Before the Bidding Comes the Planning Things to keep in mind wh

Once you have everyone in the room, you want to make sure the items available to bid on meet the interests of your guests. The more demand for an item, the higher the bidding and the more revenue you raise. The best auction lots are items, experiences and activities that are not easily purchased. When determining these items, think about your audience, their interests and a realistic budget range for bidders. For school auctions, children's artwork is always a winner.

Best Practice #4: Adopt Technology When Useful

Technology has come a long way in helping nonprofit fundraising, and auctions are no exception. Some of the most significant cost and time expenditures around an event can be simplified by implementing a little technology. Invitations are a great example. While everyone likes to receive a pretty invitation to open, consider augmenting the RSVP process by offering online registration for your guests. This will reduce the cost of printed reply cards and stamps, as well as make it more convenient for your guests. Once you have a Web page in place to take registration, you can add the URL to all of your organization's mailings, including follow-up reminders about the event.

Best Practice #5: Focus on the Event-day Experience

You can plan the best event, budget accurately, procure enticing items and utilize technology wisely, but ultimately the success of your event comes down to one critical point: the guest experience. If your guests do not have a good time, chances are they will not bid often, they might not stay for the entire event, they might not return for your next event, and they might share their unpleasant experience with friends. To ensure that this doesn't happen, always keep a focus on the event-day experience from the guest's perspective. Think about what elements of the event will keep your guests happy and what will detract from a positive experience. For example, a disorganized event with long lines at check-in and check-out will have a negative impact on the guest experience.