Nonprofit organizations are constantly challenged to raise money to help carry out their mission and vision. This income is much needed for their survival. What’s nice is that many organizations are waking up to the idea of raising money via online auctions.
The cost of planning an event such as a big gala can be very high. You have to pay for a space, catering, entertainment, plus marketing for the event – not to mention all the time spent actually planning the gala.
Granted, people like to attend these types of fundraising galas because they have a reason to get dressed up and mingle or network with others. And while you can still host these types of events, you won’t have to do them as often. With online auctions, you can have more events without spending extra money or energy.
A gala or live fundraising event is just one night and perhaps not everyone who wants to attend can go that night. Hosting an online auction for fundraising doesn’t limit your reach to just local donors and the community, your event could virtually be marketed to a global audience. It’s an opportunity for people from around the country or world to know more about your organization.
If marketed correctly, an online auction event can capture the attention of news stations and big media who will become champions for your cause. Your event could also go viral via social media.
In a live or silent auction people who register usually have to do so manually, and oftentimes they don’t give you all of their information. If you host an online auction, you could require people to give you their email address as a requirement for registration.
In the online marketing world there’s an old saying, “The money is in the list.” You want to build up a list of subscribers that you can market to on a regular basis.
Of course, you want to get permission from people before you email them or else you could get in trouble by your newsletter provider for spamming people. Once the online auction is over you could email everyone who registered to bid and invite them to subscribe to your newsletter or email list. This allows you to communicate with them. If they didn’t win any items in the auction, you could at least let them know when the next event will take place.
For more reading related to this subject, we recommend checking out NOLO.com’s article, “Is a Live, Silent, or Online Auction Best For Your Nonprofit?”
Thinking about holding an online auction event to raise money for your nonprofit? Contact us and let’s see how we can help!
