Making the Case for Weekday Fundraising Auctions

There seems to be a common misconception that Friday or Saturday afternoons are the best time to hold a fundraising auction. For some groups, this may be true. But this empirical rule is not necessarily fixed and does not apply to all non-profit groups or causes. When planning your next fundraising auction, perhaps you should at least consider holding a business day instead of a weekend.

Here are 10 good reasons why a weekday event could work in your favor.

Lower installation costs: many fundraising auctions are held in hotels, dining rooms and other similar facilities. Almost all of these facilities have higher rates on weekends than the days of the week due to the increased demand for weddings, anniversaries, birthdays, bar mitzvahs and other celebration events. If you schedule an event during the week, you can usually negotiate a significantly lower rate.

Lower Catering Costs: Dittos of food expenses. There is a considerably higher demand for restaurant services on weekends and it is very likely that you will negotiate a much better price for a weekday event.

Better availability of catering facilities and services: not only the prices are lower, but you will also have greater possibilities of securing your facilities and catering service one day a week compared to a weekend event.

Less competition from other events: most other nonprofit groups have their fundraising auctions over the weekend, so why would I want to compete with them for attendees? On weekends it also faces competition from other conflicting events such as weekend getaways, school activities, youth sports, work in the garden, family gatherings. etc. When you organize a weekday event, you are likely to have much less competition from other conflicting events.

Lower alcohol consumption means lower liquor spending: when people have to get up early and go to work the next day, they will generally consume less alcohol. Which will reduce the expenses of your event if the liquor is included in the price of your ticket.

Start early and end earlier: while weekend events can often last well into the night, weekday events usually start earlier and end earlier, due to the next day's work factor. A time frame of 6: 00-9: 00 PM is ideal for a week-long fundraising auction.

Break the work week: weekly events offer people something to look forward to and that can divide the work week for many.

Later in the week it works better: Wednesdays and Thursdays generally work better than Monday or Tuesday for most groups, but they do not totally rule out Mondays or Tuesdays. Earlier in the week it can mean even less competition from other competition events and we have seen certain groups have considerable success with a Monday or Tuesday event.

Easier to find volunteers: More people travel and have family or personal conflicts on weekends than during the work week. As a result, it is often easier to locate volunteers to work a day of the week instead of a weekend event.

Ideal for smaller events or start-up events: it is often difficult for a newly created event to compete with an established event. So, why compete? Select a day of the week for your event and avoid competition.

In summary, for many groups a weeklong fundraising auction can lead to lower costs and more assistance, which can lead to a much better bottom line. Run numbers to see if this concept could work for you. A week-long fundraising auction may or may not be right for your group, but in today's challenging fundraising climate, you should at least consider the advantages of a lower-cost Monday through Friday event.

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Making the Case for Weekday Fundraising Auctions

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