Creating an Impactful Charity Auction - Email Marketing

There are many components to creating an Impactful Charity Auction. There are several, in fact, that, in a timeline of events, come before this topic. Without something to auction off, however, you've already lost. So, we'll start here, so that you can understand how, with the right email, you can successfully acquire thousands of dollars of goods and services to run a very profitable charity auction.

What’s in it for me?

Anytime I’m asking a business for something, I believe they’re asking, “what’s in it for me?” You could attempt to appeal to the business owner/ manager’s sense of compassion and hope they will just give you their items because they are aligned with your cause, but the likelihood of that, in my experience is very low. What is more likely, is for them to be convinced by you demonstrating how it is advantageous for them to donate to your cause.

Many businesses invest in advertising, to draw more visitors to their site, store, office, hoping that those visitors will see value in their products and services and choose to do business with them. I lean into this desire when I’m creating a silent auction and include the benefit of an advertisement posted at the auction alongside their auction item. This is the most important detail in my email appealing for an auction donation. In the email I frame the request in 4 sections; subject line, paragraph about the event and the cause, section about what you want and what they’ll get, call to action. I add a few lines in bold to separate the sections and draw attention to key points of interest.

Subject Line:

According to Larisa Bedgood, of the DigitalDoughnut.com (2016), “The majority of marketing emails are deemed attention-worthy in the timeframe of zero to three seconds.” That makes your subject line the key to grabbing your reader’s attention. In my subject line I like to answer the “what’s in in for me” question right away. For example, “Reach a potential 650 member families and their guests!” An opportunity for a company’s products to be seen by 650 families is serious business, especially if you consider that this item may only cost them $50.

Paragraph about the event and your cause:

I like to start this section with a bolded line, like “A low-cost promotional opportunity for your business that supports community initiatives! “ Then, keep it short. No more than 4 or 5 sentences. According to Ashley Cummings of Campaign Monitor.com (2019), you have roughly 8 seconds to keep them engaged. Talk about what and when the event is, how it will benefit the recipients of the fundraising proceeds, and what your charity, or non-profit organization is all about.

Here’s an example:

"I am reaching out to you today to ask your business to donate an item or items which will be auctioned off at our X fundraiser at X. X is a non-profit organization that is largely volunteer run. Your support will help with our publicly accessible community programs, which provide instruction to children and adults, including individuals with disabilities. X provides X for X to compete in local, national and international competition."

Section about what the vendor will receive:

Keep it short and again. I like to start this section with a bolded line as well, which clearly identifies the dollar value of the commitment you’re looking for, and I like to add bullet points rather than keeping it in paragraph form. In speaking with vendors, I’ve found that when they open the email they are often skipping straight to this section, and only reading the paragraph(s) about the event and the cause after they’re interest is piqued regarding the promotional opportunity. Understanding this will help you format this section and decide what to talk about.

Here’s an example:

Typically, businesses will provide items worth $50 or more. Some past items have been:

• A single item from your business or promotional item (mugs, coolers, sweaters)

• A gift basket, or several items that we can put into a gift basket.

• A gift certificate for a dollar value or specific item.

• A free lesson or set of lessons.

• 
  

This is a great way for your business and auction item to be seen by a potential 650 member families and their guests. What you will get:

• An 8.5 x 11 advertisement at the auction table beside your donation (must be approved or we can create one for you).

• A listing of your item on our website with your business name.

• A posting of your auction item on the members Facebook page.

You’ll notice that even as you’re reading this section yourself, your eyes are immediately drawn to “Typically, businesses will provide (…)” and “What you will get”. This is getting to the meat of the sandwich and immediately answers the question that I identified earlier, “what’s in it for me?”

Call to action:

If you’re a seasoned marketer, you already know about the importance of a call to action. If you’re not, though, I’ll briefly explain. A call to action is a request for the reader to perform a certain act: Call now! Help us today! Join here! Without a call to action, the rest of your message falls flat because often people need that request to spur them into action.

Here's an example that I've used:

"Please consider helping with this worthy cause. We can create an advertisement for you and we will pick up your donation. All you need to do is say yes! Please reach out today!"

Over time, I’ve been able to refine these emails so that I have received up to a 10% take rate. This means for 300 emails sent, I have received 30 items to auction. Many businesses are happy to make the donation because more eyes are on their product or service, it costs them very little compared to other advertising opportunities, and they get to help a worthy cause. In summary, try to remember 3 simple tips; draw their attention immediately with a good subject line, keep the email short but be sure to describe what benefit the business will get, use bolding and bullets to draw attention to key items.

Larisa Bedgood (2016, March 17). Your Marketing Email Has Only 3 Seconds to Capture a Reader’s Attention – 5 Tips on How to Make it Count. DigitalDoughnut.com. https://www.digitaldoughnut.com/articles/2016/march/your-marketing-email-has-only-3-seconds-to-capture

Ashley Cummings – (2019, May 13). Email Marketing in the Era of 8 Second Attention Spans. CampaignMontior.com. https://www.campaignmonitor.com/blog/email-marketing/email-marketing-in-the-era-of-8-second-attention-spans/