| 6 Unique Online Fundraising Techniques for Your Nonprofit - Part 2 |
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| Written by Lance Trebesch and Taylor Robinson | |||
| Friday, 21 March 2008 14:41 | |||
One of the most effective online fundraising tools you can use today is the online auction. Nonprofits know that auctions are time consuming and difficult to manage, but also very lucrative. In 2006 alone, more than 16 billion dollars was raised through charitable auctions in the U.S. (National Auctioneers Association). Furthermore, auctions give nonprofit organizations the unique ability to tap into “household spending” dollars which compose 66% of the GNP compared to the only 2% allocated to “charitable giving” (Making Auctions Work Best for Corporate Sponsors and Fundraisers). The use of an online auction in your nonprofit will reduce the amount of resources required to host the auction while maximizing the potential profits. Online Advantages
Now that you realize the fundraising potential of online auctions, the next step is to decide what method you will use to get your organization online. Three viable options are available, each of which has been analyzed below. On Website- Some organizations have taken the path of hosting an online auction on their own website. The advantage to this method is that the organization does not have to pay any commission on items sold, and they have control over the auction at all times. Disadvantages are significant however, as it requires considerable computer savvy and time to create a successful auction. Furthermore, payment arrangements and credit card security must be addressed. For most organizations, this is not a viable option. Mission Fish- Mission Fish allows nonprofits to sell and buy auction items on eBay’s Giving Works. To list your auction on Giving Works, you will first need to set up a free Mission Fish nonprofit account, then an eBay account. Advantages of Mission Fish:
Advantages to cMarket:
Tips to Make Your Online Auction a Success Timing- If you decide to use eBay’s Giving Works, you will want to plan the auction so that it ends on a Sunday night between 9:00-11:00pm Eastern Time to maximize sales (Four Huge Mistakes Ebay Sellers Make). Frequent Emails- Sending frequent email updates to supporters which let them know how many days they have left to bid on certain items and when they have been outbid will create a sense of community around the fundraiser. Be sure to increase the frequency of emails during the end of the auction period. Photos- Many nonprofits do not spend enough time taking high quality photographs of the items being auctioned. Good photos are proven to increase sales in online auctions. Title- For eBay auctions, think of titles for auctioned products that are likely to match what buyers will search for on eBay. Product Types- The highest priced auctioned items in this order are “travel, tickets, and art.” The average selling price for all items in a Giving Works Study was $53. By Lance Trebesch and Taylor Robinson This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it www.ticketprinting.com | |||
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About the Author: Dianne Crampton is Group Development Consultant and Leadership Coach. For the past twenty years she has helped not-for-profit leaders and their teams learn how to work well together to consistently achieve goals with high levels of group and individual satisfaction. She is also the founder of the TIGERS group development model. The model addresses six collaborative core values necessary for creating an ethical, quality-focused and successful team culture. The values are trust, interdependence, genuineness, empathy, risk and success. The TIGERS model passed a rigorous validation study through Gonzaga University and was Crampton’s dissertation for her Master’s of Arts designation in Organizational Leadership. As president of TIGERS Success Series, Dianne has published in a business anthology endorsed by Stephen Covey and written for trade magazines. Merrill Lynch nominated her business for Inc. Magazine’s regional small business and entrepreneurial awards. Her work with Native Americans was recognized at a United Nations sponsored conference in 1994. Dianne is also the creator and distributor of the TIGERS Team Wheel game. This game helps Board Chairs and Executive Directors identify behaviors that build collaborative groups and behaviors that cause conflict, morale problems, production failures, and misunderstandings. For more information go to http://www.corevalues.com/Game.htm |
