Charity Auction Gala Checklist
Your mission/clear goal-
Starting from the ground up. Before any planning begins start with asking yourself some questions about the fundraising gala event you are planning. Why is this event happening? What are we supporting? Why is it worth supporting? All these questions are what your potential attendees are wondering. After you have answered those questions create a goal for your event, and what you would like to accomplish by the end of the event. This could be a fundraising goal, goal of exposure, donations, or anything you want to achieve to create a successful event.
Create a Budget-
When it comes to fundraising, there is no one-size-fits-all solution. Every organization is different. But having a clear idea of how much money you want to raise and how you're going to raise it will help you make better decisions.In order to set up a realistic budget, you'll need to know how much money you need, what kind of event you plan to host, and where you're going to hold it. You'll also have to decide whether you're going to use a professional fundraiser like a consultant or a volunteer group, such as a local chapter of the American Cancer Society.
Once you've determined your goal amount, you'll need to figure out how much money you'll need to raise. This includes everything from ticket prices to sponsorship costs and advertising fees. Once you have a rough estimate of your total cost, you'll need to determine how much money you can realistically afford to spend.
You'll also need to take into account your operating expenses. These include things like entertainment, food and beverages, venue rental, marketing materials, auction items, and prizes. If you're holding your event in someone else's facility, you'll likely need to pay for utilities and maintenance. Finally, you'll need to factor in additional expenses, including things like transportation, insurance, and security.
Events page-
An events page is the official first step of your event. Here you will put everything you wish for your attendees to know about your event. Other than having basic information about the date and time add things that will encourage them to come. Maybe include a fundraising page of some of the items you are going to auction off and how each one of their donations will help your cause. Event pages are fully customizable on Events.org, allowing you to add and take out anything you'd like.
Guest list-
Knowing the guests you are going to invite lets you cater your event to them. If your guests are having a good time enjoying the food, atmosphere, and company they will be open to donating more to your cause. Obtaining a guest list can be done in many different ways, including guests from previous in-person or online events, previous donors, and guests who have attended or supported other charity auction events as well.Invitations-
Invitations can be sent out any way you’d like, for a gala a mailed invitation is suggested. An invitation is one of the first times your event attendees will be hearing about your event. The first impression creates the mood for the whole event. Make sure it also matches your theme and your charity auction image. Making the invitation contain more information than usual to sell the event more to potential attendees is not a bad thing but do not make it look cluttered. People are very picky about what they choose to pay attention to so something with too much information on it will lead them to not want to read it all.Venue & Theme-
The venue goes hand and hand with the theme of the event, they need to match each other so if you have an idea for either one make sure they line up before you fully decide on either one. It could clash and not create the image or feeling you were planning. Typically, a venue for a gala is a banquet hall or hotel, but you are not limited to that. Be creative when it comes to picking a venue, for example having it at the Shedd Aquarium will be a unique experience for your guests and might even attract new ones in your target audience. When a theme is mentioned, it does not have to mean an 80s-themed gala. A theme is something that will help shape your event, black-tie is a theme. For example, if your theme is black tie guests will know to expect more of an upscale experience for the night. A masquerade can be another fun theme that is something people can easily follow without having to go the extra mile and would be willing to participate in.
Entertainment-
A DJ, dancing, or live band. Of course, you want the main event to be the live auction and raising money for your cause. You also want to let your donor know you do appreciate them. You want them to have a wonderful night and enjoy themselves even when they are not spending money. Having a form of entertainment after the auctions and dinner has passed lets the attendees relax after the bidding and continue to enjoy the rest of their night.
Timeline-
A timeline is crucial not only for you when planning the event but also once the event is going on. Having a timeline for your planning schedule is nice to keep things in order and to make sure that you have completed everything you need to before the event. There is a lot to do so sitting down before the event planning process and writing your timeline for before, during, and after the event will put everything in perspective for what you have to do. It will seem overwhelming but as you go through it you will see yourself getting closer and closer to your goal.
iBid-
iBid is a helpful tool when it comes to a charity auction event. Assuming that you will be doing an auction during your event. iBid is a tool that can be used for check-in to an event and bidding throughout the night. It also allows your attendees to sign in before the event on your Events.org custom site and then will send you a text with a link to start bidding. This is great for a silent auctions and online auctions as well. You can even post live auction items on your website before the event also helps with getting attendees excited for what is to come.
Auctioneer-
At a gala, a live auction is something that will help increase bids as well as a form of entertainment for the guests. Knowing there will be a live auction with a well-known auctioneer could even bring in more attendees to your event than a silent auction. Having a great auctioneer makes all the difference so when hiring one make sure you do research in your area, it can be the difference of thousands of dollars.
Sponsors-
Event Sponsors help you maximize your earnings for your fundraising event by sponsoring certain parts of the event, you can have food and drink sponsors, table sponsors, live or silent auction items, anything. This relieves some of the cost from you and allows for sponsors to help so more of the funds go directly to the cause not funding your event. It is also a way for attendees to show their support for your cause. Sponsors can also get credit by having an advertisement of their choice on what they sponsored for the event, this encourages more sponsors.
Items for Auction-
After everything is said and done the auction items are what will bring in the money from your event, everything is revolving around the items that you will be auctioning off. Taking time to come up with a curated list of high and low-price items will be very beneficial for you. Do not be afraid to ask for these items to be donated, many brands and companies want to help and be a part of your event. There are many large companies out there that are willing to donate to your cause either big or small.For extra organization put all checklist steps onto a physical piece of paper to check off when completed like the checklist below. Keep it clean, do not add any information about the steps just the date they were completed and a check!
Fundraising
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