Online Auction Fundraising can be Fun & Profitable
How to Have an Online Auction Fundraiser
Figuring out how to have an online auction fundraiser is pretty easy. Making sure the event is successful can be a little harder. There is some work involved, although you can argue that online auctions are easier to setup and run than other fundraisers. These planning tips could help reduce your personal workload and improve your chances of success.
Get Some Help
Many volunteers try to do all of the work themselves. This is not only tiring for them; it also reduces the success rate. When more people are involved in organizing, planning and advertising the fundraiser, more people find out about it. Working alone, you might only get a handful of people to bid on your auctions. You will make a lot more money for your charity if hundreds of people are bidding.
Get Donations for Your Auctions
You and your volunteers can contact local businesses to get donations that you can use for your online auctions. Examples of items that businesses are often willing to donate include free restaurant meals and discontinued store items. Eye doctors may be willing to donate a free basic eye exam. Mechanics may be willing to donate a free oil change. Services are popular items for auction participants.
Choose an Auctioning Tool
There are many online auctioning tools designed specifically for charitable organizations. In some cases, you can use the tools for free. It’s a good idea to take the time in the planning stage to compare the different tools available in terms of ease-of-use for you and for bidders. Try to look at the site from the perspective of a potential bidder. Otherwise, you could end up attracting hundreds of bidders to the site but get no bids, because the potential bidders found the site too difficult to use.
Pick a Date
Once you have your donations together, you can pick a date for the bidding to begin and another for the bidding to end. Some coordinators prefer to choose a short period of time for the bidding to go on. Others prefer a longer period of time to hopefully allow the bids to go higher. Much depends on the items that you have for your auction.
You can reasonably expect someone to bid as high as $30 for an eye exam, for example, and a one hour bidding window should be sufficient to get that amount. If you got a dealer to donate a free car, on the other hand, you would probably want a wider window to allow more people to bid and increase your chances of getting a large amount of money.
Advertise, Advertise, Advertise
Advertising is key when we talk about how to have an online auction fundraiser that is successful. You should advertise on social networks like Facebook. Advertise at the offices or stores of your sponsors. Advertise on radio or local television networks. Never pass up an opportunity to talk about your event.
Category: Fundraising Tips, Ideas and Strategies
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