“What an incredible event!”
“They did such a great job this year.”
“I can’t wait to bid next time!”
Everyone wants to hear positive feedback after their nonprofit event. Try these live auction tips to make your next fundraiser go from average to amazing!

#1: Make Use of Leaderboards
A leaderboard is a kind of communal information presentation where people can congregate at an auction to and see real time updates. This creates a sense of urgency in the bidding, and generally drives up the revenue that an auction generates. A physical leaderboard is fun and visual for bidders, but you can also check out some apps or websites that are just as engaging. Keep the Score is a great one to try, and it’s free.

#2 Tailor a Special Appeal
The special appeal of a fundraiser is how well an organization markets their cause. Of course, what the cause is will matter a great deal in this regard. However, an organization doesn’t have to be curing cancer or solving world hunger to have special appeal. Doing a little digging into the habits and preferences of your attendees is a great way to tailor a pitch for your cause that addresses things they care about specifically.

#3: Include a Keynote Speaker
Not every organization is going to have access to a well-known, authoritative, or even locally popular person to be a keynote speaker at their event. However, when possible, including someone of stature as a speaker is a great way to keep everyone focused on your cause. Just make sure to keep their addresses brief and focused.

#4: Create an Atmosphere
The atmosphere you create makes all the difference in a donor’s experience. Oftentimes, the best way to tailor the theme of a fundraiser event is to center it around the cause. But, when that doesn’t make sense, you can also use a variety of party themes or themes related to what you’re auctioning. Another live auction tip: be unique! Try something new! Some people like staying with tradition, and that’s more than fine. But sometimes, switching to an island getaway theme, a night in Vegas, or another theme is a perfect way to liven up your standard auction.

#5: Make Everyone Comfortable
Try to stay away from bright fluorescent lighting, hard backed uncomfortable chairs, proximity to other loud events, etc. When people are uncomfortable, they tend to give (or spend) less. Conversely, when people are comfortable, they tend to give (or spend) more. Adding in delicious food and drinks (it also helps to make alcohol available for people over 21) can go a long way into getting your audience in the giving mood.

#6: Streamline Donations
You don’t want donors struggling to figure out payment, especially after they’ve decided to bid on your auction. There are all kinds of ways to streamline donations — donation kiosks, text-to-give systems, mobile donation forms, and digital apps are some prime examples. Keep any focus on the payment process minimal so that your attendees can enjoy the auction function.

#7: Offer Sensational Bidding Items
Sometimes the auction items speak for the event itself. An appealing auction item brings the hype and anticipation — people will want to show up and want to bid when it’s something of value.

That’s where we come in. From mountains to the metropolis and everywhere in between,
Philantopia offers vacation travel packages that kick every auction up a notch. Plus, our
packages come at no risk to you — you only pay if the vacation package sells! Find your perfect package and enjoy your next fundraising event — with Philantopia, it’s sure to be a lively one.