Planning Accordingly During an Unsure Spring Season

March 9, 2020

I’m trying to avoid the hysteria. Even as I try to compose a non-threatening title I’m reminded that it’s easy to slip into panic and worry that the world is changing drastically with the outbreak of Coronavirus. But don’t lose hope. Online auctions can be the key to generating needed funds this spring and summer.

The latest threat of illness from COVID-19 is hurting the event business because people are being advised to stay home and the uncertainty of where the virus has spread. How do our charities work through these challenges? I’m here to try and help give some concrete answers.

Take Your Auction Online

First, if you’ve never allowed online bidding, now is the time to get started. If your event is being pushed to June or even later, run a small auction online to stay in front of your donors. Because, it is all about relationships and using an online auction to keep your donors safe while providing a way to raise money is key. Your donors will see you as proactive and conscious of concerns your donors have.

Second, put out an online donation campaign. Don’t just setup a donation button. Build a goal, tell a story and give suggested donation amounts to your donors while you wait out the storm. Again, it’s all about showing your donors that you’re pro-active.

Two New Features To Help Today

To help you, we have pulled a few features forward to release this week. We normally wait till our slow season to launch new features but we also want to be proactive and show our non-profit partners that we understand and want to help. New this week: Share individual items on Facebook, Twitter, email and text messaging. Let your donors quickly tap and share an item they think someone would like. As the organizer, you can also share the item(s) you add with our mass messaging service or you can copy and paste the links into your newsletters. It’s all about continuous communication with your donors.

Second, we’ve added the ability to suggest dollar amounts in your online donation campaigns. Let your donors know how much helps and at what level. This creates a higher sense of need and therefore results.

I go into greater detail of these features in my new training series Bidding From Home on our Training Hub. Learn how to use these features and more at the Hub.

Helpful Links

Lastly, I wanted to provide some links to online marketing resources that you can use to promote your event, online auction, giving campaign. Feel free to start a chat in your admin or email me with questions. We’re always happy to help!

Bitable – Online Video Maker
A great site that I’ve used to make explainer videos for ClickBid. Make a quick video online to explain your upcoming event or fundraiser.

Fiverr – Inexpensive Writers, Designers, Creators
People on this site can help you craft a press release about your event, change of date, etc. so that your message isn’t lost or confusing. They can also help you make flyers, sketches, etc. for anything that you need.

CDC – Up to date and REAL information on Coronavirus
Avoid the hysteria and misinformation. Get your news from the best informed.

Zoom – Videoconferencing Software
You don’t need to share your web camera to have a great meeting with this tool. This is what ClickBid uses and we really enjoy it. Very reliable and cost effective. If your staff and/or volunteers need to hear from you, this is a great tool.

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