Pages

Thursday, January 17, 2013

A Silent Auction Online Can Help A Non Profit Raise Money

By Annabelle Newton


One thing that most agencies that rely on public support have in common is finding effective strategies to raise funds for their operations. Many of these organizations will hire a person who sole purpose is to help them get money from as money sources as possible. This process has become a lot harder to do since the last global recession hit much of the world. Companies and individuals have found they could not support charitable programs like they once good. A way to help drive funds using current technology is by have a silent auction online.

These auctions have been around for many years and have been popular among supporters of the various causes trying to support their operation. They way the usually work is that a group of volunteers solicit members of the locality to give donations. When people arrive at the event, they will walk around and see if anything appeals to them. When they find something they will place a bid on a piece of paper by the item. A person will need to keep checking the paper to make sure nobody outbid them.

These are welcomed events to attend for a lot of supporters. A problem arises when only so many supporters can fit into the physical space where the auction is being held. Usually they are held in banquet halls, or some other similar location, where only a certain amount of attendees can fit inside. The basic problem under this scenario is that one is artificially restricted the number of people who can bid on the items.

The other drawback is that it might affect the willingness of a business to donate an item. Most businesses look at this as an opportunity to let others in the town know they are giving donations to support a cause that often benefits the citizens. This knowledge can help establish a relationship between their customer base and the store.

A company might decide that the cost associate with giving is not recouped when only a few people will know about it. Many businesses almost look at this as part of their advertising costs. Some might have a cost benefit analysis approach to their donations.

A community organization that decides to move their silent auction to the internet might realize a couple of benefits. They will potentially reach a much larger audience than if they held it in a building or at their location. This means more people might bid on items that drive up the purchase price and earns more for the agency.

One can also approach businesses and let them know how their donation might reach more people. This might make them give more when they know a larger audience will know about their giving. Even those who just check out the site can notice how a business owner cares about what is happening to others around them.

Most agencies that help the public need assistance in meeting their budgets. They will pursue a lot of different ideas to help make this happen. Holding a silent auction online is an idea that many may want to look into to raise funds.




About the Author:



1 comment: