Social media applications like blogs, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook can be useful tools to help you publicize, gain attendees and supporters for fundraisers such as benefit auctions. Not only are these tools free to use, but they enable you to relay short, constant reminders about your  fundraiser.

Creating “something to write” can be overwhelming for some people, so here are 12 auction-related ideas on what you (or your public relations volunteer) can post on Facebook, Twitter, Linked In, or other social networking sites to promote your benefit auction.

1. Announce donations: When an auction donation arrives, announce the item, thank the donor, and provide a link back to the donor’s website. Be sure to include a photo, if possible.

2. Ask for a donation to round out a package: “We need a florist to donate a bouquet to complete our Mother’s Day package at our Fabulous Fundraising Auction for Children.”

3. Testimonials: Auction fundraisers should be mission-focused. Keep your supporters updated with successes. For instance, “Peggy is off the streets, thanks to our non-profit,” or “Jeremy credits St. Stephens’s art teacher in giving him the confidence to pursue art in college.”

4. Event Preparations: Share a photo of the decor committee drawing backdrops for the auction, or the Gala Chairs meeting to send out invitations. This shows that others are involved in auction planning and preparing to attend the event.

5. Special announcements: Share news. “In just three weeks, we’ve surpassed 50 raffle ticket sales.”  Or, “Only 200 seats left before our school auction sells-out!”

6. Apply gentle pressure to past auction donors: A post such as, “We sold a lovely 2-night stay at the Fairmont last year, and are hoping they’ll donate again,” might work. Include a link to the hotel, and then contact the hotel so they see how you are treating them kindly – even before they donate.

7. Answer questions: Make the questions up, if you need to. “A new family to our school asked what was appropriate to wear to the benefit auction. Here’s our answer, and we included three photos of past guests.”

8. Create a list: You can create a list on almost anything. “Top 5 Reasons to Attend our Auction Fundraiser.”  “Three Ways You Can Volunteer That Will Take Less Than 2 Hours per Week.”

9. Seek specific volunteers: “Any math lovers out there? We need an auction clerk, and your primary job is recording numbers during the live auction. Any takers?”

10. Link to relevant websites: “In 55 days, our charity auction will be raising money for cancer research.  Here’s a link to fascinating article written by XYZ about the need for a cure.”

11.  Support your supporters: When you notice that one of your supporters (e.g. a school parent, a Board member, an auction donor) is mentioned in the paper, link to it and promote it. “Parent Joe Smith just got promoted and here’s the link. Way to go, Joe! We look forward to congratulating you in person at the gala next Saturday.”

12.  Call to action: Get your audience to act (or think about acting).  Something like, “Early-bird pricing on gala tickets ends tomorrow,” or “Get your gala dress at Lord & Taylor this weekend. The store has special occasion dresses on sale.”
These auction tips will get you started.  You’ll have fresh content in no time!

About the author: Sherry Truhlar of Red Apple Auctions LLC works with auction chairs and committees who want to plan their most successful charity auction yet.  In addition to offering the auctioneer “fast talk,” she works with clients nationally to teach them the tricks of auction procurement, audience development and marketing.  Many of the area’s most prestigious events are her returning clients, including the Washington Performing Arts Society, Larry King Cardiac Foundation, Camillus House, and the Washington Nationals Baseball Foundation.

Sherry regularly provides advice and tips for charity auctions on her blog at www.RedAppleAuctions.com/blog.  (c) 2010 Red Apple Auctions LLC. Reprinted with Permission.

Many nonprofits are looking for new and exciting ways to engage supporters during these tough economic times.   While direct donations to charity might be down, at the same time online shopping is up.  Amazon reported sales up by 18% last year.  More people than ever are now comfortable shopping online and may be looking for a good deal.  This may be the perfect time for your nonprofit to investigate online auctions as an innovative way to raise funds.

In fact online charity auction provider cMarket reports that in 2008, they hosted 2,259 online auctions for charity.  That’s a 44% increase from the prior year.  These auctions resulted in $20,459,687 in funds raised for a variety of causes.

cMarket is ready for an even bigger 2009.  The company has already booked 58% more charity auctions for the first quarter of this year than the same time last year.

One of the great things about online charity auctions is that you can reach a wider base of supporters, rather than relying on major donors or grants.  You can cast a wide net, giving people all over the country the chance to support your group.   In addition to bidding on items up for auction, people can help out by donating auction items or becoming sponsors.  Just like traditional corporate sponsorships, they make a donation in exchange for your group including their information on signage and marketing materials.  In this case, the company’s logo on your online auction site.

Besides reaching out to your supporters to bid on items up for auction, you could get bids from people that never heard of your organization before.  That’s because there are over 88,000 registered shoppers on Bidding for Good, the sister site to cMarket.  They may be looking for something that you have to offer on auction and place a bid.

Jon Carson, CEO of cMarket commented, “The nonprofit sector is suffering on nearly every front, but there is a bit of good news and tangible growth indicators that suggest American consumers are happy to purchase goods and services from non retail sources when their money goes to a good cause.”

Visit cMarket online auctions to find out more about their services, and get a free guide, 50 Ways to Make Your Next Auction a Success.

A few weeks ago I had a great discussion with Laura Quinn from Idealware, a website that reviews software applications for use by non profit organizations. In addition to interviewing me, she also spoke with several other consultants and non profit leaders about their experiences with online auction software such as cMarket and eBay.

Her article is a must read for anyone considering an online auction. In addition to the software aspect she also covers some of the basics and best practices for running such auctions.

An online charity auction can be a good way to raise money, rally support for your cause, and, hopefully, have some fun. Like any special event, though, an online auction requires solid planning and a fair amount of staff time. What it won’t require, however, is substantial technical expertise. There are several good online platforms that will host and help you manage your online auction.

Keep Reading: A Few Good Online Auction Tools

Has your organization considered taking its fundraising auction online? eBay is great for small auctions and those just looking to get their feet wet in the auction world, but cMarket offers a lot of advantages for groups who are serious about raising funds with online auctions.

I first learned about cMarket over a year ago and finally got to meet them at the Association of Fundraising Professionals conference in March. Jong Soo Hallet (at left) has always been great about answering my questions about the cMarket system. Several of the other team members were there, and they were also very friendly and helpful.

cMarket really does place the customer in first place. They offer online training, free teleseminars and a help desk in case you need it. They are always improving their services so that groups can be even more successful with online auctions.

Two of cMarket’s services that compliment the auction software can dramatically increase your fundraising results:

cMarket Place gives you access to consignment items to add to your auction at no upfront cost. There are high ticket and specialty items that can get some big bids from auction “attendees.”

Bidding for Good is a way that your auction can reach a greater audience. People who may have never heard of your organization can search, view and bid for your auction items. (Just like on eBay!)

Find out More about cMarket

During a recent interview I gave an introduction to cMarket and some of its benefits. Now you can listen to this 8 minute audio clip for free

Or just fill out a request form to get more information about cMarket’s services.

Many community and non profit agencies use auctions as a way to raise funds. This is a fundraising technique that has been used successfully for many years. Often live auctions are the center of attention for a special event. Silent auctions can be a natural add-on to other fundraising plans. And finally, online auctions have brought this technique into the 21st Century.

1. Silent Auctions - The most basic auction type is the silent auction. The reason for calling it the most basic and for listing it first is that it’s the easiest to plan if your group has never done an auction before.

Items for the auction are displayed during a special event and participant bid at their leisure. Bids are written down on specially prepared bid sheets near the item. The silent auction be be designed to require that bidders write their signature with the bid. Another option is to assign bid numbers in advance so that bids are anonymous. The winner of the item is the person with the highest bid when the silent auction officially closes.

2. Live Auctions – Live auctions require an auctioneer to verbally call and sell each auction item. Live auctions work best when there are items of high dollar value and/or a special interest.

Often live auctions will have a theme which relates to the mission of the charity. For example an arts organization may have an art auction. A Humane Society may feature items of interest to pet owners, and so forth. Non profit groups can also consider partnering with existing live auction events to raise funds.

3. Online Auctions – One of the internet’s most popular websites is eBay. Now charitable organizations can use the power of internet auctions to raise funds without the need for an in person event.

Besides eBay there are auction software providers such as cMarket that cater specifically to non profit organizations. Now with such user friendly software just about any group can hold an online auction at a reasonable cost.

Conclusion

When planning a charity auction consider how it will fit into your organization’s overall fundraising strategy, to your existing special events and to the interests of your audience.

Keep A Child Alive, a charity that gives anti-retroviral treatment to children with AIDS in Africa held an auction for the first iPhone, two Jawbone Bluetooth headsets, two round-trip plane tickets (domestic flights) and two V.I.P. passes to the Keep A Child Alive Black Ball. The Keep A Child Alive Black Ball will be held on October 25th in New York City and will honor the singer/philanthropist/activist Bono.

Spike Lee, the filmmaker well-known for films such as Junglefever, purchased the iPhone at Apple’s Soho store in New York City and donated it for the fund-raiser. The auction was won at 6pm on Friday, June 29th, though as of now the new owner is still anonymous.

The iPhone will get a special personalized voice mail greeting from Alicia Keys, the first Global Ambassador of Keep A Child Alive.

In Georgia this spring, the fires destroyed more than half a million acres. In Fargo, Georgia on the Florida-Georgia line, the small volunteer fire department is selling t-shirts as a fund-raiser. The t-shirts are printed with “The Big Sweaty Bugaboo – Teamwork Is Not An Option, It’s A Lifestyle”.

The Mayor Robbie Lee states that proceeds from t-shirts sales will help to purchase a new fire truck for the volunteer fire department.

The t-shirts are selling for twenty dollars each. To date, more than 2,400 have been sold. The t-shirts are being sold at City Hall and several local businesses in Fargo, and an account has been set up on eBay.

Last year, a lunch with the well-known investor Warren Buffett helped to raise $620,000 for charity. Buffett is once more auctioning a lunch to benefit the Glide Foundation.

The Glide Foundation is a social services charity that provides assistance to the poor and homeless that live in San Francisco.

Bidding for the lunch begins on eBay on June 24th and will end on June 29th at 7:00 PT. The winning bidder and Buffett will selected a “mutually agreed upon date” for the lunch.

The winner of the lunch is invited to take six guests to lunch with Buffett. The lunch will be held at the Smith & Wollensky restaurant in New York City. The restaurant has donated $10,000 to the Glide Foundation and has generously offered to host the lunch.

The 2006 lunch with Buffett was the second-most expensive charity item offered for bidding at eBay. The top item offered at eBay was a Harley Davidson motorcycle that Jay Leno sold in 2005 that was autographed by many celebrities.

What is it the commercials say? You can find “it” on eBay. “It” can be just about anything – from collectables, the latest fashions, comic books and even cars and homes.

Many charities are now diving into the world of online auctions at eBay, using them as a tool in their fund-raising toolbox with great success.

Jill Finlayson, a fomer eBay Senior Category Manager has written a book titled Fundraising on eBay. Written with Greg Holden, a bestselling author and eBay PowerSeller, this book is chock-filled with practical tips that any charity can take advantage of no matter its online auction skills.

If you have never placed an item for sale at an online auction, this book will walk you through the process. If you are an experienced user of online auctions, this book will offer you tools to maximize the benefits of your online auction experience.

Probably the best feature of this book is the case study after case study that it features, showing non-profits just how other non-profits have used eBay to their advantage. Reading these case studies will no doubt inspire you to do a lot of “we could do it too” type of thinking. This is a book that will inspire you to take action and come up with inventive ways to raise funds for your organization.

Step by Step Fundraising was fortunate to have Ms. Finlayson take some time to speak with us about how fund-raisers can use eBay. We thank her for her time.

Why should non-profits sell on ebay?

The number one reason for nonprofits to sell on eBay is that it allows you to tap into a much larger group of people to get more bids, dollars, and supporters. The second reason is that eBay allows you to accomplish several goals instead of just one goal. It’s not just about raising the funds, it’s about increasing awareness, finding donors, converting in-kind gifts to cash and getting the market value for your goods. eBay allows you to leverage a global marketplace and get the most bang for your fundraising effort. That’s why people use eBay.

What are some of the top selling items on eBay?

There are three main categories:

• The first is collectibles, such as vintage items and classic brand items including many things you find in your closet that you think have no value but to someone else it does.
• The second is practical or new items, brand new with tags. Often these are the types of things that you would typically get donated from companies. Most valuable are hard to find popular items and brand name items. For example, a “generic” new teddy bear might not sell on eBay, but a teddy bear made by Steiff will do very well.
• The third category that does very well is experiences. Non-profits can raise money by selling one of a kind items and experiences from celebrities, or on a much smaller scale can auction off lunch with the mayor or turn a town event into an experience by auctioning off the opportunity to be the one to, for example, turn on the lights on the town’s holiday tree. There are experiences that have mass appeal and then there are experiences that have local appeal. Often your board members will have contacts for experiences such as premium tickets to a sporting or theater event or friends who are influential in politics, business, or entertainment.

What are some challenges of online auctions?

There are a couple of challenges. One is the start-up time – if you haven’t done online auctions before, there is a learning curve. People underestimate how many questions they may get from the bidding community. People will want more information and they will ask questions at a silent auction. It is important to take the time up-front to write as much information as you can about items. This will reduce the number of questions you get and save you time once the auction starts. eBay also allows you to post the questions that you receive and the answers on the auction description – which is great because if one person asked, probably others are wondering as well.

Another time consuming part is shipping. You will need to figure out the shipping costs ahead of time and then package and ship the items to the winners at the close of the auction. On the other hand, you don’t have to get a caterer, rent a facility, etc so compared to a real world auction it is often cheaper and less time consuming overall.

Do you think that online fund-raising will replace in person fund-raising?

I think, like many things, it’s one more tool in your fund-raising arsenal. You don’t have to do one or the other. You should use online auctions where it makes sense and adds value. Some things will sell better at a closed door auction. A board member may not want to sell a week at their vacation condo at an online auction. Art by kids at your school will likely sell better at a closed door auction. But if you have collectibles, celebrity items or very valuable items, an online auction on eBay will often bring in more bids and dollars.

eBay can compliment your other fund-raising efforts and allow you to mix it up a little to keep your community engaged. If you have an annual live event, you may prefer to use eBay for ongoing auctions of donated items or perhaps only as a one time event where you want to publicize a milestone accomplishment or event. It is a nice tool and the online auction option helps you to choose the right marketplace to get the most money for the items.

What are the benefits of an organization putting on a live auction instead of just a regular item for bid or sale at eBay?

People can browse the catalog ahead of time, they can look at the pictures and when they come they are ready to bid. It’s a great tool to bring in interested bidders. eBay’s Live Auctions are definitely or higher end auctions, typically where at least some of the items are expected to sell in the hundreds or thousands of dollars. Even at these auctions, it is best with an include items at different price points and lower price points so that there is something for everyone to bid on.

Is there anything about the book or eBay that you would like to make further comments?

In the front cover of the book, there is an auction decision tree that can help you decide how you would like to use ebay. This walks you through the type of auction, what items to sell, and how to staff for success. Depending on your resources, staff and volunteers you may be able to do it yourself, but it is good to know you don’t have to do it all yourself.

There are Auction Trading Assistants and auction management companies that can take some of the burden off you. They can do the mechanics of actually listing and shipping the items, so you only have to get the items and market the auction. They know the eBay marketplace, the keywords to use in describing, the category to list in, and so forth. They can be very helpful to you as a nonprofit. For very high profile auctions that may draw a lot of nation-wide attention and high bids, auction management companies can go a step further to actually help market the auction, ensure that nothing goes wrong, and collect payment at the conclusion of the auction.

And be sure to use eBay to market your cause and accomplishments to increase awareness and find new donors. Be sure to mention information about your non-profit in every item description and use your “About Me” page to tell people how to donate or sign up for your newsletter.

You can sell fixed price donations or t-shirts with the nonprofit logo. In one of the profiles in the book, one person said that they consider eBay auctions much “friend-raising” as “fund-raising” so every interaction you have with a bidder is a chance to get a new supporter.

Provide the best and most friendly customer support you can. eBay auctions will allow you to find new donors that you wouldn’t have met any other way. The case studies in the book, makes fundraising on eBay concrete and achievable. It is great to see what other nonprofits have come up with, as well as how and why they did it.

Get more info on the book: Fundraising on eBayby Jill Finlayson and Greg Holden

As the mechanics of on-line auctions are refined and streamlined, they have become increasingly attractive options for non-profits.

Putting an auction on-line can extend its life, remove the uncertainty of a live event and vastly expand the audience of potential buyers. Moreover, there are groups such as cMarket and Missionfish who will offer not only a platform for such an auction, but hand-holding and advice.

Still, as with everything else, an online auction doesn’t just happen. And whether it’s put on by do-it-yourself software or through an outside entity, there are still things you can do (or not do) to make it run more smoothly.

These suggestions come from Missionfish co-founder Clam Lorenz and Dave Mello of cMarket.

DO ….

1. Give yourself enough time — time to find enough volunteers, line up enough sale items and set up a plan for publicity.

2. Hold a test auction. Sell a few items through the online platform of your choice to make sure you know what to expect when it’s time for the real show.

3. Find the right volunteers. List the job functions required for your auction, then enlist help from people with skills that match your requirements.

4. Seek specific donations. Tell people what donations you are looking for and the approximate value range desired. Don’t leave it to anyone’s imagination.

5. Solicit sponsorships. The revenue gained from sponsorships is exempt from any fees and can help offset expenses for your auction. Remember that you can give back to your sponsors by putting their name and logo in front of desirable supporters, on your home pages and in your e-mails.

6. Bundle creatively. Add to the perceived value of an assembly of donated items through a common theme. For instance, you could combine some disposable cameras, a few folding chairs and beach towels, and suddenly you have a “Day at the Beach” package.

7. Name creatively. Make sure your item names are descriptive, but also intriguing and interesting.

8. Keep your values reasonable. Inflating values will not result in higher bids or revenue if they are unreasonable. The same goes for opening bids — it is generally best to start the bidding at between one-quarter and one-third of the actual item value.

9. Use reserve prices on key items, especially a) when the item’s donor stipulates that it cannot be sold for less than a certain amount; b) when you have purchased an item for the auction and want to make sure you don’t lose money on it or c) you have a subsequent event or auction where you can sell the item later if it doesn’t go for the reserve price.

10. Stagger the addition of new items, rather than putting everything out at once. That encourages return visits to the site, and also allows you to stagger opening and closing dates.

11. Push the final hours of the auction by sending out “last chance” notices.

12. Follow the rules of the marketplace. For example, eBay has very strict rules about shill bidding (when someone close to you bids on an item you’re selling). Failure to abide by these rules can result in real headaches.

DON’T …

1. Put all your items in one basket. If you have a live event, make some items available for bidding online only, and others available for bidding in the room only.

2. Rely on just one method of promotion. Use e-mail lists, snail mailings, your Website, organizational contacts, word of mouth and the local media.

3. List a catalog item without an image. If need be, request one from the honor, or from a manufacturer’s Website.

4. Forget about shipping costs

5. Wait too long to get a payment processing method set up.

6. Try to do everything yourself. Recruit volunteers, friends and family members to help with the item solicitation, sponsor solicitation and auction management. Otherwise, it’s stress waiting to happen.

7. Ship the goods before you get paid. You’d be surprised at how often new eBay sellers will ship out their merchandise before receiving payment form the buyer. People are usually honest, and the majority of buyers will do the right thing. However, when you’re selling expensive items, it’s better to be safe than sorry.