An Introduction to our Check Out Window Series

The Checkout Window is an ongoing series of articles with an emphasis on the back-office/financial aspects of running a fundraising auction event  both pre-event and during the event. The majority of what you need to know about a finance room will translate to the other big events that you will run for your cause. We invited our friend and mentor Ed Marvin, creator of Auction Knight software and veteran of countless auctions, to craft this series of articles with us for FreshFundraising.com.

There is a limited window of time during an auction fundraiser event to do what needs to be done to capture revenue. That time frame becomes more critical as the event progresses. It’s countdown time. Do you have your people in place? Do you have the supplies you need? Have you set up your procedures and done a run-through?

Here’s what our Check Out Window Series will be covering:

Been There. Done That.

Everything discussed in this series is based on real experiences - the good and the bad. Some were funny, some painful - but they all served to teach us valuable lessons for our causes. For over 13 years I’ve been consulting, assisting, volunteering and developing Auction Knight Software system for non-profits ranging from schools to charity groups in Southern California.  Since 1997 I’ve had the privilege to assist with over 78 events that generated well over $3.9 million in revenue for their causes. The genesis of this ongoing adventure began when my wife waited two hours in line to checkout at the large annual fundraiser-dinner-dance-auction event for our children’s school.  You want your guests who attend the event to enjoy themselves and spend lot of money for your cause. When the process becomes inefficient and your guests become frustrated they are less likely to contribute to your non-profit and, more importantly, may not want to attend the following year. The key is in truly developing your volunteers, believing in the process and automating your system.

Everyone Cooking from the Same Recipe

Our family hobby is cooking. As we’ve gotten better at it we realize it’s not just what you do at the stove – its the planning and preparation – its knowing your ingredients and tools, and what they can do. A Master Chef cannot cook every dish personally and must rely on the other cooks in the kitchen to know the recipe and work together to achieve it.  It’s the same with an auction. Have a plan.  Know what needs to be done and when. Make sure all your volunteers understand their jobs and are trained.  No freelancing.  Someone may mean well, but cooking a different dish than everyone else will do more harm than good.

Different Models

In this section I’ll be talking about the different auction models – let’s see – there are blondes, brunettes, redheads - oops sorry - my mind was wandering (shame on me!)  Is your event a sit-down dinner with assigned seating? Is it a buffet with unassigned seating? Is there both a Silent and Live auction? How many attendees to your expect? How many items will you auction? The answers to these and other questions will determine how you plan the check out process.

Greetings to Goodbyes

Believing that I could computerize the auction night invoice process was a fine undertaking, but I soon learned there is a lot more to do. Creating a successful auction checkout process begins months before the event with a detailed plan, meetings and training for your staff, and lots of communication. Equally as important, the checkout process is not an isolated activity; it must be coordinated and integrated with the other components of the event.

Details, Details, Details

Being obsessive - compulsive is a good thing when it comes to running an auction! At every step attention to detail matters. We’ll talk about the nuts and bolts of the checkout process: data processing, credit card payments, staff, materials & supplies, room set up, filing systems, flow charts and more.

The Checkout Window is Closing

Picture an open window and imagine it slowly closing. The window is going to close according to your planning and timeline – and nothing can stop it or slow it down. That time frame gets more critical as the event progresses. The opportunity to seize revenue is now - there is no turning back. We’ll talk in depth about how to create the timeline for a well run Check Out Room during the event.

Lessons Learned

This is the place where we pass on our expertise and “lessons learned” to you.  Every fundraiser is an adventure filled with ups and downs - successes and mishaps. It is all valuable! We’ll also talk about how you can benefit from your own lessons learned.  We encourage you to pass your know-how on to your cause and fellow volunteers - here at FreshFundraising.com!

Well that’s some of the things we’ll be talking about. There’s sure to be more since we always seem to learn something at every auction we attend.  We hope you’ll check back here for the latest info and tips from the Checkout Window.

Ed Marvin Bio

In 1996 Ed Marvin’s wife waited two hours in line to check out at the auction held for their children’s school.  Knowing there had to be a better way to handle the auction checkout process Ed and his business partner, Mark Fling, developed Auction Knight Software.  The software eventually came to encompass not just the checkout process but all the tasks that can be computerized that need to be done in putting on a successful auction.  Ed has lost count of how many auctions he has worked on personally since the first one back in 1997.  Whatever the number – it’s a lot of experience which he wants to share with our readers.

Ed lives in Orange County California. He’s married with two adult children and a Lhasa Apso called Belle who rules the household.  Besides his auction experience Ed has been a management consultant with a background in finance, process management, and systems.