One of the first questions I get when I sit down for a strategy call with clients is “What are the HOT items right now that people are bidding on?” And, for the past several years the answer has remained “Focus on one-of-a-kind Experiences!” Bidders are continuing to bid on experiences over things and some of the most popular experiences are Dining Experiences! Guests love to bid on these because they are experiences they can share with friends and more people are able to go in on this donation which drives the bidding up pretty quickly.
There are so many different dining experiences you can integrate into your live auction, I have a list of them in my post about Meal/Dining Experiences, and I also cover them in my FREE Auction Item Guide. But what you are probably wondering is HOW do I event get these experiences donated?
How to get dining experiences donated to your Fundraising Auction?
Tap into your network
This would be the first place to start. Brainstorm who you know in the restaurant industry and who they could connect you with. I just did an event for a male choral group and one of their supporters worked in the restaurant industry and was able to connect with some of his friends to get not one, not two, but THREE James Beard Award-winning chefs and a couple other Chefs to come together and create a once-in-a-lifetime dinner party for an auction item.
Start with the people on your auction committee. Do you know anyone? Are you connected to any chefs or restaurant owners?
Ask your supporters. Reach out to your donor base. Maybe you have some wonderful supporters who are well-connected and tell them you are looking for an in-home catered meal or an exclusive chef’s dinner and ask them who they know. Your supporters are so happy to help with this because it costs them nothing to make an introduction and share their passion for your organization.
If you can’t think of anyone specific to ask, just put it out there to your donor base via an email blast, social media and word of mouth. Share some examples of meal/dining items and ask who they know that could connect you.
Reach out to local restaurants, chefs and cooking schools
If you don’t have any connections (which if you start asking around, I promise you will surprise yourself), go ahead and cold call restaurants, chefs, catering companies and cooking schools to see if they ever offer experiences like this. Many do offer experiences like this for a cost. Even if you have to pay $500-600 for the chef’s time and cost of groceries, I promise it will be worth your investment. This cost could easily be underwritten by a sponsor and therefore be a full donation. A dinner party will sell for far more than the “retail value” listed because it is such a fun experience for guests.
Tell them about your organization’s mission, who you serve and how it impacts both your and THEIR community. Share how many people attend your event and the demographic of the guests because this will help them decide if this could also be a good marketing opportunity for their restaurant, personal brand or school. Whenever soliciting auction items, always remember what THEY get out of it too!
Let them know what kind of experience you are hoping for and ask if they would ever consider doing something like that? Remember they are busy and this is their livelihood, so if you have no connection with them, be respectful of their work and recognize that they may charge a fee. It’s important to them that you respect what they do as work because they will be more likely to offer their services for your event.Get scrappy
Maybe you don’t have connections with professional chefs and maybe your local restaurant community is stingy and doesn’t want to offer anything to your organization. Don’t fret! You have one more trick up your sleeves: you are going to get scrappy. You are going to work with what you’ve got! This means creating an experience out of what you already have. Maybe your Executive Director has a lovely home and one of the Social Worker’s on staff is known for her famous Jambalaya. You are going to host a “World Famous Jambalaya Jam” in the home of your Executive Director, who is well-loved by many of your donors. Your board of directors will cover the cost of wine and groceries for the evening and you will sell this meal experience for WAY more money than it’s worth.
When it comes to dining experiences, it is mostly about creating community. Bringing together people who are enjoyable to be around eating food that is delicious. The good news is that you can have delicious food without having a name-brand Chef. You can create a competitive item with what you have at your disposal. You’ll be surprised how well this will go for you.
What are some of your ideas for meal items?
I’d love to hear your dream meal experience! What would you LOVE to offer your guests at your next event? How can you make it happen?
