Blog & guides
Field notes on raising more
Practical guides on charity auctions, pledge drives, sourcing lots and running a fundraising night that beats its target.
Gala dinner auctioneer: what to look for when hiring one
A gala dinner auctioneer is a specific hire, not a general entertainment booking. Get this choice right and the live auction and pledge segment often…
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Fundraising auctioneer: what the role actually involves and how to hire one
If you have searched for a fundraising auctioneer, you are probably already planning a gala, dinner, or fundraising event and want to know exactly what…
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Quiz night charity fundraiser: how to run one that raises real money
Running a quiz night charity fundraiser well means treating the quiz as the draw that fills the room, not the only thing raising money. Here is how the…
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Fund-a-need paddle raise: how to structure it for maximum giving
If you have settled the pledge drive debate in favour of the pledge, or you are running both, the next question is how to actually structure the…
Read articleSchool fundraising auction ideas: how to run a PTA auction that works
Most school fundraising auctions do not underperform because the prizes are wrong. They underperform because the room goes quiet halfway through and…
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Do I need a charity auctioneer, or can a volunteer run our auction?
If you are asking whether you need a charity auctioneer, you have probably already run one event with a volunteer and felt the total come in lower than it…
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How much does a charity auctioneer cost? Flat fee vs commission explained
So how much does a charity auctioneer cost? There is no single number. Fees vary by event size and format, but nearly every UK charity auctioneer cost…
Read articleWhat does a professional auctioneer do, and why does it matter for your event?
Search for a professional auctioneer and you'll find two very different types of results mixed together: people who sell antiques, property, or livestock…
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Hospice fundraising ideas: auction and gala formats that raise more
Search for hospice fundraising ideas and most results are A-Z lists: bake sales, abseils, quiz nights, sponsored walks. Useful for year-round giving, but…
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Hire an auctioneer: what to check before you book one for your event
If you're planning to hire an auctioneer for a gala, dinner, or fundraising event, the quality of the person you book affects the total raised as much as…
Read articleSearching for an auctioneer near me? Here’s what actually matters for a charity event
Search "auctioneer near me" and you'll mostly find local auction houses selling antiques, furniture, and house clearance lots, plus the odd property or…
Read articleWhy corporate CSR events need a professional charity auctioneer, not just an MC
Hiring a corporate charity auctioneer rather than relying on a general MC is the difference between an evening that looks polished and one that actually…
Read articleCharity gala Europe: lessons from a Monaco fundraiser that raised over 1,000,000 euros
Running a charity gala Europe-wide changes almost everything about the planning, from the legal groundwork to how you read a room that does not all speak…
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Arts gala fundraising: running a charity auction for a creative crowd
Arts gala fundraising rewards organisers who understand that a creative audience does not bid the same way a corporate crowd does. The room responds to…
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How to source charity auction lots without losing money to commission
Where your auction lots come from has a direct effect on what your charity actually keeps. Get the sourcing wrong and a third-party supplier's commission…
Read articleHow to run a casino night charity fundraiser that actually raises money
Running a casino night charity fundraiser well means treating the tables as entertainment, not the entire fundraising strategy. Here is how the format…
Read articleSports dinner charity auction: how to structure the evening for maximum bids
A sports dinner charity auction works because it plays to exactly what a sporting audience already loves: competition. Get the structure right and that…
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Pledge drive vs live auction: which raises more at your charity gala?
If you are planning a charity gala, you will eventually face this choice: run a pledge drive, run a live auction, or find a way to do both well. Here is…
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Charity auctioneer tips that actually move the total
Most advice about running a charity auction focuses on the ten minutes on stage. The truth is that the total is mostly decided before anyone lifts a…
Read articleCharity auction ideas: lots, themes, and ways to raise more on the night
A themed evening gives guests a frame of reference that makes bidding feel like more than a transaction.
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What is a charity fundraising auction and how does it work?
A charity fundraising auction is a live bidding event where proceeds go to a charity or nonprofit.
Read articleThe best auction items for charity events (and how to source them)
Experiential lots outperform physical items consistently. A weekend at a supporter's property raises more than a hamper.
Read articleCharity auctions: how to run one that actually raises serious money
The most effective charity auction structure runs in four parts: fundraising game, raffle, live auction, then live pledge to close.
Read articleWhat is a charity auctioneer? And what do they actually do?
A charity auctioneer is a professional hired to run the live fundraising at an event, the auction, the pledge moment and, often, the energy of the whole…
Read articleMastering charity auctioneering: the skills that raise more
Charity auctioneering looks like performance, and it is. But the performance is the easy part. What separates a good night from a record one is judgement…
Read articleWhy it pays to hire a charity auctioneer who cares
You can hire someone to call numbers. What you actually want is someone who makes the room care as much as you do. Those are not the same thing, and on…
Read articleSelf-expression: the quiet skill behind a great auctioneer
Two auctioneers can read the exact same lot description and get wildly different results. The words are identical; the expression is not. How you carry a…
Read articleCreative ways to raise money at a corporate fundraising event
Corporate rooms are a specific animal: competitive, time-conscious and quick to disengage if the evening drags. The good news is that the same instincts…
Read articleWhy comedy experience makes a better charity auctioneer
On paper, comedy and charity auctioneering look unrelated. In practice they are almost the same job: stand in front of a room, hold its attention, control…
Read articleThe art of connection: work the room before the auction
By the time I pick up the microphone, the most important work is often already done. The connection I make with a room during the drinks and the dinner is…
Read articleWhy a charity auctioneer always has a back-up plan
Every event runs perfectly right up until it does not. A microphone dies, a headline bidder leaves early, a lot falls flat, the running order changes ten…
Read articleThe advantage of an auctioneer who has built businesses
Auctioneering and building businesses call on the same muscles: understanding what something is worth, reading the person across the table, and knowing…
Read articleProfessional auctioneer vs. a staff member: which raises more?
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…
Read articleHow to start a bidding war (the right way) at a charity auction
A great bidding war looks like luck. It is not. When two people push a lot far beyond its value, an experienced host has usually engineered the conditions…
Read articleManaging a bidding war: keeping it fast, fun and fair
Getting two people to compete for a lot is exciting. Managing it well is what turns that excitement into a big number without anyone feeling cornered.…
Read articleWhat to do when the bidding at a charity auction goes quiet
Every auctioneer has stood in front of a lot that should have flown and watched the room sit on its hands. The instinct is to push harder. Usually that is…
Read articleQuick wit: a charity auctioneer’s secret weapon
You can prepare everything about an auction except the moments that matter most. The best bits are almost always unplanned, the reply to a heckle, the…
Read articleHow to become a great charity auctioneer: the honest guide
People assume charity auctioneering is a natural gift. Some of it is temperament, but most of it is craft, learnable, improvable, and built over hundreds…
Read articleWhy energy is a charity auctioneer’s most underrated tool
Walk into any event and you can feel the host’s energy within seconds. It sets the ceiling for the whole night. A flat host makes a flat room; a warm,…
Read articleThe gavel’s giggle: the role of humour in auctioneering
There is a myth that a charity auction should be earnest to be effective, that laughter somehow cheapens the cause. In my experience the opposite is…
Read articleHow charisma quietly maximises bids at a charity auction
Charisma is one of those words that sounds like showing off. On stage at a charity auction it means something far more useful: the ability to hold a…
Read articleThe qualities that make a great charity auctioneer
Ask ten committees what makes a great charity auctioneer and you will get ten answers, most of them about being funny or loud. The real qualities are…
Read articleThe things a charity auctioneer should never do
Knowing what to do on stage matters. Knowing what never to do matters just as much, because a single misstep can cool a room for the rest of the night.…
Read articleWhy improvisation is essential for a charity auctioneer
You can plan an event down to the minute and it will still surprise you. Speeches overrun, bidders leave early, microphones die, a lot lands flat. What…
Read articleWhy communication skills make or break a charity auctioneer
At its heart, charity auctioneering is communication under pressure. Everything, the energy, the humour, the storytelling, sits on top of one basic…
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