How to Avoid Yawn-Worthy Auctions and Fundraising Events

I know we're stating the obvious but nobody wants to go to a boring auction or fundraising event. People want to attend events that are fun and keep the audience engaged the entire time. We've got some tips to keep in mind to avoid yawn worthy auctions

5 Things to Do to Avoid Yawn Worthy Auctions and Events

Don't Make the Event Too Long

Things have changed since COVID.  People love going out, but they also want to get home to their sweatpants so events are becoming much shorter.

Focus on finding a few AMAZING auction items instead of trying to sell too many things live.  We’ve found our sweet spot is 3-8 items.

Keep Your Audience and Attendees Seated

ANYTHING will feel long and boring when you’re uncomfortable.  Ladies, you know we don’t want to stand still for 30 minutes or more in high heels.  Really try to SEAT your crowd.  Seated audiences pay more attention which will result in the non-profit makes more money.

Have Excellent Visuals

People process information differently, so we want to hit multiple senses. You want them to SEE the auction item, READ some bullet points and LISTEN to the item’s description.

If your auctioneer is on stage with no screens, pictures, or video, I guarantee people in the crowd will be confused about what’s being sold. Remember they’ve been drinking.

Work to place screens on stage and add images or videos of each item, along with the title and a few SHORT bullet points.

Make Sure Attendees Can Hear

Nothing kills a fundraiser faster than bad audio. If you can’t hear what’s happening on stage, you’ll start chatting with your friend and have no idea what’s happening during the “long, boring auction.” Invest in a professional A/V company.

Keep the Crowd Engaged

Stats show that only 5-10% of your attendees will actually bid in the auction. So you still need to make it FUN for everyone else. 

At Giving4Good our professional bid assistants engage the crowd and bring the energy. We also work hard at celebrating the wins.

When someone wins an auction item - send out the celebration squad to give them a prize or a glass of champagne.  The whole table loves it; no one will say your event was boring.

Easy Tips to Keep in Mind to Avoid Yawn Worthy Auctions

As you can see, making a few small tweaks to your event can help keep guest engaged, having fun and feel a part of the event. This increases the chances for guests to want to give more to the cause.