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Auction bid paddles are imperative to a successful auction. Why?
Bid paddles are a great way for guests to bid and have fun. They also double as a fan when the action heats up. Having numbered bid paddles can help with your Open Ask. It’s easy to ask donors to raise their paddles if they are going to support you at a certain level. That way your auctioneer or representative can move the auction right along.
Benefit auctioneer Doug Sorrell described to Winspire News an experience he had using mobile bidding during the fund-a-need in place of bid cards...
"Funding Pleas that rely on smartphones rather than holding up a bidder number are a bust. I recently did a first-time event in Tennessee that had over 650 guests. They used mobile bidding software, which is fine and I endorse this technology - for the silent auction.
For the Funding Plea, against my suggestion, they relied on people simply using a button on their smartphones. They raised $45,000 when they should have raised $100,000! They budgeted $200,000 from my portion of their event, and I raised $275,000, including the $45,000 plea. Next time they will follow my advice.
The next week in Ohio, with an audience of 125 people, I used the tried-and-true 'hold up your bidder number' Funding Plea. I raised over $52,000. Best of all, we had a matching $50,000 donor, netting over $100,000 for the organization."
Bid paddles are a great way for guests to bid and have fun. They also double as a fan when the action heats up. Having numbered bid paddles can help with your Open Ask. It’s easy to ask donors to raise their paddles if they are going to support you at a certain level. That way your auctioneer or representative can call off the numbers to a donations administrator so your supporters’ donations can be added to their summary “invoice” at the end of the evening. But again, what if table mates’ paddles get mixed up and one supporter raises the wrong paddle number to donate? That can make for a nightmare at checkout and might cost you precious donations.