5 Data Points to Help You Get to Know Your Auction Donors

Fundraising statistics reveal that donors love auctions—in fact, 24% of nonprofit donors give through online auctions. As a result, your nonprofit’s annual auction may be one of your most important fundraising events. To get the most out of your auction, you need to find ways to drive registrations, improve the attendee experience, and raise more for your cause. 

Gathering and assessing data is one of the most effective ways to improve your auction donors’ experience. Data can reveal valuable insights into your audience’s interests and motivations, helping you enhance your auction events over time. 

This article will focus on collecting the right information before, during, and after your auction to plan better events. We’ll discuss the benefits of collecting the following types of data: 

1. Past support data
2. Marketing response analytics
3. Auction engagement data
4. Post-event feedback
5. Post-event involvement data

You’ll need access to donor management software to accurately and effectively gather and evaluate your auction donor data. This solution will allow you to build comprehensive donor profiles using the data you collect and assess trends. Your donor management system should integrate with your auction software so data flows freely between these two platforms. 

With that in mind, let’s explore the types of data you’ll want to collect that will help you understand your auction donors on a deeper level. 

1. Past support data

Auction donors likely have preexisting relationships with your nonprofit before they decide to attend your events. How they’ve engaged with your mission in the past can reveal valuable insights into how they might choose to participate in future auction events. 

Use your donor management system to gather information about these individuals’ history of support, including their: 

• Donation history: Have they contributed recurring or monthly donations, in-kind gifts, matching gifts, or other corporate-sponsored donations? Understanding donors’ giving preferences allows you to reach out after your auction with additional, targeted ways to continue supporting your cause. Auction donors’ past giving histories can also reveal their giving patterns. For instance, donors might be more willing to give during the year-end giving season rather than the summer months, letting you know a winter auction could be the right choice for your yearly event. 

• Volunteer involvement: Have auction donors previously participated in volunteer events or programs? Review data in your volunteer management system to learn about the particular programs or projects donors have engaged with in the past. This information can reveal clues about the types of initiatives they’ll be willing to support in the future. 

• Existing relationships: Do auction attendees have preexisting relationships with volunteers, staff, or board members? These team members can reach out to personally invite donors to your auction events. Additionally, when conducting post-event follow-up, you can ask team members to reach out to donors they know to solidify their connection to your cause. 

Note any additional personal details you have about each donor in your records. For example, does a certain donor strictly prefer email communication? Was another a former beneficiary of your nonprofit’s programs? This extra information can help you further personalize your outreach efforts for your next auction event. 

2. Marketing response analytics

An effective marketing strategy is critical for boosting auction registrations. Data can help you understand if your marketing approach resonates with supporters and what you can do in the future to make your outreach even more engaging. 

Look at your marketing data from past auction campaigns and other initiatives to improve your marketing strategy. Analyze data points such as: 

• Email open and click-through rates. Which of your emails received the highest open rates? Evaluate their subject lines and content to identify why they were the most engaging for recipients. Also, look at the click-through rate for previous email campaigns. Review the text or format of your most clicked-on links to help you create better calls to action in the future. 

• RSVPs from different channels. Assess your RSVP data from previous auctions to see how many people responded via an emailed link, a social media post, or your website. Going forward, focus your marketing efforts on channels that resulted in the most RSVPs to improve your marketing return on investment (ROI). You can also build your following on communication platforms that didn’t yield high engagement in the downtime between auction events. 

• Social media engagement metrics. This includes post shares, likes, comments, and impressions. Determine which social media channels receive the most engagement and which posts on those channels had the greatest impact on your registrations. 

• Microsite engagement data. A microsite is a web page or a small group of pages focused on one topic, such as an upcoming auction. These simple sites can provide valuable data for your research, such as the conversion rate and average session duration.

Experiment with your marketing efforts by conducting A/B tests on your marketing channels. A/B testing is the process of creating two different versions of a marketing message and determining which is more engaging for your audience. For instance, you might A/B test your email subject lines by sending the same email with two different subject lines to two separate but similar audiences.

Important note: Change just one element at a time to determine which specific adjustments actually impacted your marketing results. 

3. Previous auction engagement data

The data you collected throughout past auctions will reveal valuable insights into the best ways to plan your future events. Look back at past event data to assess metrics such as: 

• Number of RSVPs versus actual attendance rate. This metric describes the number of people who said they were going to attend your auction compared to those who actually did. Assess whether past events had any major discrepancies between RSVPs and attendance to focus your future marketing efforts on increasing the likelihood that supporters will attend. For instance, you might create more event reminders to share on social media and via email. Or, you could avoid scheduling your auction when many supporters are likely to be out of town, like during spring break or the summer months. 

• Event return on investment (ROI). Calculate your event’s ROI by subtracting the total cost of your event from its total revenue and then dividing that number by the total cost. This metric can help you determine whether auction events are the best event style for your audience. Tracking event ROI can also help you evaluate what type of auction is most popular among your audience. Analyze whether certain themes or entertainment options were more enticing than others. For instance, you may discover that your audience gravitates toward more formal, large-scale, gala-style events, or you may determine that smaller, casual experiences suit your supporters best. 

• Attendee demographics. Review information such as attendees’ ages, genders, professions, and other demographic identifiers. This data can help you understand your core auction audience and let you know which demographics you aren’t connecting with as well. That way, you can better engage your audience by procuring new items that appeal to them and targeting your outreach.

• The number of bids per item. Which items or experiences received the most bids at your previous auctions? Offer similar prizes at future auctions. If some items received few or no bids, remove those from your list or bundle them with more popular prizes. 

• The most active donors/bidders. Which attendees or participants were most active at your auction? Who were the top donors at the event? Focus your marketing strategy on promoting VIP opportunities to these individuals or additional perks for their attendance. You might even call them to personally invite them to your next event or ask for their feedback on what kinds of auction items they’d like to see. These supporters are the most likely to drive auction bids up for big-ticket items, so knowing what items they’re interested in bidding on can be immensely helpful. 

• Additional donations before or during the auction. Item sales aren’t the only way your nonprofit can earn funds during an auction. Not every attendee will have the chance to win an item, so many supporters will likely be drawn to different ways of showing support. In-kind gifts, direct monetary donations, merchandise sales, and raffles are all potential additional revenue sources. Track additional revenue sources to evaluate which giving opportunities are most popular among auction attendees. 

These data points can help you understand who your auction donors are and what types of items or experiences they’re interested in. Use this information to adjust your marketing strategy, help choose your auction items, and select additional ways to give during the event. 

4. Post-event feedback

Ask supporters directly for their feedback on your event. Send surveys a day or two after your auction when the experience is still fresh in supporters’ minds. Then, review the responses you collect and determine how to incorporate their feedback when planning your next event.

Include questions like these in your survey to discover valuable insights from supporters: 

• What motivated you to attend this event? 
• Was the bidding process easy to figure out? Why or why not?
• Were the auction items appealing to you? Why or why not?
• What did you enjoy most about the event?
• Did you engage with other fundraising opportunities besides bidding at the event? Why or why not?
• How can we make the event even better next year? 

Add donors’ responses to their profiles in your donor management system to note their unique preferences. For example, perhaps one participant said they were motivated to attend your event because they wanted to support your volunteer efforts. Make a note in their profile to send them information about upcoming volunteer opportunities and fundraising events that directly support your volunteer program. 

Be sure to thank donors with appreciation notes and emails. Bloomerang’s silent auction guide recommends being specific about how auction attendees’ donations and feedback will positively impact your organization and the communities you serve. Include data points, photos, videos, and direct quotes highlighting donors’ positive effects on your mission.  

5. Post-event involvement data

After your auction, determine how effectively you retained attendees’ attention and support. You can find this out by tracking their post-event involvement with your nonprofit.

Use the information in your donor database to answer the following questions: 

• How many donors continued to your nonprofit after your auction event? Did your donors continue supporting your organization through monthly giving, in-kind donations, or other financial support? 

• How many donors interacted with your organization in other ways? Did your auction donors stay involved by participating in your volunteer program, engaging in your advocacy efforts, or participating in peer-to-peer campaigns? 

• How many donors continued to engage with your marketing efforts? Did your donors continue opening your emails, engaging with you on social media, or responding to your direct mail campaigns? 

If you discover your donors’ post-event involvement isn’t very high, alter your donor stewardship approach. Call donors to say thank you, describe their gifts’ impact to show them that you’re putting their donations to good use, and maintain an open dialogue with them to show that you value their input. Provide an email address donors can use to reach a member of your nonprofit’s staff with any questions or concerns they may have. 

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The more data you gather about your auction donors throughout the event cycle, the better you’ll be able to design an event that exceeds their expectations while also raising more for your mission. Approach data collection as an ongoing process of gathering and assessing audience data and continually putting your insights into action.