I want you to think about the term “Fundraising Auction”.

A “Fundraising Auction” is an event where items of value are gathered, and then sold in a competitive bidding situation, either in a Silent Auction format, or in a Live Auction format by a Live Auctioneer. And since typically the best items are saved for the Live Auction, arguably it is the Live Auction that should generate a significant portion of the proceeds in any Fundraising Auction.

So why do so many non-profit groups consider the Fundraising Auctioneer to be the least valuable component in a Fundraising Auction?

The Hosting Facility gets paid.
The Printer gets paid.
The Caterer gets paid.
The Liquor Store gets paid.
The DJ gets paid.
The Florist gets paid.
But the Auctioneer … the individual who is expected to raise the lion’s share of the event’s proceeds… is expected to work for Free. And is usually under-appreciated for the professional services he/she provides.

I’m not trying to underscore the value of the invitations & programs, food, booze, music, and decorations. All are important in their own way. But each of these are “Expenses”. It is the Auctioneer who is going to bring “Revenue”… and thus, the “Profits”… into any event. Which is the ultimate objective of any Fundraising Auction.

Here is a real-life example of how under-appreciated the Auctioneer can be. In two comparable events we worked last year, during the dinner portion of the event one non-profit group sat the Auctioneer (me) at a table with the DJ, the Interns, the Volunteer Staff, and other event “Help”. The 2nd non-profit group sat the Auctioneer (me) directly next to the CEO of their organization, where we chatted about how important the pending revenue would be to their organization. Which group do you think valued the services of the Fundraising Auctioneer more?

Don’t ever under-estimate the value that a professional Fundraising Auctioneer can bring to your event. The Auctioneer adds value as a pre-event consultant. And the Auctioneer can change an event from a moderate to a huge success.

A Case Study Once I was scheduled to call an Auction for a major local non-profit group. They represented a very good cause and they had a strong and dedicated following. Their event was sold out, quality Live & Silent Auction items had been solicited, and the Special Pledge Appeal had been choreographed and was ready to go. The facility was first class, the appropriate caterer was booked, and the food was ready to cook.

But quite unexpectedly, some unseasonably inclement weather forced the event’s cancellation. Despite all of the committee’s hard work, cancelling the event was the proper decision considering the circumstances.

So the Event Committee scrambled to re-schedule the event for the following weekend.

They confirmed with the Hosting Facility.
They confirmed with the Caterer.
They confirmed with the Liquor Store.
They confirmed with the DJ.
They confirmed with the Florist.
Since they already had the Mailing List of those scheduled to attend, no new invitations had to be printed as all were contacted by email or telephone. So with everything in place, the group went ahead and re-scheduled the event for the following weekend.

But guess who they failed to confirm? You got it… the Professional Auctioneer. They thought so little of the Auctioneer’s contribution that they “assumed” that the Auctioneer would be available and at their beck and call.

But the Auctioneer already had another Fundraising Auction booked for that date with another non-profit group. It was only hour away from the re-scheduled event, and things could have been easily worked out. All Group #1 had to do was start their event one hour earlier, or one hour later, than the Group #2, and the Auctioneer could have helped both groups on the same day.

But because Group #1 failed to anticipate a possible Auctioneer conflict, because they failed to confirm with the Auctioneer before re-scheduling their event, their preferred Auctioneer had to bow out and they had to scramble to locate substitute “Volunteer” Auctioneer only days before their event.

And it cost them.

Learning Points

The Live Auction is usually where the profits are made at any Fundraising Auction.
A Professional Fundraising Auctioneer can be vital to the success of any Fundraising Auction.
The better Fundraising Auctioneers usually get booked quickly.
You need to recognize the important contributions that a good Auctioneer can make to your event.
Michael Ivankovich is a Bucks County Fundraising Auctioneer based in Doylestown PA, and serves the Great Philadelphia PA area. He has been a professionally licensed and bonded Auctioneer in Pennsylvania for nearly 20 years, has been named Pennsylvania’s Auctioneer of the Year, and has considerable experience in conducting Fundraising Auctions. Michael loves helping groups raise needed funds for good causes and one of his specialties is the “Special Pledge Appeal” or “Fund-A-Cause Appeal” which usually enables clients to double their revenue in a single evening.

You would like more family time, your individual schedule, to terminate your boss, to retire your husband or wife, to gain more revenue, to have that Saturday and Sunday off, to sleep in, to take that trip anywhere at any time, to see the kids more, to have several tax benefits and the list could continue. This is what we hear when we pay attention to a growing number of folks that are starting their own home based businesses.

Let’s commence with relieving the two key Misconceptions:

It’s easy It’s unattainable – it’s virtually all a scam

A couple of extremely different sides of the formula although you may have been faced with both of these within your research and you’re probably incredibly wise to already know that both are untrue, but how untrue? Simply, if you are in the correct home based business the training and success program is already in place and all you need do is work it. It’s basic but Easy. A home business is still a business and like any successful company, an individual has to put in the effort. Some successful home based business models are easier than others so make sure that you choose one that has a proven success program to follow and even better, have a Mentor to follow. Uncover a leader that is where you need to be and partner with them.

The rumors that are plaguing people’s ignorance that a successful home based business is often a scam is just plain bull crap. Hundreds of thousands of individuals run businesses from home – some full time and quite a few part-time.

Successful Home Based Business Tips

1. Standard small businesses – including bookkeeping or cleaning where you could earn an income on a linear scale (hours worked = hours paid)

2. Residual income opportunities – like several computer home based businesses, where you invest your time up front and leverage your efforts. You earn an income on a residual scale (front load your hours worked = leveraged income and efforts)

This method is favoured by most successful business owners including Robert Kiyosaki, Donald Trump and John D. Rockefeller just to name some.

Whatever sort of successful home based business you aim for, it’s crucial to appreciate your new venture. Fist figure out how you need to earn income (either linear or residual) then engage in an opportunity that you’re passionate about.

Regardless of whether you might be looking to start something full time to earn a primary income, part-time for a second income or maybe you are looking to fire your darn boss, the beneficial news is that it’s possible to start and develop a successful home based business, and our purpose would be to enable you to boost your chances of success.

Breaking away from our finance jobs and firing our bosses, we have built a successful home based business and we now really like helping other individuals to do the same. The best method to succeed, in our view, is to copy the success of others.

Some things to ask yourself before you can have a successful home based business:

Linear or Leverage Income?
Part Time or Full Time?
Who’s your Mentor?
What’s Your Business Goals?
What’s your Success Plan and Methods?
Are You Building a Long Lasting, Solid Business?
You might be already figuring some things out inside your head right now but hopefully we have helped to open your mind to some possibilities you didn’t know existed. Maybe even make an important distinction to your future! So please take time to send us some comments or questions. Whatever successful home based business you might be examining we would really like to help out in any way we can because this really is a fun journey.

When you think of having a profitable home based business, what kinds of images come to your mind? Business sounds important. To think of owning a business implies that we can create a product or deliver a service that others will value enough to spend money acquiring. What is the activity if it’s not a business? A hobby. Even the IRS says if you don’t make a profit in three years it’s not a business for the purposes of business deductions.Those deductions are an essential element of owning a profitable home based business. The ability to take business purchases and equipment off your taxes is a vital part of the strategy of every successful company. Knowing what to do takes knowledge, which at the very least means study, and which may mean seeking professional counsel. A basic knowledge of the principles of accounting, including cost accounting often spells the difference between success and failure in business. A famous line from “The Lucy Show” has Lucille Ball commenting that she loses a quarter a jar on the salad dressing she is making. When asked how she plans to succeed, she says,”I’m going to make it up on volume!”Home based is an important part of having a profitable home based business for many people. Some people romanticize the idea of working from home. While this can be freeing in terms of commuting in heavy traffic and worrying about an appropriate business wardrobe, the pressures of balancing home life and work can be frustrating unless or until a person develops the ability to separate the work from the personal in the home environment. If you can organize and segregate the tasks and distractions, this can be a dream come true with freedom and flexibility beyond anything the traditional work environment can offer.The profitable aspect of owning a profitable home based business carries its own set of challenges as well as tremendous opportunities. Home based businesses are often, but not always, single person enterprises. This means when you are not working you are not earning. Hiring people to work for you means training, supervising, discipline and sometimes firing. A lot of businesses never make it over that threshold, and that is fine if that meets your needs for income and freedom. Profitability and productivity often have a direct correlation, so the challenge of the owner of a home based business is to increase productivity without sacrificing the advantages of freedom and flexibility.A profitable home based business really can be a dream come true. Or it can let you do what you like with a lot of flexibility as to where and when you do it. It can be a great way to blend family life in with a less rigid business schedule and more relaxed environment. A person considering this move should evaluate his or her own style of working, scheduling and relating to others. It is also advisable to seek the advice of those you trust to see how they think you will adjust. It can be the greatest thing you ever do for yourself and your family.