Super Bowl Advertising

It seems like we have seen it all, then they come out with something even more outlandish to capture the attention of the millions of people viewing the muscle bound, hard hitting, professional football players of the Super Bowl.  As we cheer on our favorite teams, we are entertained by the wit of the multi-million dollar ad campaigns of our favorite snacks, drinks, automobiles, electronics, financial advisors, and even domain providers.  Advertising in the right place at the right time is extremely important in getting your message out to the right audience. 

 Many organizations are planning their spring fundraising events right now.  They are thinking, how best can I advertise my event.  Do I need to do radio, print, internet, or costly bill board ads?  This is a great question and one we have to address with all of our clients.  If the purpose of your event is not to invite the general public, then you need to stay away from money guzzling advertising expenses.

 The best way to garner the attention of the people with the means to support your mission is through personal invitation.  Decide who you want to be at your event and pick up the phone, write a personal invitation, or send them a personalized email asking them to add your date to their calendar.  Look through your organization’s data base and hand pick those who are already passionate about your mission.  Then have them invite their associates.  When we are  excited about something, we want others to be excited too.  Who better to spread the word than those already involved.  Assign someone on your event planning committee to this task.  This is a time consuming effort, but the results are unbelievable. 

For fun peek at past Super Bowl advertisements, visit this website. http://superbowl-ads.com/article_archive/

8 Steps in Reaching Your Goals

As Told by the incoming President of the National Auctioneers Association, Christie King

As a fourth generation auctioneer, I have been blessed to be born into a family of successful goal setters.  So I can truthfully say I have learned from the best.

I have never let being a woman in a man’s industry slow me down.  Those that know me know this is true.  I started working with my family while in my twenties.  Since then, I have experienced a lot of success due to the effort I have put into goal setting.  I became the first female and youngest individual to serve on the governor-appointed Alabama State Board of Auctioneers, I was the first female inducted into the Alabama Auctioneers Hall of Fame, and next, I will take my place as the first woman President of the National Auctioneers Association.  It has been a long but exciting adventure.

How does this apply?  Well, it all comes down to how we set our goals.  It applies individually, corporately, or if we are part of one of the many non-profit organizations serving the needs of others.

The simple steps are:

1. Write your goals down - This sparks personal motivation and serves as a simple contract with yourself that "this is something important and I wish to achieve it."
2. Set realistic goals - make your objectives obtainable.  Remember the old adage...a journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.
3. Keep yor goals well defined - the more specific you are, the more realistic you will be.  Example: Instaead of "we plan to raise $100,000,"  say, "we plan to raise $100,000 by october 31st, via a fund-raising auction.  These are ths steps we need to take..."
   
4. Stay committed - Solicit others to hold you accountable and partner with someone who can help you stay focused and encouraged.
5. Ask questions – Why do I want to reach this goal?
6. Learn how to say "NO" at the right time - not being able to say no will keep you from being successful.

• Pay attention to where your time goes
• Set priorities
• Know your own limitations
• Let go of control – if I am doing everything, I cannot focus on my goal.

     7. Stay focused on the goal and stay positive - pay attention to what is working not what isn't.

Cultivating Donors

Often times, we see organizations divide their donors into the “haves” and the “have-not’s.”  What I mean by this is, if a donor is not reaching a certain level of contributions, organizations often tend to overlook them.  Not meaning that they aren’t appreciated, they just don’t receive the recognition and bubbly personal thanks that the large dollar contributors receive. 

 I think this happens often out of desperation and in an effort to infuse much needed funds into a cause.  We know that it takes a lot of operating capital to allow researchers and service providers to continue their work.  Therefore, we feel that in order to effectively and efficiently use our development team; we should focus our efforts on those biggest donors.  However, is this really utilizing our team effectively?

 One thing I have learned as a Fundraising Consultant is that small donors can be cultivated into big donors.  We encourage our clients to, during and after major fund raising events; have staff and board members take the time to personally thank, those who even make the smallest contributions.  Relationships breed commitment.  With the current economic situation, donors are faithful to those whom they are committed to. 

 It is a great time to also welcome new faces to your organization.  According to Independent Sector, the estimated value of volunteer time for 2009 was over $20.00 per hour.  Think of the numerous hours of volunteer time individuals contribute to your cause or you wish would contribute to your cause.  This adds up to enormous returns.

Three Ways to Get Your Board on Board

It is probably safe to say that most organizations have a board of directors.  The big question is how to get your board involved from a fund raising perspective.  Being a professional fund raising consultant, I think it best to approach the topic from this angle.

Most boards consist of a menagerie of personalities and proficiencies.  Some bring charisma and charm.  This is great when you need elbows rubbed and favors called in to get that new wing built.  Some might add a financial flavor.  They know how to crunch the numbers, squeeze the dollars, and help your budget loose a few extra pounds.  And the board member we all love is the one with muscle.  They enjoy rolling up their sleeves and doing whatever needs to be done.  The list of talents go on, and believe me variety is good!

When it comes to fund raising live auctions, of which we specialize, sometimes it can be difficult to get your board members involved outside of making the big decisions, which will cost the organization money.  With this in mind, I have pulled together a few tips to help them get on board.  No real pun intended. 

Take into account that you will raise 60 – 80% more with a live auction versus a silent auction.  With this in mind, schedule a brief meeting with your board members to break down how much money you want to raise in your live auction versus how much time you have to raise it in.  This will let you know how many items you need to sell in your live auction and how much each item needs to bring.  You then need to know if the guests, who are attending your event, will support this need.  Will they spend ($XXX) amount of money for these items?  If they won’t, you either need different guests, different items, or both.

Second.  Remind your board of the number one reason why people don’t attend fund-raising events; because they haven’t been asked.  Have the board members pick up the phone and personally invite their most influential friends and acquaintances within the community.  This adds quality and notoriety to your fund raiser.

And last.  Ask them what they would buy if they had ($XXX) to spend.  Then, find out who has those items and how you can get them.  Make your event the place to be.  Contact me for more information about taking your fund raising to the next level.

My Trip to San Antonio

San Antonio, Texas is known for a lot of things, most notably the Alamo and the beautiful San Antonio River Walk.  I had the great opportunity to visit this wonderful city as I attended the first Benefit Auction Summit hosted by the National Auctioneers Association. 

Here, I met with over 50 other fundraising auctioneers/consultants from across the United States and Canada.  It is always great to share new ideas and hear what other professionals are doing.  It’s important to gather new trends and brush off some of the solid established principles that we know work to help non-profit organizations raise maximum dollars.  I can’t wait to share some of these fascinating nuggets with everyone.

While at the summit, I revisited the question of why you should hire a professional fundraising auctioneer?  What do we bring to your event?  As Professional Fundraisers, we should assist you in making every minute a revenue generating minute.  These services could include ideas for revenue producing games, games of chance, consulting with your live and silent auctions, as well as, provide top notch entertainment to your guests.

I would love to hear from you about what your organization is doing and how CKBA can help.  Contact me today.