All event coordinators know – event planning is stressful! Charity fundraisers are no exception. These events are funded by donations. These events are successful due to procured donations! Not only is event coordinating one of THE most stressful jobs, charity fundraising events do not have a guarantee success! That’s because donations are not always guaranteed. The fact is it’s hard to know if donation-needs will be met.
There is always a bit of an unknown and risk in nonprofit efforts, especially for charity fundraising auctions.
But it does not have to be this hard!
Consignment charity auction items help bring down the stress of planning a charity fundraising auction, they guarantee better profit margins, build excitement before and during the event for your guests, AND they help cultivate donor relationships!
How does it do all these things?
Well, first, let’s talk about what exactly a consignment auction item is.
DEFINITION: Consignment Auction Items:
Consignment auction items are high in value and difficult to procure without connections. Think autographed guitars from top musical artists, vacation packages to exotic locations, VIP entertainment opportunities (concerts, award shows, backstage Broadway, etc.), autographed sports memorabilia of iconic heroes, etc.
A third party vendor offers these items at little to no cost to the nonprofit.
Here at Charity Fundraising, we offer charity auction consignment items at NO-RISK to the nonprofits! What does that mean? Consignment items usually are given at an established low cost that will be deducted from the final auction bid price. But if no transaction takes place or the final bid does not reach high enough to cover the cost, then nonprofits can give the item back us, free of charge.
Isn’t that too good to be true?
No, it’s true and it’s just that good!
So let’s explore how good it really is!
Here are 8 reasons charities choose consignment auction items…
Solving the logistical nightmare:
1) Save time in the planning process!
Consignment items takes a lot of time out of the planning process and procurement pains.
Many nonprofits spend countless hours brainstorming good auction item ideas, scouting out possible items, dialoging with many possible business sponsors to haggle deals, and finalizing a line up of items only to have at least one or two of them fall through before the event takes place.
There is SO much that goes into curating the right kind of auction items in order to procure high bids and ensure a successful event.
But we’ve already done a lot of that work for you!
We have hundreds of items to peruse and pick from. We are also in the business of working with hundreds of diverse charities – from the small charity in the local community to the national and international organization. This means that we can help you select helpful auction items for YOUR audience.
Don’t get burnt out! Utilize the resources of consignment items.
2) Allow yourself last-minute change ups!
Sometimes, donations from sponsors fall through. Sometimes, board of directors or planning committees change their mind. Consignment auction items are not assets that YOUR organization has to manage. The third party vendor is responsible for these items until they are shipped to you. There is more flexibility and more ease with these kinds of items than sponsored items from local businesses. And there are always quality auction items that we have stocked on our “shelves”!
3) Let us take care of your donors!
After a charity auction event is over, the event planning committee, the staff, the volunteers…everyone is exhausted! And after you take a breather, it’s time to start planning for the next event!
While your eyes are set on planning the next event, it’s important that experience-based auction items are handled well. These experiences heavily reflect your organization!
With auction items that involve travel, you donors should be taken care of. The logistical headache of that experience shouldn’t be on your donor’s or on your organization’s shoulders!
Let us take care of both of you! Our Vacation and VIP Experience Packages lets your organization hand off your donors to us! Our VIP Travel Specialists treat your donors to white glove service and you can get back to work to planning for the next charity fundraising event.
Guaranteed profit:
4) Raise more money with high-yield items
With higher yielding items, your auction is bound to receive higher bids. A gift basket just can’t procure the same kind of donations as an all-expense paid trip to Rome! Getting high-yield items is one of the most difficult aspects of procuring good auction items. We solve that problem!
5) Sell multiples
Some consignment auction items are replicable and therefore these kind of items can be sold to multiple people. More than one person can donate for those amazing concert tickets or that to-die-for vacation to the hottest destinations in the world. Do you have two donors that just has to see “Hamilton” and would love to donate to your organization too? Contact Charity Fundraising about how we can help your nonprofit procure double for the same auction item!
6) No-Risk Items
There is no denying that this is the #1 reason why charities choose consignment auction items. No-Risk items take the stress out of charity fundraising auction items. Your nonprofit only purchases our consignment auction items if they sell!
Build and Connect:
7) Build Excitement
A lot of the auction game is about revving up excitement and competition. The atmosphere in the room and competitive bids are what drives up auction prices. The quality of your auction items determines how much excitement and buzz the event receives. Moreover, high-energy events are more fun, more memorable, and more desirable to go back to the next year for all your attendees!
8) Cultivate Donor Relationships
High value auction items strengthen relationships with current donors. It does this by curating items to fit the needs and desires of your current donors. This due to the wide array of options consignment auction items provide. Auction items can be tailored to your donor’s interests and wants! This means that cultivating your donor relationships can happen at the same time you research and plan auction items for your upcoming events. Further, experience-based auction items also give you more connection points in order to reconnect with your donors after the event.
High value auction items also create new opportunities and new donor relationships! Those hot-ticket items are hot-topics of conversation after an event. Guests will talk about by the event to their friends and family, spreading the word about your organization to more people!
These are some of the reasons why charities choose consignment auction items. Contact Charity Fundraising for more info, guidance in selecting auction items, and for more reasons to choose this auction item strategy! You won’t be sorry!
