Can’t get enough of our webinars? Know the basics and want to learn more? Well, you’re in luck because Auction Expert Jenny Fox is back to present two special edition webinars this summer just for our clients!
Coming up this Friday, July 27th at 2 pm Eastern is The B4G Guide to Sponsorships! In this 20 minute presentation, you'll learn about the various sponsorship opportunities available in BiddingforGood's Auction Management Platform and be given the tools to develop your own sponsorship campaign for your next online auction. Click here to register!
On Friday, August 24th at 2pm Eastern, we'll present The B4G Guide to Successful Promotion. During this 20 minute presentation you will learn how to use different outlets, from email to social media, to promote your auction successfully. Click here to register!
There will also be a 10-minute Q&A session following each presentation. Also, all webinar registrants will receive a recording of the presentation and a copy of the slides.
You can also view a complete list of our webinars here: www.biddingforgood.com/customer-webinars
We hope you can make it!
Starting this Friday, February 10th, Client Services will be starting their new webinar series called “Basic Training Auction Boot Camp with Jenny!” This webinar will be conducted by our very own Jenny Fox, who joined the Client Services team in September 2011. As another new member of the team and the unofficial Webinar Drill Sergeant, I thought it would be fun to interview Jenny so we could all learn a little more about her and, of course, the webinar!
Valeria (VA): Tell us a little bit yourself and what you do at BiddingForGood.
Jenny (JF): I work in the Client Services department, helping clients with their technical questions and general bidder inquiries. I’ve also been helping out with our mobile launch partners, creating presentations and printable catalogs for their live events.
I went to Simmons College and majored in Communications with a concentration in PR and Marketing. I like the concept of BiddingForGood and it’s a fun environment to be a part of. It’s a lot different from other places I worked at before!
VA: Outside of work, what do you like to do for fun?
JF: I like to go out with friends. I shop a lot… and that might be a problem. I live in the North End in Boston and I love it there! But, I’m pretty boring.
VA: Any North End recommendations?
JF: Bova’s bakery! It’s open 24 hours a day and it is AMAZING! Lisa B. says I should be their official spokesperson. And for food that’s not pastry, I like Hot Tomatoes.
VA: You mentioned earlier that you’re working on our upcoming webinar series for current clients. What are these webinars about?
JF: These webinars are for new and returning clients looking to learn the basics of our Auction Manager platform. It’s an overview to help them get started, learn about the tools and resources, and build their auction. There will also be some time at the end to ask questions.
VA: I know it will be after the Super Bowl when this gets posted, but who are you rooting for?
JF: The Patriots!
VA: Boo! (I’m a Giants fan, folks!). Well, thanks so much for your time Jenny! I’m sure our clients are looking forward to the webinars!
If you are a current client and would like to learn the basics of our Auction Manager platform, please join Jenny starting this Friday, February 10th at 2pm Eastern/11am Pacific for “Basic Training Auction Boot Camp with Jenny!”. If you can’t make it on the 10th, you can also register for future webinars by clicking on the link.
This Wednesday, 11/16/11 at 2:00 PM Eastern Time, we will be broadcasting the second in a series of co-hosted live webinars with PTO Today:
Maximize Your Online Auction & Intro to Mobile Bidding
We will be tweeting LIVE from this session at #OAsuccess.
The first webinar, All About Online Auctions, was a general overview of how and why online auctions work for schools. During Wednesday's presentation, we're going to look even closer at ways schools are acheiving online auction success. Plus, we're going to give you an introduction to the latest innovation in auction technology: Mobile Bidding.
It's no secret that we work with tons of schools. During this session, we would like to understand if your school is aligned with some of the innate characteristics that have propelled other schools to success.
During this session we will examine:
The barriers to auction success.
Auctions are a tried and true method of fundraising for schools. We believe in them & we think you do too. As the automobile replaced the horse & buggy, auction technology has developed in a very real and lasting way. We will look at the reasons for auction technology and what innovation may have to offer for your auction event.
Our solution & prescribed recipe for success.
We've taken a stance. We have formed a solution. We're going to share with you what we believe is the recipe for auction success.
Tips for social media promotion.
Auction technology isn't the only thing we're going to discuss today. In a world where promotion through communication is key, there are some foundational elements to using social media that we are going to address.
Why mobile?
Mobile bidding is the most recent beast in our dungeon, and like online auctions, we're determined to understand & conquer while helping schools & NPOs go about digesting what this solution can do for an auction event. New and exciting, you don't want to miss this introduction to the latest innovation in auction technology.
So, don't miss this chance to connect with PTO Today, BiddingForGood, and other schools & NPOs as we peel back the layers to making your auction event better than ever.
REGISTER Today!
Picking up where we left off on 10/24... The second in-house webinar we are offering (once per month) is the Sneak Preview of BiddingForGood’s In-Room Mobile Bidding Solution. (Follow the convo on Twitter at #B4Gmobile.) Truly the face of fundraising innovation, our mobile bidding solution has been a wildly popular subject in the fundraising world. As we say in the presentation… it’s a mobile, mobile world… If this topic interests you, you’re going to meet at least one of these two people:
Perry Allison: Our esteemed VP of Marketing & Sales, Perry is the always upbeat, glass-half-full, winner of the best boss of the year award (or at least she would be). Her teams work hard for her approval and she works hard for them. Perry’s heart will always be on the farm in Vermont. She loves her chickens and will occasionally bring us farm-fresh eggs as a special treat. A true thespian, Perry is almost always involved in a theatrical production and sings in a great a cappella group in MA. Talk about a busy-bee!!
Aaron Rissler: The front-man on our AIRS project (Automated Item Request System) and Product Marketing Manager for our latest mobile initiative, Aaron’s track record puts him at the forefront of BiddingForGood’s innovative ideas and projects. If you ever sneak up on him at his desk you'll probably find him doing one of two things: working (is that obvious?) or looking at cars on the internet. "Lex" the red Lexus is his baby.
So, I hope you have a chance to join us and give these folks a run for their money!
On Thursday 11/10 at 1:00 PM Eastern Time, Aaron will be kicking off the next Sneak Preview of BiddingForGood's In-Room Mobile Bidding Solution webinar. Register now!
Have a great day!
The BiddingForGood team is very excited to announce we are launching a new partnership with PTO Today with the first in a series of two webinars: All About Online Auctions.
Committed to helping parent leaders succeed in everything they do to serve schools, PTO Today and BiddingForGood want to give you the tools you need to run a successful auction event.
During this webinar, you will hear from Marketing Director Ellen McCullough, as she highlights the benefits of online auctions, including:
- Why Online Auctions?
- How Online Auctions Work.
- Planning an Online Auction.
- Promoting an Online Auction.
- Centralizing Auction Intelligence.
If you’ve been curious about online auctions and you are planning an auction event, this is a webinar you don’t want to miss!
All About Online Auctions [FREE Webinar]
Wednesday, November 9th at 2:00 PM Eastern Time
REGISTER NOW
All registrants will receive an exclusive copy of the eBook: School Fundraising Challenges, Opportunities, and Tools for Success
DID YOU KNOW… Schools have raised over $50 million dollars using BiddingForGood’s online auction platform? This makes schools (K12) the highest grossing sector of organizations that work with BiddingForGood, beating out other major charitable sectors such as Human Services, Arts, & Health Care. Be part of something bigger and join us for the webinar!
To see a list of all upcoming events, click here.
Have a great day,
Ashley Wade & The BiddingForGood Team
Next Wednesday, October 12th, we are once again joining forces with our good friends at Constant Contact to help bring fundraisers useful resources that will help any schools or nonprofits realize greater success.
Check out all of our upcoming webinars in our new Learning Center.
Let’s get the conversation going about this while we get excited for the 10/12 presentation.
Hashtag is #5steps. My personal handle is @AshleyPWade and you can connect with my co-host Justin @JustinTryon. Don’t forget to follow @Bidding4Good also!
Here is a quick overview of our #5steps.
1. Build your fundraiser from a foundation of feedback.
If you’re aiming to host the event everyone’s going to, remember you don’t have to guess what will make that happen. You can ASK. By surveying your audience you can quickly learn what people are interested in, what they have liked or disliked about past events, and what channel of promotion they’re most comfortable with. Getting feedback is a key differentiator between organizations who successfully retain their current donors while simultaneously attracting new ones.
2. Ensure a strong turnout.
Promoting your fundraiser is a no-brainer. You just gotta do it! Some methods we strongly encourage are email, direct mail, word of mouth, and social media. (On the topic of email promotion, BiddingForGood is planning to integrate with Constant Contact’s email tool by 10/12/11, which should be a great bonus for our clients. Now you can promote your online auction using our templates that maintain the look and feel of your auction homepage, but rely on Constant Contact’s robust email tool with better delivery rates, to name just one upside.) Your invitation can make a world of difference. Do you know what makes an invitation most powerful? Finally, we’ll dig in on ways you can reach and engage more people through social media.
3. Supercharge your fundraiser through engagement.
The best things we create are usually the product of a team of people working together. In fact, this was something that Steve Jobs recognized as part of his business model during his time with Apple: "My model for business is The Beatles. They balanced each other and the total was greater than the sum of the parts. That's how I see business: great things in business are never done by one person, they're done by a team of people." -- Interview with 60 Minutes, 2003. We believe that the greatest fundraisers are produced by a team of exceptional volunteers. It takes a bit of skill and craft to recruit and manage this “dream team,” however. And then of course you will need to continue engaging your donors. Understanding how to effectively tell your story will signal to your donors that they have a strong connection to your cause.
4. Maximize the financial impact.
At the end of the day, we are really judging success by the dollars raised. Show me the money!!! At BiddingForGood, we’re all about innovation. Being savvy with technology is a must for organizations that are making the biggest impact with their fundraisers. Online auctions and mobile bidding are a few innovations that we just happen to be highly qualified to discuss.
5. Keep the energy going.
After you’ve wined and dined your donors, will you never call until you need something again? Don’t leave them hanging… Continuing the relationship after an event and following up with your attendees is a very important step. Make sure you’re sealing the deal on that donor’s commitment to your cause. Show your gratitude & appreciation by providing opportunities for the relationship to grow outside of your need for financial support. Let’s make this thing last!
Come and join us for the live presentation on Wednesday, October 12th at 11 AM ET.
Hope to see you there,
Ashley