How to choose the best auction items for silent auctions

07/10/201907/10/2019

What are the best auction items for silent and live auctions?

Does the value or uniqueness of the item matter? Or perhaps the type of item?

Actually, both of these factors come into play in choosing the best auction items. Even more importantly, it is important to think about who you are inviting. What are they interested in? What do they gravitate to when they want to be entertained or relax? Everyone has a hobby, interest, or niche topic that you can appeal to with auction items tailored to them. The more you know about your guests, the better. Start with demographics (age, gender, etc) and consider their jobs or where they live. If you know them better than that – great! What are their hobbies and interests? What do they do when they are want to go on vacation? Both general and specific information about your guests can point you in the right direction and choose the best auction items for great results.

What if I don’t know much about my guests?

That’s ok! A team of fundraising event experts like Helping Hand Group’s can walk you through the best auction items that suit certain crowds. A fundraising event expert can use past event experience to guide you towards items that tend to get guests excited for the auctions. This can lead to more bids, higher bids, and more raise for your cause.

What are some examples of the best auction items?

Vacation packages are a great place to start. They appeal to a wide range of event guests. However, autographed memorabilia can get certain guests very excited to join your silent or live auction. The best auction items are unique, stand-out, and cannot be purchased in stores. They often come in the form of items and artwork signed by musicians, athletes and artists.

Some examples of three fundraising auction item categories that our team has available – art, sport, and music memorabilia:

Elton John – Signed original LP framed as part of a larger tribute piece. One of the world’s best-selling artists. Elton John has a long list of achievements including multiple Grammy and Brit Awards, an Academy Award, a Tony Award and a back catalogue of hit singles from over 50 years in the music industry.

Charles Blackman – Framed ‘Alice on the Table’ print on artist paper. A Printer’s Proof from a Limited Edition, and featuring the embossed seal of the artist. A stunning piece from one of one of Australia’s greatest artists!

LeBron James – Signed and box framed LA Lakers jersey. With 3 NBA championships, 2 Olympic gold medals, and many other individual achievements to his name, LeBron James is recognised as the greatest basketballer in the world today. Stands shoulder to shoulder with the best basketballers in history and only time will tell if he can surpass them all.

Contact our team to discuss the many items we have available that would the best auction items for your next silent or live auction.

View more samples from our fundraising auction item list.

Australia’s BEST Charity Auctioneer, Jason Kazanis

12/09/201908/04/2021

Are you looking for ideas to boost your fundraising auction total?

An experienced, effective Fundraising Auctioneer can make a significant impact on your fundraising total and the experience your guests enjoy during your live fundraising auction.

Jason Kazanis is the Head Auctioneer for Helping Hand Group, and rated as Australia’s best Charity Auctioneer. Jason (or the other top Auctioneers from Helping Hand Group) can raise your event TENS of thousands more. This due to his precise fundraising skills. Helping Hand Group will provide Jason at NO-cost to your next event, so that not only will you raise far more, you will not have to pay $1,000+ for his incredible skillset!

Here are 5 key reasons why Helping Hand Group Auctioneers are the very best for fundraising auctions:

1. Helping Hand Group Auctioneers excel at tapping into the emotions of your guests to ensure that all guests are reminded of the purpose of the fundraising event – to give generously to your cause.

2. Helping Hand Group Auctioneers will connect with your audience with dialogue, gestures, and interactivity to get their attention and maintain it. They will also ensure they know how to participate in the fundraising auction.

3. Helping Hand Group Auctioneers will find ways to encourage higher bids while running a fun fundraising auction with effective dialogue to encourage guests to start friendly bidding rivalries. This competitive process leads to the sale of ‘Multiples’, which can double, triple or in some cases, quadruple, your donation amounts!

4. Helping Hand Group Auctioneers make the fundraising auction items “come to life”. They leverage descriptive selling and promote the benefits and usability of the fundraising auction items.

5. Helping Hand Group Auctioneers can work within tight timelines for the live auction to ensure that your event schedule stays on-time.

Want to have Jason, or another TOP Fundraising Auctioneer at your next event? Contact us today!

Read another story about Jason’s impact on a fundraising auction for Starlight Children’s Foundation here.

Marvel Items a Hit for Fundraising Auctions

04/08/2019

Helping Hand Group is excited to announce a range of popular Marvel items. They are perfect for live or silent auctions such as Ballot Bidding to spark the interest of guests who are fans of the franchise!

Top Fundraising Auction Item #1: Avengers Endgame Signed Movie Poster

Extra-large framed movie poster, signed by 9 members of the cast. Robert Downey Jr, Chris Hemsworth, Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Don Cheadle, Brie Larson, and Paul Rudd. The record breaking latest chapter in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, critically acclaimed and on track to become the highest grossing film of all time. Undoubtedly the biggest superhero film in history – own a piece of history!

Top Fundraising Auction Item #2: Autographed Vintage Comic

Stan Lee, Chris Hemsworth and Robert Downey Jr signed vintage The Avengers comic. Stan Lee was the founder of Marvel and creator of The Avengers. Chris Hemsworth and Robert Downey Jr have brought the characters to a whole new generation as the stars of the film franchise. With Stan Lee tragically passing in 2018, this is without doubt a collectors’ item.

View more of our auction items for fundraisers here.

Contact a Helping Hand Group Fundraising Event expert near you for more information about this range of fundraising auction items.

Planning a fundraising event? Here are 5 tips to help you make it a success

10/06/201910/06/2019

Planning an event can be very stressful and hectic. It is also be a fantastic way to raise a significant amount of money for your special cause. That being said, there is a long list of variables that need to come together in unison to create an effective fundraising event.

Our team has put together a shortlist of the top five fundraising event tips and best practices.

Fundraising Event Tip #1: Set your event budget

It is important to ensure that your ticket price will cover most of your event costs. This will ensure that the funds you raise will go directly to your cause. Set and secure sponsorships as early as possible as this also helps cover other expenses involved with putting together the event.

Fundraising Event Tip #2: Plan your run sheet

It’s important that the event flows in the most important way to maximise fundraising. Ensure guests are well fed, ‘watered’ and entertained before really emphasising why they have all come together for your event.

Use a heartfelt speech or video that tells the story of your cause in an emotional way to appeal to you guests. This should make sure everyone understands the impact of their donations Then, ensure you go straight into your Live Auction. This is the most crucial time to drum up funds.

Important note: Ensure that food service is not happening during the Live Auction. Guests should not be distracted by dessert or their food. You want their full attention on the auction items.

Fundraising Event Tip #3: Keep the activities fun and entertaining

Do something different. Create a spark! Wow your guests to encourage them to donate and spend money. Consider including competitive games such as heads and tails, balloon raffles, or Helping Hand Group’s Last Donors Standing Format as a way to engage with your guests.

Use your table centrepieces as a way to raise funds. It is most likely that you’ve spent money to make the room attractive. Use them as a lucky draw with raffle tickets with one winner at each table!

Try out a unique venue location indoors or outdoors that offers a special view, architecture or décor. Consider pairing your event up with a public event that is planned in close proximity to your venue.

Fundraising Event Tip #4: Be well organised ahead of time with proper help to reduce stress and workload

Consider bringing in a third party fundraising specialist (such as Helping Hand Group) to ensure your auction is stress free! They take care of everything such as bringing in big ticket items, providing the bidding platforms for you to facilitate your auctions, and providing a smooth, care-free auction process.

Don’t leave finding donations to the last minute. Plan ahead and reach out to your network and chase people up persistently to ensure they confirm all details so you can plan and promote your auction lists well in advance.

Start selling event tickets early. Planners have been known to often leave this detail to the last minute. Focusing on guest attendance should be a high priority as this is the hardest element of the event sometimes.

Note: If you will use an electronic silent auction platform, connect your ticketing system with your auction platform. This promotes registration before your event so your guests don’t have to spend time doing it at your event. Speak to a Helping Hand Group staff member today about how we can help you do this!

Fundraising Event Tip #5: Post-event Follow Ups and Thank Yous

Take the time to use the data you’ve collected from your event to thank people for their contributions. This could include your prize purchasers, your volunteers, people who donated items or people who donated their time helping you put the event together. It’s a small gesture that can go a long way when planning your next event.

Helping Hand Group can handle all your post-event auction tasks such as chasing outstanding winners for payment, handling item deliveries and ensuring guests get their vouchers and have a great time using their prizes!

Contact a Helping Hand Group Fundraising Event Expert near you for more information and tips for your next fundraising event.

Helping Hand Group’s $10,000 Golden Hand Paddle a hit!

26/05/201926/05/2019

Looking for a good fundraising idea for your next fundraising event or corporate Gala?

Helping Hand Group continues to lead the fundraising world by providing innovative ways to engage guests and inspire giving. In 2018, the team developed a brand new way to take fundraising events to the next level. The $10,000 Golden Hand Paddle provides an instant boost to the amount of money available to bid on your auction items. It starts with an exciting raffle that sees one lucky event guest win the pot ($10,000) to bid on any auction item. Then, this winner can bid competitively against other guests on items to help drive up the value of bids. In the end, the Golden Hand Paddle pot is donated to your cause.

With several Golden Hand Paddle auctions successfully conducted, it is safe to say that nothing beats the excitement and fun of this innovative way to raise an additional $10,000 from your fundraising auction!

Want to learn more? Read more about the $10,000 Golden Hand Paddle here.

Contact Helping Hand Group today to learn more about how this program can add a $10,000 boost to your next event’s fundraising total!

Treat your guests to some sunshine! Host an outdoor fundraising event for summer

12/01/201908/04/2021

Hosting a fundraising event at an outdoor venue can not only take advantage of the beautiful summer weather but also provide a great environment for your guests to enjoy and get involved with your fundraising activities.

Combining an outdoor component with your event schedule can create a new way to engage guests in your live and silent auctions. Pre-dinner drinks & champers outside, for example, are a great way to introduce everyone to your event and cause. This time can also be used to introduce your guests to the fundraising auction items and inform them on how they can participate or buy a ticket for pre-auction programs such as Helping Hand Group’s $10,000 Golden Hand Paddle (read more about this here).

Our team has supported and hosted hundreds of events over the last two decades and events with an outdoor component have been unique, memorable and most importantly – successful! Pictured here is our team at the Sydney Cricket Grounds and the Royal Randwick Racecourse in Sydney. We supplied and displayed a series of fundraising auction items plus ran the Ballot Bidding (classic paper-and-pen silent auction) on behalf of the fundraising event organising team as a complement to their fundraising event.

Contact our team to discuss ideas for outdoor venues in your area that could add a special touch to your next fundraising event.

Helping Hand Group specialises in providing items for fundraising auctions including holiday packages, art, signed memorabilia and experience packages designed to help fundraising event teams maximise the effectiveness of silent and live auctions.

Helping Hand Group Launches the $10,000 Golden Hand Paddle

16/11/201816/11/2018

Jumpstart your fundraising event with up to $10,000 to encourage your guests to participate in your live auction.

Introducing Helping Hand Group’s $10,000 Golden Hand Paddle.

Helping Hand Group is excited to announce a brand new add-on service for fundraising events that improves guest participation and guarantees you up to $10,000 added to your fundraising total. Named the $10,000 Golden Hand Paddle, the program is uniquely suited for fundraising events with a live auction component. It adds an exciting, fun dynamic that encourages participation in the fundraising portion of your event. Best of all, Helping Hand Group’s expert fundraising event team can facilitate the program on your behalf — as always, free of charge!

How it works:

1. The program is a raffle. At the start of your fundraising event, 100 Golden Hand tickets are sold for $100 each.

2. The Golden Hand Pot starts to grow until all tickets are sold to amass a total of $10,000. If it is not possible to sell all 100 tickets, the Golden Hand Pot becomes the total amount collected (ie. if 50 tickets are sold, the Golden Hand Pot becomes $5,000).

3. The Golden Hand Pot then becomes a prize for one lucky Golden Hand Ticket holder that is drawn out just before the start of your live auction.

4. The winner receives the amount of the Golden Hand Pot as credit that must be used in the live auction. They will also receive a special Golden Hand Paddle that they will use in the live auction to signal their bids.

5. The Golden Hand Paddle holder will add an exciting dynamic each time they hold up the Golden Hand Paddle to bid in the auction. It will entice fun back-and-forth bidding rivalries with other participants. Your auctioneer can also have fun with it when working the crowd.

6. In the end, the $10,000 is added to Bids places in your Auction, and not paid out as cash. This can increase your fundraising total by more than $10,000, as the Golden Hand Paddle winner drives up the prices of Auction prizes they win, and also those they do not!

It is essential that your team of Golden Hand ticket sellers are gregarious, love to sell and love your mission. This will help to increase the number of tickets sold and the total amount in the Golden Hand Pot. Helping Hand Group provides an expert team of fundraising event staff to sell Golden Hand tickets for you and can also work alongside eager individuals from your team to sell as many tickets as possible and set you up for success. Best of all, the $10,000 Golden Hand Paddle program is a complimentary add-on to Helping Hand Group’s fundraising event service.

Contact Helping Hand Group today to learn more about how this program can add a $10,000 boost to your next event’s fundraising total!

Helping Hand Group’s Ballot Bidding Programme and Live Auction Support Contributes to $65,000 raised

13/04/201808/04/2021

Recently, our team was out lending a helping hand in full force at Heart on My Sleeve. The event was hosted at the fantastic Luna Park in Sydney and raised over $65,000! Our team assisted the event with Dane Wheeler as the live auctioneer along with our expert fundraising auction team and Ballot Bidding® programme.

What is Ballot Bidding®?Ballot Bidding® is the classic paper-and-pen silent auction format that lists all of your auction items. Here are some of the benefits:

Cut to the chase: Ask your guests for their maximum auction bid once and eliminate back and forth “penny bidding”. Keep them tuned in to your speakers rather than constantly checking their silent auction bids.

Maximise bids for your charity: This “blind” method encourages guests to think about possible bids from other guests and encourages them to bid at or as close to as possible to their personal maximum bid. This helps to ensure your fundraising auction raises as much as possible.

Sell multiple auction items for your charity: When available, we can facilitate selling more than one of an auction item to the top bidders. Yes, that means the amount you raise multiplies!

Let us do the work: Our team will design, print, and distribute our Ballot Bidding® forms to your guests’ seats at no cost. We seamlessly incorporate all items available at your event.

Helping Hand Group has raised and donated over $100 million for leading charities, community groups, schools, and sporting clubs since 1997. We help fundraising events with a long list of auction items and full event assistance with our electronic silent auction system, Ballot Bidding^®programme, and expert fundraising event staff to help you raise more money for your special cause.

Best of all, our services come at no cost to our clients! We provide auction items on a consignment-type basis and that means no cost to your event budget. Our friendly event staff will set up item displays at your event, manage the auctions, and take care of payments, removal, and shipping. That’s how we lend a helping hand.