Trust us, guests are not offended when organizations ask them to help with a specific project.

Galas and other fundraising events are the perfect time to ask for help funding a need. Need a new bus? A stage curtain? Special hospital beds? Ask! These are just a few of the needs that our clients have fulfilled during their live appeals.

BidPal makes it easy and fun for guests to support your cause. With the “Fund a Need” button on the BidPal device, guests can easily contribute any amount that they’re comfortable with.

Then they can watch your organization quickly fund its need in real time on the BidPal Scoreboard.  And they’ll no doubt enjoy being recognized for their contribution on the big screen.

The next time your organization hosts a fundraiser, go crazy—ask for money.

Eric L. Welch, CFRE, Area Director, Central Florida

Do the math. Setting a standard starting bid of at least 40% of the item’s overall value will net a much higher profit on the higher value item than on the lower value item.

Before you begin accepting every donation offered, it might be beneficial to establish some guidelines and get creative in your requests for donations. Successful organizations are packaging one-of-a-kind experiences. The recent Tim Tebow Foundation auction saw a couple bid $100,000 to spend the day with Tim!

Being creative with your item packaging and paying attention to overall item value can really pay off.

Eric L. Welch, CFRE, Area Director, Central Florida

The BidPal Scoreboard:

• Updates your proceeds in real time and individually thanks every person who donates
• Gives your auctioneer or emcee the opportunity to call out guests’ names in recognition of their generosity
• Is totally customizable – select logos and colors to complement the theme of your event
• Shows anonymous donations as well –you may choose to set the spotlight on the rising proceeds, not the individual guests

Anonymous or not, there are many ways to use BidPal to make your event’s cash appeal even more appealing!

Need tips for a successful cash appeal script? Contact us today!

Ann Govert, BidPal Consultant

Instead of raffling off a single item that many guests may not be interested in, the organization offered the chance to win an item in their live auction… any item in their live auction! With more than a dozen items to choose from, they guaranteed there was something for everyone.

How’d it go? The organization sold 175 raffle tickets at $100 each for $17,500. The winner chose an overnight stay at the city's downtown public library for eight students. While it’s a priceless experience, I doubt it would have raised half as much money in their live auction.

Maximize revenue, guarantee a happy winner and have some fun. Let the raffle winner pick his or her own prize at your next event!

Courtney Reifies, Business Analyst

What do you want to know?
We can pull statistics based on all sorts of data, including but not limited to:

• Bid history
• Event proceeds
• Bidders

The options are endless!

How do you want to review your data?
All BidPal reports are available in three formats:  PDF, RTF (Rich Text Format) and CSV (spreadsheet).  There are also many ways to sort reports (alphabetically, by bidder number, etc).

Need a custom report?
If you don’t see the report you want on our menu of options, we have a Professional Services Team that can look into creating a custom report for you!  All you have to do is ask your BidPal consultant for more information.

You’ve pulled off a great event, so go celebrate with a glass of champagne or a hot bath – not a number crunching session.  Welcome to the 21^st Century of charity events.  Let us do the work for you!

  Ann Govert, BidPal Consultant

Just say no to alpha sort
Too often guests go to the wrong line or all the Smiths show up together, overworking that volunteer. Meanwhile, the Zalinskis get in the door without waiting at all. We recommend an open registration that allows any guest to go to any line.

Pre-register
Encourage guests to pre-register online using BidPal’s new Giving Center.
This will allow each guest to update their mailing address, add email, pre-bid, and even register their credit card for Express Checkout.

Two are better than one
Assign two volunteers to each check-in station. Working in tandem to hand out the program or live auction paddle and the BidPal device saves precious time.

Have a help desk
Station a help desk down the hall or in the item area and direct all guests with questions there. Not only does this establish a central area to get help, but it also prevents a bottleneck at registration when volunteers must stop to answer questions.

With a little advance planning you can ensure that your event gets off to a smooth start!

Nathan Jeffery, BidPal Consultant

Set you up for success by:

• Hosting an intuitive and hands-on volunteer training session one hour prior to registration for all volunteers and staff who will be working with BidPal
• Making recommendations for volunteer roles and handheld collection processes

Get the ball rolling by:

• Arriving onsite approximately four hours prior to registration to make any last minute changes and adjustments
• Monitoring registration and the distribution of BidPal handheld devices

Keep you posted on the progress of your event by:

• Informing you of up-to-the-minute silent auction, donation and fixed price proceeds
• Generating requested reports to provide you additional real-time data
• Providing a detailed analysis of your post-event reports and making suggestions for your next event

Keep your guests engaged and satisfied by:

• Stationing our staff strategically around your event space to answer questions and to troubleshoot
• Liaising with your live auctioneer and/or emcee to make announcement and process recommendations
• Producing checkout reports and guest receipts in a timely and efficient fashion

You’ve got a lot on your to-do list. Let your BidPal Event Manager handle your silent auction for you!

Jodi Campbell, Event Consultant

What’s a good Buy Now item?  Go for items with a clear market value. You should not use the Buy Now option for intangible items or experiences, such as a hot air balloon ride or the first pitch at the baseball game, because it’s difficult to place a value on them.

What’s a good price? Usually, the Buy Now price is set higher than the market value—about 150-200 percent.

Research. Review data from past silent auctions where Buy Now prices were offered to evaluate whether prices could have been increased.  If so, skip the Buy Now option or increase the price.

Is the Buy Now option right for some of your auction items?

Sheehan Hubbard, BidPal Consultant

• Sponsor logos – Display sponsor logos on the home screen of the BidPal device using a weighted timer (in minutes).  Higher-level sponsors can receive longer logo exposure.
• Sponsor page – Set your sponsorships apart from ordinary logo placement by letting your sponsors buy their own page!  When a guest clicks on the sponsor logo on the home screen of the BidPal device, the guest is directed to a sponsor page including name, logo and more than 10,000 characters of text!  Sponsors can use this page for promotional material, company background and services, or for a special message regarding their involvement with your cause.  The options are endless!
• Ticker messages –BidPal’s scrolling ticker messages can be customized to scroll across the BidPal device during certain points of the event.
• Scoreboard sponsors – Hit a home run with sponsors by offering them a Scoreboard sponsorship.  Their logo will be viewed on the Scoreboard screens that display real-time silent auction data and donation updates. During the live appeal, when all eyes are glued to the Scoreboard, your sponsor will receive premium exposure!
• You’ve got options – Organizations may choose to offer a BidPal sponsorship as a standalone opportunity, or may bundle the BidPal opportunity with other sponsorship benefits to create multiple sponsorship levels.

Giving your sponsors the limelight throughout your event gives them a tangible return on investment, and the business they drum up as a result could lead to long-term donor relationships. Interested in offering sponsorship packages? Let BidPal help you get the ball rolling!

Jodi Campbell, Event Consultant

• BidPal’s wireless handheld devices eliminate the need for paper bid sheets and auction catalogs. Attendees will use the handheld devices to browse auction items and bid on items paper-free.

• BidPal allows guests to pre-swipe their credit cards at the beginning of the night or enter their credit card information directly into the device at the end of the evening, eliminating paper credit card slips.

• Guests also may have their receipt emailed to them at the end of the auction, again saving paper. If they would like a hard copy receipt, one can be printed off from the checkout station.

At your next event, let BidPal help you increase your bidding while decreasing your carbon footprint!

Cameron Mahoney, BidPal Consultant