| Silent Auctions Go Wireless |
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| Written by Jennifer Flaten | |||
| Saturday, 02 April 2011 00:00 | |||
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BidPal will work with the charity to plan the entire event, from choosing the layout of the event to the actual set up. Not only do they provide the technology for the event, but they also have staff on hand during the event to make sure everything runs smoothly. In addition, Bid Pal provides leader boards, rotating sponsor logos, scrolling messages and real-time monitoring of total auction proceeds during the event. Upon arrival, guests receive a handheld device that contains a full catalog, including description, value, bid increments and donor items, of the items up for bid. After browsing the catalog on the device, guests can place a bid from anywhere at anytime during the event. While the bidding is open, the system sends out instant outbid notices, which helps build excitement and drives the bidding up. Over the course of the auction, guests can watch favorite items and fund a need or donate cash. The wireless system makes the checkout process easy and afterwards BidPal reports not only summarize the event, but also help you plan your next silent auction with full item analysis, proceeds by category and items with no bid. | |||
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About the Author: Kurt Martin is a Founder and Group Publisher of Progressive Media Group (PMG) and the Publisher of Nonprofit Technology News. During his 4 years as Publisher of The NonProfit Times, he grew the imprint from a single newspaper to a community of websites, online job boards, email newsletters and digital editions of the print editions. Prior to taking the role of Publisher he was the East Coast Sales Manager for Broad Daylight, Inc. a knowledgebase company. He also held management roles in advertising and ciruclation sales at American Banker/Bond Buyer (Thomson), Faulkner & Grey (Thomson) and SourceMedia (Investcorp.) Kurt graduated from Montclair State University with a B.A. in Political Science and Public Administration. |