Creating an Effective Nonprofit Auction Catalog: 4 Steps
Imagine that your organization takes special care to procure exciting items for your annual live auction. There are one or two items in particular that you think are high-value and align well with your audience’s interests—maybe a private weekend stay at an exotic villa or signed sports memorabilia.
You create a sound pricing strategy, secure a lovely venue, and send invitations out to all of your attendees in advance. To your surprise, at the end of your fundraising event, you find that the items generated fewer bids than anticipated. What could have happened?
The answer is likely that your organization did not effectively market your big-ticket items. Fortunately, one of the best ways to both market your event and offer valuable event information is by creating an auction catalog, which can be done in four steps:
Decide on a Layout
Write Effective Item Descriptions
Recognize Event Sponsors
Develop Print and Digital Versions
Auction catalogs typically work best for in-person live auctions as they tend to have a short item list that’s finalized well in advance. For silent and virtual auctions, replacing the catalog with descriptive bid sheets aligns better with the auction’s format.
That being said, let’s explore each of the steps to designing your auction catalog in more detail.
1. Decide on a Layout
Commonly, auction catalogs serve as an event program in addition to detailing auction items. They provide a space for your organization to use nonprofit storytelling tactics to highlight the unique work you do and how your fundraising event impacts your mission.
However, your catalog’s main purpose is to keep your bidders informed and excited about your auction items. To keep your catalog informative, yet succinct, create a booklet of 10-15 pages separated into defined sections:
Cover page: Feature nonprofit branding elements including your logo, color scheme, and tagline to give your catalog a professional tone.
Welcome letter: Include a quick note written by your executive director or board chair that expresses gratitude to auction attendees and establishes credibility.
Cause information: Explain your organization’s mission statement and a brief description of how the live auction aligns with your values. Participants will be made aware of how their contributions will be impactful and appreciated..
Items: According to Winspire, photos and descriptions of each of your auction items should make up the bulk of your booklet information.
Acknowledgments: Recognize your sponsors and other key contributors who made your event possible.
Your organization can choose to go with a professional designer to ensure your catalog is complete and compelling. Or, you can take a DIY approach and compile these elements into a booklet in-house using your own templates. If you decide to take the second route, Kwala's guide to nonprofit graphic design suggests infusing your brand where possible including in your color scheme and font.
Either way, make sure each of your items are well-represented and described.
2. Write Effective Item Descriptions
In addition to being informative, your auction item descriptions should get your attendees excited and prepared to bid! You can write these effectively by considering what your donors are most interested in reading about. Put yourself in their shoes and ask what sort of language would interest them? What information do they need to know?
Consider generating and maintaining their attention with:
Catchy titles: Instantly inspire your donors’ attention with titles like “Paradise Found: Luxury Beach Weekend Getaway” or “Whisk Away to Wine Country.”
Concise descriptions: Use bullet points where possible to describe the value of each item. Save longer descriptions for higher-value auction items.
Restriction information: Note any age restrictions, expiration dates, and usage limitations related to each item.
Add an image and item tracking number for the donation receipt as well. Providing donation receipts is generally accepted as a nonprofit best practice, plus they are essential for donors to claim tax deductions according to IRS regulations. These receipts also build trust and communicate professionalism with donors, so that your organization leaves a good impression.
3. Recognize Event Sponsors
Sponsorships need to be mutually beneficial to be effective. That means your organization will need to take special care to recognize and thank your sponsors well.
For instance, if a sponsor donated an item, place their name and organization’s logo next to the item. On the other hand, if they supported the event financially, recognize them on the Acknowledgments page. To organize your sponsorships on this page, you can list them by sponsor level. This ensures that each sponsor is recognized and the largest sponsors are given adequate credit.
Additionally, you might provide sponsor profiles to showcase your gratitude. These profiles can include a brief description of each sponsor, their mission, and how their contribution assisted your cause. Doing this will increase your sponsor’s visibility and provide more exposure.
4. Develop Print and Digital Versions of Your Catalog
When it comes time for distribution, print out your catalogs and save them as a PDF for digital downloads. Aim to provide each attendee with a catalog and have additional printed ones on hand. These can become memorable keepsakes to take home.
If you’re looking to save on printing costs, you can also display a QR code at your auction event for attendees to reference on their phones. If possible, you should provide both QR codes and printed catalogs to give your guests a choice at the event.
Additionally, your catalog can be leveraged as a marketing tool leading up to the event. To get the most use out of your catalog, post it on several different channels, including:
Social media: Post teasers and snippets of your auction items and then add a link to direct visitors to your full catalog.
Email: Link to your catalog in your email marketing campaigns with captivating photos of your item within both your emails and catalogs.
Video: Post videos on your website and on social media highlighting new additions to your catalog and keep the link handy for viewers to access.
Your digital catalog will also need to be uploaded to your nonprofit website for easy access. Post it on your event page and make sure the downloadable PDF loads well on mobile devices. Double-check the spelling and grammar of each item description and make sure the sponsor acknowledgement page is up to date. If needed, you can re-upload your catalog after making any adjustments to ensure viewers can find updated information.
Your auction catalog lets your guests make informed bidding decisions in addition to generating hype around your upcoming event. To develop it, you’ll need to keep your branded design elements clean and representative, include the necessary sections to recognize your sponsors, and craft compelling item descriptions. Then, you can use it as a marketing resource to drive bidders’ excitement. You’ve got this!
About the Author: Jeff Cova, President of Winspire
Jeff has over 17 years of experience in the Nonprofit and fundraising industry. Prior to Winspire, Jeff worked for 5 years as the Director of Development at Cal State Fullerton before co-founding a company specializing in producing charity auctions for Nonprofits where he successfully produced the auctions for 250 of Southern California’s most successful fundraising events.
In 2008 Jeff founded Winspre with the goal of helping non-profits across the country increase their event fundraising revenue and identify new fundraising sources. Jeff and his team at Winspire have helped over 12,000 non-profits to date.