Don’t put all your eggs in one basket! Learn to diversify your online fundraising.
Join Perry Allison (VP of Marketing, BiddingForGood) and Dan Fonseca (Inbound Marketing Coordinator, FirstGiving) in an introductory webinar exploring three exciting ways your nonprofit can break out of traditional fundraising.
Perry and Dan will discuss:
- Online auctions
- Mobile Bidding
- Peer-to-peer fundraising
Find out what it takes to host a revenue generating online auction, engage your supporters through mobile bidding, and how to encourage your supporters to fundraise on your behalf. Perry and Dan will cover what the following strategies entail, what to look for in a solution, and how to go about implementing them. You’ll be delighted with how relatively easy it is to balance and diversify your year’s fundraising initiatives.
RE Capital's Visionary Leadership under Newman Leech
3 ways to diversify your online fundraising in 2014
1. 3 ways to diversify your
online fundraising in 2014
Perry Allison – VP of Marketing, BiddingForGood
Dan Fonseca – Inbound Marketing Coordinator, FirstGiving
2. First, a little about our presenters…
Perry Allison
• VP of Marketing at BiddingForGood
• Sings in a professional a cappella group, Custom Blend
• Raises chickens
Dan Fonseca
• Inbound Marketing Coordinator at FirstGiving
• Currently perfecting his own unique home fries recipe
• Walks to work everyday, even during polar vortexes
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3. What to expect during this webinar
The Presentation
1. Quick introductions
2. Why diversify?
3. Online auctions
4. Mobile bidding at fundraising events
5. Peer-to-peer fundraising
6. Questions
7. Happy Goodbyes
#FGWebinar
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4. Why diversify in 2014?
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Reach more supporters
Tap different pool of $$
Be more efficient and effective in your
efforts
Supporters respond to “new and different”
Less „risk‟ – more eggs in more baskets
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5. Who Is BiddingForGood?
The leader in fundraising auctions
for organizations of every size and shape.
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Founded in 2003
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Over 20,000 auctions run
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5 Million + visits to our website each year
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Raised over $200 million and counting…
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400,000+ community of cause-minded shoppers
#FGWebinar
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6. Where do auctions fit in the
fundraising landscape?
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Peer-to-peer fundraising
Direct appeals
1. Online
Capital Campaigns
Events
Auctions
The internet and social media
have changed
the rules for all
of these tactics
Auctions
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7. Auctions tap a different pool of $$
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Supporters have a budget that they tap
to give charitable donations
• Auctions tap household
discretionary spending:
- Sports tickets
- Theater tickets
- Restaurant certificates
- Travel: all come out of
a household budget…
#FGWebinar
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12. The Anytime, Anywhere Auction
A fundraising auction that allows bidders
to bid on any device from anywhere.
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Online
At school events
At galas
At golf tournaments
In stadiums
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13. It’s Easier than You Think
to Build Your Auction Online
A template-based system enables
you to have an auction homepage
up in under an hour.
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Branding look & feel
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Social media sharing
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Sponsor logos & links
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Featured items & more
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Sell tickets
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Accept Cash Donations
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16. Get the Word out…
Build a Promotion Plan
More visibility
for your auction…
Utilize social sharing tools to let your
fans and followers know about your
fundraiser.
Promote your event page as well as
specific items on social networks
Send emails to your community
promoting your fundraiser
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18. Case Study #1- Broadway Cares
There‟s No Business Like Show Business
19. Case Study #2- San Francisco Day School
Big Online, Small Live Auction at Event
20. Smartphones are Replacing Bid Sheets
2. Mobile Bidding
Streamlined registration & checkout
When you power your silent auction with mobile
bidding, our platform collects and stores all bids
and bidder information, alleviating several silent
auction woes.
What takes the place of clipboards?
Any smartphone or tablet, cellphones, laptops
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21. Mobile Auctions Begin with an Invitation
The First Giving Society of Fabulous People
requests the pleasure of your company at
THE ARTRAGEOUS GALA
January 23th, 2014
The Fairmont Newport Beach
4500 MacArthur Blvd
Newport Beach, CA 92660
Cocktails at 6:00 PM
Dinner at 7:30 PM
Buy your tickets and register to bid in our auction
at www.biddingforgood.com/FabGala
26. A Better Bidder Experience
Before the event
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Register to bid
• View catalog online
During the event
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Receive outbid alerts
• Bid competitively without
interrupting the party
• Bid Extension
After the event
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Payments processed
• Go home happy!
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27. Case Study #1- Larry King Foundation
Opened their auction to more bidders…
Raised over 20% of their $$ from outside of the gala attendees
28. Case Study #2- Aspen Education Foundation
Raised $150k+ in their auctions
Sold $100K of tickets on their event page
Total Raise- Over $400K! Wow.
30. Why should you care about peer-to-peer
fundraising?
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Peer-to-peer fundraising bypasses the
credibility gap
Peer-to-peer fundraising expands your
donor list
Fundraisers have more long term value
than donors
Fundraisers are your cause ambassadors
and nonprofit (brand) advocates
#FGWebinar
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31. Planning for peer-to-peer
fundraising success
Not every nonprofit is destined for peer-to-peer
fundraising glory. For some, it‟s simply not a fit.
There are a few foundational requirements an
organization must have in order to take full
advantage of its network‟s network.
They are…
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32. Peer-to-peer foundational
requirements
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A strong supporter base
A peer-to-peer fundraising worthy event
Information to arm the fundraisers with
The right peer-to-peer fundraising
platform
A pay-the-fee option
2. Embeddable widgets
3. Donate to a team
4. Integration with the tools you use
1.
#FGWebinar
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33. Case Study: Comfort Zone Camp
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Comfort Zone Camp supporters-turnedfundraisers raise over $521,000 for
children coping with the death of a parent.
Comfort Zone Camp has empowered over
1,040 supporters to become fundraisers.
The average Comfort Zone Camp
fundraiser brings in $498.
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35. Wrapping it all up!
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Diversify your fundraising! – Don‟t put
all your eggs into one basket.
Online Auctions tap a different pool of
money – discretionary spending
Live mobile bidding alleviates several
silent auction woes.
Peer-to-peer fundraising empowers
supporters to become life long
fundraisers.
#FGWebinar
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36. Be a part of our communities
Facebook: facebook.com/firstgiving
Twitter: @firstgiving
Blog: info.firstgiving.com/blog
Facebook: facebook.com/bidding4good
Twitter: @biddingforgood
Blog: goodness.biddingforgood.com
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Here would be a good time to give a quick elevator pitch on the perspective companies we work for.
Let’s first look at the overall fundraising landscape. Most fundraisers have a variety of tactics that they use.. Direct Appeals, Capital Campaigns, Events… and for many auctions are in the mix.. Often as part of a larger event but sometimes just onilne.With the internet and social media, all of the rules have changed for all of these tactics.
Let’s talk for a minute about how your supporters and donors think about their charitable giving. Many folks have a set amount that they plan to give every year to the various causes they care about. One of the unique things about auctions is that they are tapping a different pool of money. They are tapping into household discretionary budgets. When folks bid on an item in an auction, rather than thinking of it as a gift, they may be thinking of it as something they may have done anyway- buy sports or theater tickets or plan a trip.
There is a central concept at the heart of what we do and that is amplification. The ability to amplify or enlarge or extend what you do. The ability to reach more people and invite them to support you. .
So let’s talk for a minute about the traditional silent auction. Many of you have run events and you know that there are some innate challenges with the traditional silent auction. Working your way through a large room with a number of auctions can be a challenge.Seeing all of the items, fighting the crowd, deciding what you want to bid on can be a bit of a challenge when there is a lot of other things going on. There are all of the distractions of the party.
Many events have a lot of distractions- the entertainment, the crowd, the mingling… all of this can detract from the auction. Bidding device in your pocket, you don’t have to go anywhere to bid on the item…
And then there is the awkward ending. One of the challenges of the silent auction with clipboards and bid sheets is that it is a challenge to know when you have been outbid. When someone is really eager to win an item, they may lurk over the bid sheet. And when the auction ends, once in a while, things can come to blows. So those are some of the challenges…. Now let’s look at what is possible with the new mobile bidding auction.
An online auction is really an anytime anywhere auction. One that can be accessed from any where on any decice at any time. These auctions are taking place online or at galas or at golf tournaments or even in sports arenas.
IT’s easier than you think. Here’s how this works..See bullets above..
The first and really important step is to build your auction catalog. Categories that sell well include tickets, gift certificates, unique experiences, and even home-grown items.Give a few examples..
And then you need to get the word out. We help you do that too. You can Amplify your auction with increased exposure on our homepage
I’m goin to share a few examples of clients who have used different formats to get success. In fact, each of these organizations were highlighted in our Annual piece called Ten Auctions that Rocked 2013. Broadway Cares is an example of a client who does a very successful online auction in advance of their event which actually happens at a Flea Market in Shubert Alley in Manhattan. They whet their audience’s appetite for their live event which consists of a live auction and Flea Market. Avid theater fans went to the live event and increased the auction revenue by 90%. These folks are the poster child for creating a great auction catalogue. The items in their auction include fabulous theater memorabila, unique experiences. even offered a chance for a walk on role in the Lion King on Broadway. Wow. Sign me up.
San Francisco Day School, a K-8 private school is a long time client of ours who has figured out that they can put the lions share of their auction items online in advance of their event and reserve only a small number of premium items for their actual event. They preview those items online in advance of the event, building buzz and excitement around the live auction. But this also means that they are able to really make their event a celebration of their community. This, we all know, is such an important element in any fundraiser- the friend-raising that takes place. The other thing that these folks do extraordinarily well is they build an auction catalog that resonates with their community- Auction items include “Made by San Francisco Day School”.. Things like services that people can offer or meals that someone can prepare. Another hugely successful category of items are what they call “Count Me In”. These are activities that included the community- either the kids or the adults- Examples are pizza party, or Mom’s night out. Half of the revenue in their auction this year were from this category. Other tried and true categories include dining certificates that always do well in auctions and wine. They had 45 wine items alone. With only 12 items that are auctioned off the night of their event, they really utilize the online auction to raise their $94,000. Kudos to them.
We’ve talked about online auctions but there is another technology worth mentioning and that is mobile bidding that is taking place at live fundraising events. The smartphone is replacing the bid sheet.
So here is how this works. You build your auction and we create a unique URL where the auction lives online. When you invite people to your auction home page, there are a number of things you can do on the page. You can promote your items, your event, sell tickets, preview items and show auction progress. Sponsorships are a way many organizations are raising additional dollars and you can highlight them on your auction page.
Your guests can buy their tickets, browse your auction at their convenience and even begin bidding.
Great catalog of itemsHigh affinity of guestsPromotion of the eventSLOW DOWN…STOP SAYING UMMM…BE YOURSELF! TELL A STORY