Professional auctioneer vs. an internal volunteer: what’s the difference?

Plenty of charities hand the microphone to a friendly trustee or a confident staff member, and it can go perfectly well. But if the goal is to raise as much as possible, a professional almost always brings in more than they cost. Here is the honest comparison, from someone who is admittedly not neutral.

Experience the room can feel

I have read a few thousand rooms and I know what a hesitation means, when to push and when to wait. A brilliant internal volunteer is usually doing this once a year. That difference in reps shows up directly in the total.

The freedom of neutrality

Your staff member has to work with these guests again on Monday. I do not, which means I can be bolder with the ask, cheekier with a reluctant bidder and firmer on increments, without worrying about the office politics. That freedom is worth real money.

Comfort with the ask

The hardest moment of the night is looking a room in the eye and asking for serious money. Most people find it deeply uncomfortable. Doing it well, repeatedly and warmly, is a professional skill, and it is exactly where amateur nights leave money on the table. At MS UK, a pledge I ran raised £8,300 with every pound going to the charity, in a room that had struggled to convert the year before.

Your team gets to enjoy the night

Hand the room to me and your staff and trustees can host, thank sponsors and actually be present, instead of sweating over the running order. That alone is often worth it.

The maths usually works

I typically lift an auction by far more than my fee, and my fees are built around the size and opportunity of your event. If you would like me to sense-check the numbers for your night, get in touch.