 1 billion views on their YouTube channel.

Linkin Park is known for having a sound that has evolved as their career progressed. From high-energy alternative rock like “One Step Closer” and “Faint” to modern classics like “In the End” and “What I’ve Done” they have always delivered the goods resulting in over 60 million albums sold worldwide.

Whether you are a Linkin Park fan or just a music fan, this opportunity brings a truly unique experience to create a lifetime of memories. Linkin Park has invited us to a “studio experience” for 10 guests. You will get to hang out with members of the band and get a tour of their Los Angeles recording studio where they are recording their new album.

Transportation will be provided by private limousine, and the winner will take home a guitar signed by the band. Winner(s) could choose to purchase additional guitars to have signed by the band during their studio visit.

Hog Heaven

Hunt for the big hogs and learn the art of charcuterie. Game on for a first-class pig hunt on the legendary Rockpile Ranch, rich in history that includes notorious outlaws from the Jesse James gang. Spread across 10,000 acres of unspoiled Sonoma County wilderness with steep hillsides and rocky, remote terrain, this famous ranch is a sportsman’s paradise! You’ll kick back with your hosts as an expert wild game hunter and ranch caretaker prepares a late afternoon cowboy steak supper.

Then as the sun fades, head out for your big game hunt from a Jeep as you tour this magnificent property with Pacific Ocean views. Your pig will be cleaned and dressed, and cut, so you can enjoy it when you get home.

Plus, learn the art of charcuterie with a hands-on lesson from Italian Michelin Star chef, Stefano Masanti, who will teach you to make sausages, salami, pancetta, coppa and two different types of lardo from a heritage pig from Regusci Winery! And of course, it wouldn’t be a hunting trip without Scotch, cigars, and storytelling around the campfire to round out the day: “You shoulda seen that boar I wrangled bare-handed!” you’ll boast under the sparkling Sonoma stars. Settle in for the night at the rustic Rockpile hunting cabin and doze off reminiscing of days past when life was a little simpler.

Special Forces Day for Two with Gryphon Group Security Solutions

Over the last 14 years, Gryphon Group has trained over 30,000 American Warfighters, Special Operations Personnel from the Army, Navy, Air Force & Marine Corps as well as Federal Agents from 12 Federal Agencies in specialized combat training.

Now it is your turn to experience this incredible training experience with a day-long program at Gryphon Group’s Fort Bragg Combat Training Center. The successful bidder can choose from one of two full-day programs: Anti-Terrorism Driver Training or Anti-Terrorism Weapons Training. Participants must be ages 18 & up.  Donated by Gryphon Group Security Solutions.

Game of Thrones

Do you love the Game of Thrones? Do you love fine wine and great food? Have you ever experienced all three together? The lucky winning bidders will have a once in a lifetime experience enjoying dinner with Game of Thrones author George R.R. Martin in the elegant home of our board president. Chef Andrew Cooper, of the Four Seasons Rancho Encantado, will be in the kitchen. Some of Napa's greatest wines will partner with the evening's masterful menu.

It’ll be the first George R.R. Martin dinner where everyone lives happily ever after!

San Francisco Giants Gotham Club Dinner, wines, and a game for four with Rich Aurilla and Dan Kosta

Here’s your chance to see behind the scoreboard! Located inside the out-of-town scoreboard, with unique views to the Field and McCovey Cove, this venue features a stunning bar and a private dining area. A private, members-only entrance along The Portwalk grants members direct and easy access to The Clubhouse and inside the ballpark.

Former San Francisco Giant Rich Aurilia and Dan Kosta will host dinner for four guests at the exclusive Gotham Club featuring wines by Kosta Browne and Red Stitch.

After dinner, head down to the ball park and enjoy the game! Includes transportation from Sonoma County to the game.

Mutually agreeable date.

Peanuts Movie Exclusive Two Ways! Private air to Premier in Los Angeles AND private screening in Santa Rosa!

For the first time ever, Snoopy, Charlie Brown, and the rest of the gang we know and love from Charles Schulz’s timeless Peanuts comic strip will be making their big-screen debut like they’ve never been seen before in a CG-animated feature film in 3D.

First, you and three guests will have an exclusive experience at the Peanuts premiere in Los Angeles on Sunday, November 1st. Travel in style on a Cessna Citation jet, and enjoy overnight accommodations, and limo transportation from your hotel to the premier!

Next, you and up to 80 guests will experience a private screening of the Peanuts movie at the Charles M. Schulz Museum! Bring your child’s class or your family and friends for a fun-filled day including the movie, root beer floats, and chocolate chip cookies, followed by a tour of the Schulz Museum.

The Ultimate Buy-a-Seat Dinner - Four Top Chefs and Exquisite Wines

Join your fellow food and wine connoisseurs in this inaugural, once-in-a-lifetime dinner prepared by four San Francisco culinary icons.  With numerous Michelin Stars, James Beard Awards and Relais & Chateau acknowledgements among them, chefs Nancy Oakes, Gary Danko, Tyler Florence, and Yigit Pura will cook together for the first time ever!  This not-to-be missed dining adventure would not be complete without extraordinary wines from California and France.  When the chefs are not preparing this unprecedented collaborative menu for you, they will join you at the table where you can get to know them and hear their fascinating stories.  Enjoy amazing food, spectacular wine, and possibly make some new friends at the same time!

Only 10 seats will be sold in multiples of two to this extraordinary dinner. Bidding will open at $10,000 per couple. 

Wine pairings will include:

• 2006 Roederer Cristal
• Marcassin Three Sisters Vineyard Chardonnay
• 2004 Leflaive Chevalier ‎Montrachet
• 2002 Comte de Vogüé Musigny Vieilles Vignes
• 1986 Chateau Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande
• 1996 Chateau Lafite Rothschild
• 1997 Chateau Lafite Rothschild 
• 1989 Chateau d’Yquem

If you wish to bid on more than one pair of tickets, indicate how many pairs by holding up that number of fingers

Don't over-combine sports packages

One commonly held misconception in the world of fundraising is that more means more. The tendency is to add to an auction lot until it is bursting at the seams with value. And while it does make sense to round out packages, there is a point at which adding more to a package does not result in a higher sale price.

Nowhere do we see this proven more consistently than with sports packages. All too often an organization will take all of their various sports donations and put them into one mega-package, only to see it sell for the same as just one of their experiences would have on its own.

For example, one year a client had a behind-the-scenes experience with the San Francisco Giants for four people that sold for $3,400. The next year they decided to add 49’ers tickets, Sharks tickets, Oakland A’s tickets, and Stanford Football tickets to the same Giants package. The combined mega-package sold for…$3,600.

Would these people overpay to see the Oakland A's? Don't bet your auction on it.

Sports fans are often rabid – the word “fan” is derived from “fanatic” after all – but about their team or their favorite sport. Just because someone is a baseball fan doesn’t mean they are necessarily a football fan or a basketball fan and so on. Combining a bunch of experiences that they aren’t necessarily interested in into one auction lot doesn’t change their perception of value.

Put another way, if a buyer is willing to spend $3,000 on a Giants experience, adding a bunch of other games for teams they don’t care about isn’t going to magically increase their maximum bid. And it certainly isn’t going to maximize the potential of your donations.

Furthermore, the hope that the different sports fans will bid each other up doesn’t yield results, either. Each fan has their own perception of value for the single component they are interested in – which is always less than the value of the package as a whole.

If you have a bunch of different sports experiences donated to your auction, do you and your donors a favor and keep them separate. You’ll make more money, make your donors happier, and you might even get some valuable data on your bidders’ sports preferences.  

How to solicit wineries for auction donations

Wine and wine-related experiences are consistently some of the best-selling items in a fundraising auction. Almost every auction committee we work with is attempting to add more wine to their auction, and the question we get asked most is, “How do I get wineries to participate in our auction?”

Tony Lombardi of Lombardi Wines has helped hundreds of causes over the years.

My good friend Tony Lombardi, founder of Lombardi Wines and former brand manager at Kosta Browne Winery, offered to share some of his insights on this process. In his years at Kosta Browne, he fielded as many as 35 requests a week for donations to fundraising auctions. And while his new venture, Lombardi Wines, may not have the global recognition of KB yet, he still gets lots of solicitations for donations.

And where he can help make a difference in the world, Lombardi loves to do so. “I love working in an industry that is so giving,” Lombardi says, “One that helps raise funds and awareness for so many worthwhile causes, through the donation of wine.” The challenge with so many organizations who do great work seeking donations is narrowing down the list to the few they can support every year. Here are some of Lombardi’s biggest tips for soliciting wineries.

People Support People

First and foremost, don’t go in cold. “The key thing,” Lombardi says, “is relationships. I’d look through the many requests we got every day to see if there were any names I knew, charitable organizations within our local community or causes that were near and dear. If there was no direct connection, it was a little easier to deny the request.”

If you know someone at the winery, make some effort to reach out in a personal (and personable) way. Give them a call, or better yet stop by the winery in person. If you don’t live in the Bay Area and can’t afford a trip to visit wineries in person, write a letter and include a hand-written note. Whatever you do, don’t just send a fax.

Popular wineries get five to twelve fax requests a day, and they all wind up in a big pile. Unless your fax is addressed specifically to someone you know at the winery, odds are it is going to wind up in the recycling.

Know Your Cause

This is a good guideline for anyone doing solicitation, but especially anyone soliciting wineries. You need to know what you are raising money for, where the money goes, and the change you are asking people to help make in the world. If you aren’t clearly communicating key information, it will make a bad impression. And you don’t get many chances to make an impression.

Communicate the emotionally engaging elements of your cause, let the winery know who you are trying to help, and how. Your description should be a solid elevator pitch, not a keynote speech. And if your organization isn’t one of the stereotypically emotionally engaging ones, you need to work even harder to communicate why it needs support (a common theme for arts organizations everywhere).

Everyone who works at a winery – from the proprietor to the winemaker to the marketing manager and so on – has personal causes they believe in. Ask them if there are specific causes they support, and then honor that choice.

Know Your Stats

Wineries make donations to fundraising events because they want to do good in the world, but they also donate to fundraising events because it is a proven method of marketing. A crowd of people willing to spend thousands of dollars on a trip to wine country will yield more guaranteed lifetime customers than any advertisement.

You need to know the statistics of your event, says Lombardi: “How many people attend, what the ticket price is, what the most expensive auction lot sells for, how many wine lots there are,” is all data that will help guide a potential donor.  “We’re looking for customers that share the same ideals and a loyal relationship we can nurture over a long period of time.” Wineries are looking for a target market, and yours might just be it.

Build Long-Term Relationships

How you approach people and how you build relationships has everything to do with the support base you build. If a winery doesn’t support you the first year you ask, accept it graciously and move on. Get on their mailing list or find someone in your organization who can get on their mailing list. Send the winery a thank you note for their time, and stay in touch. 

If they do make a donation, be sure to let them know how it helped. Get photos of the winning bidders and email them to the winery with a thank you after the event. Make them feel like part of your event. Better yet, make them part of your event next year by inviting them.

However you go about it, the most important thing to realize is that you are dealing with people. And people always react better and give greater support to people they know. So get out there and build relationships in the name of your event – it’s the best excuse to go wine tasting you’ll ever have.

Creative ideas for buy-in parties

The structure and nature of buy-in parties often encourage much more creativity than your “standard” winner-take-all type of auction lots. This is partly because buy-in parties need to be enticing enough for people to be willing to do them with potential strangers.

But it is also because the cost of participation in a buy-in lot is typically lower than your standard auction lot, making buy-ins seem affordable in comparison. People are therefore more willing to spend a “little” on a party or idea that might be cost-prohibitive if they had to buy the whole thing. [If you need a primer on what a buy-in party is, read this previous post: “How to: Buy In Lots in Your Live Auction”]

A Poker Tournament is but one example of a buy-in lot.

We’ve seen buy-in parties created by hosts who had a great idea, and we’ve seen buy-in parties created by cobbling together disparate small components to make something appealing as a whole. Whether you are new to buy-in parties or a seasoned veteran, following are some of the creative buy-ins we’ve seen over the years. Feel free to try to replicate these, but feel even freer to use them as creative springboards for your own unique buy-in lots.

Sushi, Sake & Karaoke

I love this party because it tells you everything you need to know in the title. If you like eating sushi, drinking sake and making a fool out of yourself singing karaoke – this is the perfect lot for you! If any of those things are a turn off, you won’t go near it.

The first time I saw this lot was at a school event, and a well-known family was the host. They had a friend who had a sushi restaurant, and the chef was going to come do a sushi preparing demonstration/class for everyone as the beginning of the party. I’ve seen variations since that just involved eating and drinking. Oh, and singing. Probably poorly.

Other Themed Parties

The vast majority of buy-in parties I’ve seen have been…well…parties! And the themes have been as diverse as the hosts throwing them:

Second Chance Prom

Bust out your turquoise tuxedo and neon prom dress, it’s time to reclaim the prom.

Black Tie Bar-B-Q

Don your BBQ best (think JR in Dallas) for a day of live music, fine wines, bourbon cocktails, and a gourmet feast of Southern fixins.

Sinners and Saints

Mardi Gras. Need I say more?

Martini Madness

1950’s themed party with Don Draper as the role model.

Moroccan Dinner Party

Mediterranean food, belly dancers, maybe a hookah or two.

All Aboard the Love Boat

Dress like your favorite character from the Love Boat, enjoy cruise themed food and drinks. Emphasis on the drinks.

The nature of buy-in parties also gives you a chance to add competition to the mix, and sell access on a per-team basis.

SCDS Grand Prix

Teams of four compete on a go-kart track to see who can record the fastest time. This lot was cobbled together from a few disparate elements: we had two races for 16 people at a local go-kart track; a mobile pizza oven that would do dinner for up to 20; and a few cases of beer and wine. We combined them all, along with a cheesy trophy for the winning team and a T-shirt for the person who had the slowest time, and sold it on a per-team basis.

Four teams of four people, opening bid of $250/team. It wound up selling for over $600/team – a great return on value.

Dip, Duck, Dive, Dodge!

Dodgeball! Eight Teams Enter, One Team Leaves!! Buy-In Tournament for 8 teams of 10 players each Held at a gymnasium that donated the space, with food, a keg of beer, and a round-robin tournament of dodgeball. For adults.

Balls of Fury

A bocce Ball Tournament, replete with food and beer.But I've also seen Beer Pong parties as well. These are obviously aimed at a crowd of people who know each other well and like to party together. Hard.

Poker Tournament

Pulled pork, lots of beverages and a night's worth of Texas Hold 'Em. It is good to have a grand prize of some sort for the person who wins the tournament. I hosted a poker tournament for my son's school and first place won a stack of EA games and a cheesy trophy made up; the person who lost all their money fastest got a T-shirt declaring such.

Amazing Race/Scavenger Hunt

These are sold on either a per-couple or per-team basis. These types of events really need a group of organizers who are deeply committed to setting up and running them; either extremely dedicated volunteers, or even professional scavenger hunt companies.

Not all of these ideas are appropriate for every event, obviously, but I believe that buy-ins of one type or another will work at almost every event. I’ve done plenty of high-end events that included buy-in parties that opened up at $1,000, $5,000 or even $10,000 per spot to attend them. The key is to create an event that is appropriate to your crowd and the culture of your event.

If you would like to implement buy-in parties in your auction, the best thing you can do is find some willing hosts and begin brainstorming ideas. If you ever have any questions, feel free to contact us directly. Otherwise, we’d love to hear about some of your creative buy-in parties in the comments below.