Volunteer Opportunities - Silent Auction Directors (2)

Silent Auction Director

CHART has recently added an additional post to the conference team to coordinate its Silent Auction, which is held during the Summer Conference each year.

Pre-conference responsibilities

• First, it is important for the directors to review the conference budget with the Conference Director so that the Silent Auction Team understands how much money is available to spend on décor and displays for the auction (and also find out if there are any limits or restrictions as to what can be auctioned off).
• The Silent Auction Directors will receive information on hotel after the scouting trip to find out about the possible location, setup, and timing of the auction. When a decision is made on the specific room, they will need to obtain a diagram of room layout, if available, and check to see what is listed as current room furnishings, color schemes, and electrical / lighting fixtures.
• The directors will also need to create a letter to use to solicit donations. When asking in these letters, they should:
• Remind members that not only can they donate, but they can also ask their vendors and partners to donate.
• Remind them that all proceeds go to the CHART scholarship fund.  Communicate to everyone that we will accept any donation, no matter what size, because smaller items can be combined into gift baskets.  Also stress the non-profit status of CHART and that donations are tax deductible.
• After writing the letter, the Silent Auction Team will need to contact the CHART office for a list of current members and then devise a way to divvy up the CHART membership roster so that they do not duplicate solicitations.
• As the responses from the letter arrive, they should keep a master list of all donated items as well as the contact information (including cell phone) of those who donated. The directors may need to reach the donors while at the conference if their item has shipping difficulties.
• The team will need to create a receipt for those who donate items, and may also want to create a second receipt to give out after the auction to those folks who purchase items.
• Based on all the on-site activities and timing of the auction, the directors should then submit a list of needed volunteers to the Volunteer Directors.
• The Silent Auction Team should also contact the CHART office to make arrangements for attendees to pay for their items after the auction is over and secure any needed materials (receipts, cash box, pens, etc.).

Publicity

• Publicity for the auction is extremely important for success – the more the attendees are aware, the more money that will be raised for the scholarship fund.

• One avenue for publicity will be the newsletter – the directors will need to work with the Communications Director to write any needed articles for the FlipCHART that will give details on the event and highlights items that will be auctioned.
• The auction can also be publicized via Social Media, including posts on Facebook, Twitter, and Linked In.
• The Silent Auction Directors should also create a flyer that announces the auction and the items that will be there. This flyer can be posted on the CHART website and also included in hard mailings to the attendees.

Possible auction items

• Guest speakers (or signed copies of their books).
• Hotel stays or time
• Restaurant logo items, gift certificates, or bottles of wine.
• Local events in the host city or items from the host city.
• Software or tech items such as an iPod or an iPad.
• Specials skills or expertise of our members.
• Occasionally CHART must purchase an item for a conference (TV, video game, printer) that it cannot keep or store. These items potentially could be added to the auction.

Bidding procedures setup

• The directors will need to design bid sheets to best fit their needs and consider copying them in triplicate so that one copy is left on the table after the auction (so that people can see who won), one copy goes to the winner, and one copy goes to CHART.
• When filling out the bid sheets, the Silent Auction Team should ask the donor to submit a value for the item (if non-valued, then they should use their best judgment).
• The opening bid should be somewhere between 25% and 40% of the item’s value – don’t go too low on the big ticket items, but do try to make the opening bid somewhat accessible.
• In addition to auction items, there can be a raffle item (such as a trip) that attendees can attempt to win, with tickets sold at a set price during the conference.

Auction displays

• In addition to the display cards, any of the physical items will need to be set out on the tables. For multiple items in one lot, the directors should consider purchasing baskets to arrange them in an eye-appealing manner (may be cheaper to buy on-site).
• They should also ask the people donating to also bring any brochures or menus to help add a little color and information to the displays for the restaurant gift cards and hotel certificates.
• If the budget allows, the Silent Auction Team should consider purchasing manila envelopes to hold smaller prizes (such as gift cards and official hotel stay certificates) behind the auction table for safekeeping and hand them to the winners when they pay.
• The directors should also consider which of the smaller items could be combined into one lot – gift cards for pizza and video games, for example, make a great prize for any parent and may boost the overall amount bid than if they were auctioned separately.

Conference responsibilities

• Upon arrival at the hotel, the directors should scout out the auction location and work with the Conference Director to determine the best possible setup for the items and the main auction table. Layout of the tables is important, as bidders need to be able to move around easily from table to table so that they can see all the items. Security is also important – the items should not be placed in an area when non-attendees will be allowed, and volunteers may be needed to help monitor the proceedings.
• They will also need to check to make sure all donated items and supplies have arrived, and make a list of all materials they may need to purchase (such as baskets).
• The Silent Auction Team should provide a list of donated items to the Registration Directors so that the registrars can watch for those attendees to check in and put all of the donated items in a secure place.
• Just before the auction, the directors and their volunteers will set up the items in the auction space. If a cash box is being used, one of the directors must remain with it at all times.
• After the auction concludes, the directors will need to keep a list of who purchased which items and a list of who requested receipts for their purchases.In addition, thank you letters should be sent to all parties who donated items.

Strategies for success

• Bidding goes up when the items are not something that participants can easily purchase somewhere else (example – not just tickets to a show, but backstage passes to a show).
• Bidding also goes up when the participants’ egos get involved and when you give them a chance to bid on something they really want – ask “what is really frustrating to trainers” and “what could help them out the most?”
• The Silent Auction Directors need to make sure to alert participants about the items that will be up for auction prior to the conference (especially guest speakers). Some participants will need to get clearance to bid on these items from their bosses before attending, so the more notice that can be given, the better.
• Bidding procedures should also be well-communicated and easy to follow, and attendees should receive lots of reminders at the auction about which tables are closing (and when they will be closing) so that they do not miss out on bidding.
• Wine shipping can be a hassle – it may be best for those who donate a case of wine (or any particularly large item) to ship it directly to the winner instead of shipping it to the conference (where the winner then ships it home).
• Raffling off one of the bigger items is a great way to ensure that everyone (even those on a tight budget) has an opportunity to participate in the auction. The directors could attempt to create unique raffle tickets that somehow reflect the theme of the conference instead of using standard raffle tickets, or simply ask participants to drop their business cards into a bowl for each ticket they purchase.
• The Silent Auction Team can also ask the following groups to consider making a donation to the auction:
• Ask the hotel in which you are staying (A restaurant gift card or spa package that could be used by attendees staying on after the conference).
• Ask the Board Member in charge about the possibility of asking the conference speakers, Resource Gallery vendors, or CHART partners about a donation. Be mindful that the vendors and the partners already contribute to the organization and they should be approached with a soft-sell.
•  Ask the CHART office (logo shirts, bags, etc.).