About one in four donors give to a nonprofit via an auction. In case you’re operating your charity auctions on-line, you’ll have numerous information to higher perceive what occurred at your silent public sale.  

However what does all of it imply, and how are you going to apply what you might have discovered to attain even larger fundraising outcomes along with your public sale subsequent time? 

Evaluating your silent public sale information in-depth can additional develop giving and even seize new donor giving. Listed below are 5 methods to make the most of your silent public sale information to enhance your fundraising technique.

1. Take a look at the Public sale Packages with the High Bids

What auction items got the most bids? Those bidding patterns provide perception into the place you elevate a beginning bid to generate extra income. It additionally gives perception into what public sale gadgets it’s best to preview with subsequent 12 months’s company to generate pleasure.  

If you may get related gadgets subsequent 12 months, see should you can provide any as a double-down, providing the identical merchandise to a second or third particular person on the value the shedding bidders had been keen to pay.  

2. Take a look at Public sale Packages with the Fewest Bids 

Whereas the most bid-on items inform you numerous — and might profit your donor stewardship — packages with the fewest bids additionally provide nice perception to your occasion group and committee.   

Take into account what patterns you’ll find with gadgets with the fewest bids. Was the value level too excessive? Are they a part of a distinct segment class? Was it numerous work to get these gadgets?  

By strategically utilizing your bid historical past stories, you’ll be able to see how few bids an merchandise obtained and filter out gadgets that solely had a couple of bids to curate a higher-quality public sale. It is going to additionally assure a larger return on funding (ROI) on your public sale.   

3. Run a Report on the Losers 

Take a look at the bids report back to see who was occupied with gadgets however didn’t win. Don’t neglect to have a look at what they had been keen to spend. Particularly if the identical particular person misplaced a number of gadgets, they might have walked out of your occasion with cash they needed to present.  

Wanting on the losers provides perception into their giving capability and the place you would provide additional giving opportunities at your event. Your main giving group can leverage this information in sponsorship, main giving, and legacy planning conversations.   

GiveSmart Events Salesforce Connector 

Are donor retention and strategic stewardship a precedence at your nonprofit? Entry up-to-date donor transaction information immediately with GiveSmart Event’s Salesforce Connector. You’ll additionally save time and scale back errors, which go hand in hand with guide information entry. 

4. Consider Your Public sale Opening and Closing Occasions 

Nonprofit employees and committees have opinions on how lengthy to maintain an public sale open and when to shut it. Taking a look at previous public sale efficiency can assist drive data-driven decision-making for these essential selections.   

An extended opening time could be a wise alternative should you solely host a digital public sale with none in-person parts. If in case you have a program with a sturdy dwell public sale and paddle elevate, take into account closing your public sale forward of these moments, so donors know the way a lot they’ve already given within the night. If in case you have a speaker and impactful mission moments, you don’t need your public sale to shut throughout these moments in order that company and donors are solely centered in your audio system. 

Additionally, take into account your auction checkout process. Employees and volunteers can take time to maneuver gadgets and arrange. Persons are generally keen to select up their gadgets and depart instantly after the public sale closes. Evaluating your complete occasion and refining your run of present can assist generate extra income total on your occasion.   

5. Examine Common Successful Bids to Prior Yr’s Common Successful Bids

Extra just isn’t all the time finest. As you have a look at the variety of packages and the typical gross sales value throughout event-post-mortem, compare it to prior years.  

Auctions take a substantial quantity of labor. Suppose 50 public sale packages yielded you marginally lower than 75 public sale packages. In that case, different turn-key wrap-around fundraisers or revenue enhancers could take much less time and will generate extra occasion income total.    

Leveraging silent public sale information is vital to elevating your total fundraising occasion technique.  

By analyzing the gadgets that garnered excessive and low bids, you’ll be able to refine your choices, regulate pricing, and even uncover hidden donor potential via those that got here shut however didn’t win. Moreover, fine-tuning your occasion’s timing—from public sale openings to closings—ensures that each second is optimized for donor engagement and income technology. 

Benchmarking your present public sale efficiency in opposition to previous outcomes gives a transparent roadmap for steady enchancment. Embracing these data-driven insights sharpens your public sale and lays a stable basis for sustained fundraising occasion success. 

Are you on the lookout for extra steering on leveraging public sale information? Try GiveSmart’s Ultimate Data-Driven Auction Fundraising Guide to be taught what you are able to do along with your public sale information as a substitute of guessing.