Essay Sample on Charity Auction: Raising Funds & Awareness to Combat Domestic Violence

Introduction

A charity auction is a form of fundraising designed to benefit organizations and help people in need. Our organization is a non-profit domestic violence agency. Through fundraising, we can know our donors better and, in the process, raise some money. The fundraising is to help balance our budget. The expenses this year have skyrocketed, and we need to catch up with it. This year fundraising aims at raising awareness on the quagmire of domestic violence and the need to deal with it before its too late for a person. Casualties of domestic violence end up committing suicide or murder.

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A charity auction is labor-intensive and requires lots of planning. The planning process involves assembling various supplies. Signed memorabilia containing a nostalgic message autographed by a public figure related to the item ("Auction Consignment Items," 2018). Tickets which will be sold online and also at the gate for the guests who did not purchase them online. Food and related materials such as gist cards help in the marketing of the vendors. Music is essential for the entertainment of the guests and brings a lively feeling to the auction. Concession stand for setting up items from different vendors of products such as foods and drinks for the guests.

Chairs and tables supplied for the guests to sit and enjoy themselves. Security team to ensure that the guests are safe from any theft cases since it involves money. Promotion prizes to be used before the start of the auction. Other materials required are the bid paddles, table arrangements, rolls of quarters, an auctioneer who will call out the price amounts. The event will be conducted through a charity auction. A charity auction involves generosity from big organizations to donate merchandise for auctioning in a charity auction. The first charity auction will be conducted as a silent auction.

The silent auction will be done through bidding. If an individual is interested in an item, then place a bid on a bid sheet located at the product using a number they are given, for privacy. The second auction is a quarter auction which is aimed at raising money and at the same time making the guests enjoy themselves in the process ("Quarters Auctions!," 2017). The domestic violence awareness team will create item values for the merchandise auctioned. The materials are categorized depending on their value into groups are assigned a bid price.

The bid price will be the number of quarters needed to enter the auction. An example is the items that cost $20-$30 will require a quarter, items valued between $31-$40 will cost two quarters and so forth ("Quarters Auctions!," 2017). The guests are provided for their number of the paddle when they arrive at the auction. Door prize sales using promotion materials and novelties will be drawn. It will be done fifteen minutes on the onset of the auction to get the guests to their seats and calm down for the event. During the sale, the announcer holds up a product for bidding and state its quarter cost if its one, two or more ("How To Run A Charity Auction CallHub," 2019). The interested participants place the correct amount of quarters in a bucket which will be at the center table.

The winner will be selected through choosing a number from the bucket that corresponds to the guest`s number paddle. The final auction will be done during the main fundraising event. The sponsor will put up an on and offline trunk show during the primary fundraiser on the last Saturday of October. The items provided for auctioning will be bided on and sold. After the charity auction, the sponsor donates part of the sales to the fundraising event, which will be conducted on the last Saturday of October.

The main fundraising event will be a live auction. The theme for the live sale will be the evils of domestic violence. It will be related to the cause of the fundraising. The merchandise provided will be highly valued items which will be sold at a fraction from the original price. The main event will be a live auction because of a hefty ticket base. Live auctioneering raises the excitement that comes from bidding. It promotes competitive tender through the need to possess a valuable piece of merchandise. Guests step into the action to be a win in the friendly bidding competition. Enthusiasm builds up raising bidding wars bringing in more money. In a few moments, there is a large amount of revenue collected. Bidding brings out a kind of showmanship from the announcer that the bidders will enjoy. The aim is to conduct the right auction that the agency will obtain its target amount. The auctioneer will provide services and themed items. The auction will create a win-win scenario where the sponsor for the item sales his product while the fundraising receives from the endeavor.

Also, I will contact a few celebrities who are willing to support fundraising by contributing to clothes and accessories. It will help in high bids being place and bring in the press. Press coverage of the event will raise the money being contributed to the expected amount ("How To Run A Charity Auction CallHub," 2019). I will come up with the types of items for celebrities to provide. The topics will include autographed cloth ware or photo or a DVD. I will contact the personality through the manager or agent because most celebrities do not publicly list their personal information. I will send a letter asking for the donation of the items with the details of the silent auction and the awareness raised by the organization.

The auctioning events will be a way of generating more money for the cause. The bidding process will produce a significant amount of money. I will present a large roll of quarters for the guests to swap with their bills. The events will have entry tickets that will be bought at the gate. The tickets cost will be considerable and pocket-friendly. The marketing of the cards will be done through social media. The message will be on the event, its location and what the guests should expect from the fundraising. The main event will have a higher ticket price because of beverages, desserts, and appetizers that will come accompanied to it. The high-ticket price will be for the adults and free entry to kids attending them. The tickets will be sold in advance to allow time for preparation. It will create a workbook for the number of expected guests, the money to be expected and the money that will be donated.

The tickets will be sold online so that guests who want to come can share with their friends who might want to support the cause. The fees for online use channeled to the guest purchasing the ticket. The tickets sold online will enable the collection of guests email addresses. It will allow guests who enjoy the event to come to the next program. The online purchase of tickets aims at spreading the awareness of the Domestic violence right and causes to support it. The auction event will have a concession stand for purchasing beverages and food. The food vendors will be charged a fee for selling their products through a percentage of their sales in all the set programs. The local business donations from the vendors will help in the auctioning event. They will contribute two items for the cause and will help in the marketing of their product.

The CEO role in the charity auction is to explain the cause of the charity and work with the board of trustees on the strategy of the charity auction. The purpose of the auctioneer is to ensure that the crowd is excited and involved in the bidding. The sponsors will provide the merchandise that will be used in the auctioneering. The vendors will also supply auction materials and provide services to the guests. The employees and members of the Domestic Violence organization will be trained to be auction monitors. They are supposed to ensure the guests follow bidding rules and participate in the auction event. They will help in inventory management, setting up and checking out the auction, and item solicitation. Recruited volunteers will be trained to act the ushers of the event organizing the guests and showing them to their seats.

The charity auction takes place at various locations. The silent auction and quarter auction will be conducted on the first and second Saturday of October. They will be held at the airport hangar. The guest will come in casual clothing for the event. The participants who will not have tickets will purchase them at the gate. The main fundraising event will happen on the last Saturday of October. There Will be a checkout room which will be cordoned that is specifically for money transactions. It will help in private and secure requested operations. The accountant will deal with the checks, credit cards, and money. The expected outcome revenue is 25000 dollars that are supposed to meet the needs of the organization.

Conclusion

Community view on domestic violence is varied. Some view it as a personal or private affair while others are against it. The fundraising is to ring the alarm on domestic violence which is a terrible problem. The fundraising will serve well in teaching the public about domestic violence and the importance of standing against it. It requires full participation and support from the public to fight it ("Auction Consignment Items," 2018). Domestic violence encompasses physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, economic abuse, and physiological abuse. The fundraising will have a one-hour storytelling decor on domestic violence and the need for ending it. It will be a video show on the different types of domestic violence and its impact on the victim. The video will show our video on the agency. Telling stories with a video show for all the guests will help in telling people our agency goal.

References

Auction Consignment Items. (2018, July 6). Retrieved from https://www.fundraiserhelp.com/auction-consignment-items.htm

How To Run A Charity Auction CallHub. (2019, July 17). Retrieved from https://callhub.io/how-to-run-a-charity-auction/

Quarters Auctions! (2017, February 18). Retrieved from https://www.ultimatedonations.org/blog/quarters-auctions/

TextMagic. (n.d.). Six Tools to Drive Your Fundraising Activities. Retrieved from https://trust.guidestar.org/six-tools-to-drive-your-fundraising-activities