Auction Training Workshop

Auction Planning Class

In December we hosted an auction planning class in partnership with auction support providers. The response was overwhelming and participants asked for more.
So we have created a two-part workshop that is perfect for development directors, development coordinators, and volunteer committee chairs.

The morning session will focus on the steps of getting an auction started. The afternoon session will take a more advanced look at your strategies and fundraising. Space in limited in each group so that we can have specific discussions around your organization’s needs and questions. Each session will look at case studies and examples of “dos” and “don’ts” of planning.

Wednesday, March 31
at The Melody Ballroom

9AM – 12PM Introduction to Auctions: $25
12 – 1PM Planners Lunch (share ideas in a casual setting):
$12 with conference attendance only
1 – 4PM Advanced Auction Strategies: $25
4 – 5PM Auction Planners Networking Hour: free to all attendees

Attend both workshops for only $40

Lunch Menu - $12 with conference attendance only
Grilled Chicken Breast on top of
Caesar Salad with Dressing on Side
Lunch Roll and Butter
Cookie
Assorted Juice and Soda

Register today HERE

Morning Session – Introduction to Auctions & Fundraising Events
9AM-12PM — $25
Are you a small non-profit looking to start your first fundraising event? Are you a staff member planning a fundraising event and looking for some tools for planning? This session will break down the basics and give you the 1-2-3 of planning your next fundraising event.
Topics will include:
• Recruiting and managing a volunteer planning committee
• Basic needs and resources for your event
• Basic budgeting – when to purchase and when to use donations
• Tips for sponsorship solicitation
• Ideas for auction procurement

Afternoon Session – Advanced Auction Strategies
1 – 4PM — $25
Are you looking for creative ways to raise more money? Do you wonder what trends are occurring in fundraising events? Are you looking for some specific insight about how you can increase your bottom line? This session will look at a couple of event case studies and identify strategies to implement in the planning of your next event that will reduce your workload and increase your profits.
Topics will include:
• Simplify your logistics to focus on your fundraising (room layout, sound quality, and guest experience)
• Creating an event program that increases your fundraising
• Get strategic about your auction (What sells? Should you do a silent/live auction? Compelling bidders)
• The Appeal (Don’t let this money making opportunity slip through the cracks!)

Both Sessions
9AM – 4PM — $40 (lunch available for an additional $12)
Are you looking to immerse yourself in auction planning? This full day will provide you both the building blocks and the advanced strategies. Join both sessions for a reduced rate. You can also purchase lunch for an additional $12 and stay for an auction planner networking session from 4 – 5PM. Share a glass of wine, share ideas, and share resources with fellow development professionals.

“I didn't know what to expect, but I was so glad I went. It was eye-opening and I appreciated the opportunity to learn.”
—December Workshop Participant


“I loved it! What a great way to help fundraisers in the area.”
—December Workshop Participant

Thank you to our sponsors:
The Melody Ballroom
Witham & Dickey

Reserve your spot... buy your tickets today! Click Here

Photography & Fundraising

A big piece of fundraising events is "managing the budget" to reduce your expenses and increase your income. So I am often asked about the use of a professional photographer at a fundraising event.

Before the explosion of Twitter, Facebook, and blogs I used to advise clients that volunteer photographers would get you fun photos for documentation sake and that hiring a professional event photographer wasn't a cost you should incur.


But now that social media is so accessible as a tool for pre-event marketing, post-event wrap up, sponsor thank yous, and post-event solicitations, don't miss out on a great opportunity to increase you support. The work of a professional event photographer can help you to really capture the important moments, the feel of the event, and can give you a tool to recognize all of the folks involved in the event.

Two of my favorite event photographers in the Portland area are:
Andie Petkus Photography -and-
Mon Amour Photography

The two of them each have a real sense of what it takes to plan a fundraising event and work hard to capture all of the elements involved. For example, photos of the food and beverages can be used to thank your vendors and donors. Photos of your auction items can highlight key auction donors. Photos of your volunteers and planning committee can be a great way to honor all of their hard work. Think about all of the ways to capture your event and how valuable the tool of a simple photo can be.


Thank you to our wine donor!


Thank you to our Committee Chairs!





Thank you to our great emcees!





Thank you to our donors!

Club Cabaret In Review

All photos by Andie Petkus Photography... click to see more photos.

Congratulations to The Northwest Academy on a great event February 27th. This year the organization made the bold choice to expand their event to allow for increased growth in head count. It was a bold move in a tight economy but one that was effective.

Their silent auction moved to the Sunken Ballroom at the Portland Art Museum where guests gathered for drinks, light bites, and lots of auction bidding. The theme was a 1930s super club set in Argentina. Guests came ready to Tango.




During the silent auction middle school students shined shoes and tapped their way through the room to the delight of many guests.

Gaucho stilt walkers roamed the room selling Wild Card Raffle tickets and doubled the raffle income from years past.

The wine wall was a huge success with over 130 great bottles of wine to select from.

By 7PM guests were ready for dinner and headed upstairs to the Grand Ballroom where music was playing and student ambassadors were greeting guests upon their arrival.













Vibrant Table served a fantastic Chicken Chimichuri that fit the theme of the evening.

Live auction bidding was fast and furious with three exciting additions to the auction this year. Big hits were:

1. Oprah Package - 4 tickets to a taping and hotel stay in Chicago.
2. Vocation Vacation Broadway Director Experience - with airfare and hotel to New York.
3. A Twilight Fashion Show - at the home used in the film as Edward's home, folks purchased tickets to attend a Twilight themed party and fashion show.

At the end of the Auction Karen & Skip Freedman were honored by board member Michael McCulloch with the Arlene Schnitzer Award for support in arts and education.

Then with a sputtering airplane crashing down in the jungle, the Northwest Academy Tango Cabaret entered for a show following the tango team through the jungles of Argentina in search of Carlitos, the King of Tango. Alison Irvine performed a beautiful love ballad with violinist Ardon Lee, and Noah Goldenberg and Kelsey Chapman Sutton were fantastic as the star crossed lovers.










The evening wrapped up with Tango lessons by Eric Zimmer and Erin Shannon. It was a fun event filled with lots of entertainment and passion for the school while raising funds for scholarships.

Congratulations to all the committee members on a great event and special thanks to Smart Tech AV & Vibrant Table on all of your support.

A a big special thanks to Karen O'Rourke & Kari Lackstrom for their committee vision and leadership!

If you missed the event but would like to make a gift to the scholarship fund at Northwest Academy... Click Here!

2010 Census... Be Counted

Stand up and be counted.

The 2010 Census is almost here and we want you to be counted. The 2010 census will provide the vital information needed to effect funding to your non-profit, to your state, to your budget.

Take some time to inform your constituents, staff, donors, and board members about the importance of the 2010 Census. All forms need to be returned by April 1st.



Here is some information from www.nonprofitscount.org about what's at stake.
Why is the Census so important to the nonprofit community?

Lower income and more mobile populations, precisely those served by many nonprofits, are frequently undercounted by the census, leading to underfunding of critical services and infrastructure and under-representation in government. Nonprofits can play an important role in making sure their communities are fully and accurately counted by educating them on the importance of the census and how to participate. The Nonprofit Voter Engagement Network (NVEN) is committed to providing tools and resources to help nonprofits engage their communities in the 2010 census through our Nonprofits Count! campaign.
How is Census Data Used?

The data collected by the Census next year will be used to determine a host of issues critical to the nonprofits community, including but not limited to:

* Decisions about what community services to provide, and how to distribute over $300 billion in federal funds to local, state and tribal governments each year for the next 10 years! Examples include spending on:
o Title 1 grants to educational agencies
(school districts across the nation)
o Head Start programs
o Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) (food grants)
o Public transportation
o Road rehabilitation and construction
o Programs for the elderly
o Emergency food and shelter
o Empowerment zone
* The drawing of Congressional, State House and State Senate district lines
* Distribution of Congressional seats to states

These are just a few examples of the ways in which Census data will be used in the next decade.

Event Solutions Magazine Talks To Us About Seating

Choosing the Right Seating
By Terah Shelton
Event Solutions Magazine

Have you ever paid close attention to where your attendees decide to sit at your meetings? Did you know seating configurations dictate the flow of your audience, the sociability of the event and the overall experience for the attendees? Unfortunately, most event planners leave seating arrangements and layouts up to chance, but where your attendees sit can influence the effectiveness of a meeting or event.

According to Paul Radde, author of Seating Matters, when you bring people from across the country and sit them in simple straight rows so that they can’t see each other, they get none of the value of non-verbal communication and it restricts and limits networking. “When you consider a great deal of seating at meetings is done in straight rows—which totally blocks the ability to see and be present to and other people—the last step in meeting execution is missing,” he says. “In certain respects, they would have seen more of the person if they were on a video seminar or webinar.”

Proper seating will and can enable successful event energy flow, says Eddie Diaz, owner and executive event producer for Encore Creations. “The placement of conversation areas, dining experiences and spectator’s arrangements will help with any event return on the objective and investment,” he says. “An event is an orchestrated experience with specific objectives. Knowing what you want out of the event can help with the selection of seating and placement.”

When considering seating for events, Samantha Swaim, a fundraising and event consultant, advises event planners to think about the two biggest elements you are trying to control with guest seating: program and sociability. “What configuration will best strike the balance of guests’ comfort and fun while also allowing for the focus and attention on program elements?”

Diaz suggests event planners ask questions and know exactly what they want their guests to feel and experience. “What is the objective of the meeting, event, party and so on?” he says. “Based on the answer, you can creatively and successfully design a seating plan that pushes the client’s desires to the edge and achieves the intended results.”

Moulin BRO
When Samantha Swaim was put in charge of the Moulin BRO, a Moulin Rouge-themed gala and auction in October 2007, she knew it would be a challenge. “Moulin BRO was a fundraising gala and auction for a political organization called Basic Rights Oregon. Because so many attendees in the audience are community leaders, business leaders and politicians, the audience is very engaged in networking and connecting to each other during the event,” she says. “This can be a challenge because the goal of the event is to focus guests on the mission of the organization and raise money for the cause.”

Her challenge was how to meet the needs of her audience of 700 people, getting them to socialize and to focus their attention on bidding. She decided to break the event into two sections and provide a unique seating arrangement. “First, we had an hour dedicated to socializing, A standing cocktail party with no seating allowed for guests to move freely among each other, talk, connect and network,” she says. “If there is limited seating and lots of activities, then you are forcing your audience to engage in the activities. This is great when you have a silent auction, a carnival, a casino, a cocktail reception. It forces people to connect and socialize.”

Next, she moved the audience into a ballroom with formal seating but kept the arrangement loose by seating guests at 8-foot-long tables. Swain typically uses 72-inch rounds that only allow guests the opportunity to talk to the person on their right or their left. This configuration gave them the opportunity to connect attendees to five other people within arm’s length, while keeping their focus toward the stage. “It eliminated the usual problem of half your audience having to crane around to see the program and gave guests more opportunity to connect,” she said. “The result was that the event felt like a huge celebration because people had so much fun connecting to each other.”

Read the rest of the article at EVENT SOLUTIONS

Obtaining & Retaining Sponsors

Hot off the press... Smart Meetings talks to us about getting creative with your sponsorship outreach!

Thanks to Sandi for a great article... lots of good information.


10 Ways to Obtain and Retain Sponsors

Author: Sandi Cain
February 2010

Your Roadmap for Success
10 Ways to Obtain and Retain Sponsors
When one of Samantha Swaim’s Portland clients lost its sponsorship due to budget cuts, she scheduled a meeting with the former sponsor to discuss alternatives. Swaim, principal of Samantha Swaim Fundraising LLC, works exclusively on nonprofit fundraising events, and she thought there might be a way to salvage the relationship and still meet the needs of her client. In the end, the company used in-house resources to provide marketing tools and printing to the group and recruited employees to volunteer during the event. The bottom line: “They’re returning with a cash sponsorship next year and will still do the volunteer components,” Swaim says…

Read Further at SMART MEETINGS

Should we sell art in our auction?

One of the biggest components of putting together a silent or live auction is the acquisition of your auction items. We often get asked about the use of art in auctions. Before we answer that, we always want to know about the audience, because matching your auction to your audience is the key to fundraising.


Art—paintings, sculpture, statues—is one of those commodities whose value can be quite subjective. Unless you are specifically cultivating an art collecting audience, and catering to an art savvy crowd, the odds are slim that you will make what the art is worth on the auction block. Quickly, a $1,200 painting can stall out at $300, and if the artist is in the room it can be a hard moment for everyone. Artwork can bring in great returns, but only when it gets the showcasing it deserves in front of an audience that clearly understands its value.


A great way to incorporate smaller level artistic donors and appealing auction items is to heavily solicit smaller ticket items from the world of crafts. Often these can come from folks already affiliated with your organization. There’s a fantastic market in silent auctions for knit items, jewelry, stationary, purses, quilts, and more. It’s a great way to have items that are unique to auction, allowing your patrons to have a one-of-a-kind takeaway that encourages them to return the next year because they know they can see things they can’t buy somewhere else.