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PHOTO COURTESY DANNY HOOPER PRODUCTIONS |
need to change it up … What you are always trying to do is raise the bar and make it a better event than it was last year . People don ’ t want to spend $ 100 on a ticket and come and find it is just a repeat of last years ’ event . There is no excuse for not finding great items . In my book , I list 400 items in the back that are all things I have sold . I put them in there to stimulate people ’ s thinking and imaginations . It ’ s amazing when a committee sits around a table and starts going through the list and starts pooling resources . For example , if they want to auction off tickets to the Superbowl – chances are someone in that room knows someone who knows someone who can get tickets to the Superbowl . It ’ s the six degrees of separation . There are also consignment companies out there who offer all kinds of amazing packages . I did an auction for the Catholic Church up in St . Albert a few years ago , and they were celebrating a major anniversary and we went to one of the consignment companies out of California and arranged a trip to the Vatican that includes a tour of the private Vatican museum , which is many levels underground and not open to the public . These are the kinds of doors some of these consignment companies can unlock and you can get some unbelievable packages that you could never put together on your own .
You are known for your Wild Card auctions – tell us about that The Wild Card auction is the simplest little idea in the world and that is probably why
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it works so well . I came up with it years ago after hearing people at events say to me “ you know I would have been happy to donate an item to the auction , but nobody asked ”. And I heard that over and over so I came up with the simple idea to take a package of those neon coloured index cards , throw a couple down on each table and invite people at the event to write something down . I was doing an auction for STARS Air Rescue up in Cold Lake a few years ago and one of the Wild Card donations was the local doctor donated a painless vasectomy . And it sold for like $ 3,800 , and then we doubled up on it . The crowd was in an uproar because it was so entertaining ! To date , the Wild Card auction has generated , by our calculation , just over $ 1,000,000 for non-profit organizations .
What are some tips you would give to people when they are looking to hire an auctioneer ? I would say that a fundraising auctioneer is a specialist … fundraising auctioneering is a highly specialized sector within the auction industry . There are many types of auctioneers , each who have their specialties . You have your heavy equipment auctioneers , you ’ ve got your fine arts and antiques auctioneers , you have your livestock auctioneers . As with any specialty , I jokingly say in my book , if you need a root canal , are you going to go see a gynecologist ? Probably not … even though they are both doctors , you want to go to a dentist . You want to go to someone who specializes in oral surgery . Here is the big difference – fundraising auctioneers have a different way of thinking . A cattle auctioneer thinks about one thing : how much money can I get for this heifer ? An auto auctioneer thinks , how much money can I get for this classic car ? An antique auctioneer thinks , how much can I get for this antique chair ? A fundraising auctioneer , however , thinks , how much money is in this room and how can I collect as much of it as possible for my client ? And to do that we have a broad spectrum of techniques , strategies , tools of the trade that we use . We have things like the wild card auctions , cash appeals , legacy auctions , triple chance raffles , super silent auctions , just to name a few . We have all of these techniques . When you ask a cattle auctioneer ,
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or a media personality to conduct any of those things , they don ’ t have a clue . So if you are relying on just the live auction , you are really missing an opportunity to capture a lot more money that is in that room . This is why it is really important that you find an auctioneer who has experience with fundraising auctions , is trained in the specialties of fundraising auctions , who has the ability to consult / coach your organization ( you ’ re going to have a million questions between when you find your auctioneer and when you have your event night and it ’ s important to have someone who can answer those in plain language so everyone understands ), and finally you are looking for someone with a proven track record . I feel very blessed that we are as busy as we are and I have many clients who I have served for over 20 years – organizations like the University Hospital Foundation , Shriners Club , a number of Rotary clubs . They wouldn ’ t hire you back year after year if you weren ’ t providing value , so people get hung up thinking of their auctioneer as a cost , but it isn ’ t . The auctioneer is the most important person in the room once the doors open and the evening gets underway . The evening needs to be focused on fundraising and nobody is better equipped to keep the focus on this than a certified fundraising auctioneer . And fortunately there are getting to be more and more specializing in this field – and that is a good thing .
Any last suggestions for event planners when planning an event Yes , buy my book . It ’ s the best $ 24.99 you ’ ll spend . I used to be shy about saying that , but now , shameless self-promotion , call it what you want – the $ 25 is not going to make any difference in my world . It ’ s going to make a huge difference in the world of the people using it . I have people ask me why I would put all of my secrets and knowledge into a book for anyone to read and I just believe that this information needs to get out there , needs to be shared , and every day I go to bed knowing that there is a copy of that book circulating that is helping raise who knows how much money for who knows what organizations , and I feel good about that . It ’ s a great resource and you can get it at dannyhooper . com n
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