Hold a Benefit Auction through the Help of Event Planning Companies

03 Aug Hold a Benefit Auction through the Help of Event Planning Companies

One of the best ways to earn money and, at the same time, help someone in need is through a benefit auction. Unfortunately, planning and organizing your own auction is extremely stressful and taxing, and sometimes, the amount of time and money you spend isn’t commensurate to the return. If you’re thinking of holding a benefit auction sometime soon, here are some of the things you have to pay close attention to:

Auction Items

All auctions start with the items, as these things would dictate your target bidders and type of event. What kind of items do you plan to auction off? At what price do you want to start the bidding? How important or how rare are the items you’re selling? Can the majority of your target bidders pay for them? If you have specific items or rare objects in mind, completing the auction list alone could often eat up so much time that you’re left with a very short timeframe for the other aspects of the event.

Sponsors

Another complicated task is gathering enough sponsorships and donations. You need to come up with a long list of candidates first; if you’ve done this before, tapping previous sponsors won’t hurt. Call your prospective sponsors and donors and arrange to meet with every one of them.

Invites

Will the benefit auction be open to all, or will it be by-invitation only? If you’re targeting a specific group of people, make sure that they are interested in your auction items and they understand the goals of your event. If it’s an open event, make sure your venue can accommodate all the people you’re planning to invite.

Venue

The venue needs to be easily accessible to everyone and should be large enough to fit all your guests. If it’s a public place, like an open space in Los Angeles, for instance, you’ll also need to arrange for permits, some security measures, parking space, and even route planning for your guests’ convenience.

Food & Entertainment

You should also plan for some food and entertainment, as a way to thank your guests and sponsors for their participation and financial help. Though this isn’t compulsory, including it in your budget would be a good idea.

A benefit auction, as well as other nonprofit events, is simply a good way to let people give assistance to those in need by acquiring something unique or valuable themselves. Yet, it is one of the toughest events to plan and stage—and everything has to be spot-on and perfect. For such events, you need the experience and expertise of event planning companies, like Zynger Event Designs, Inc., whose focus is solely on making your auction a success.

Sources:

(Twelve Steps to Preparing a Successful Fundraising Auction, nolo.com)

(5 Step Timeline For Planning a Flawless Benefit Auction, blog.winspireme)