Fundraising auctions are a lot of work. They’re only worth the effort if they pay off in a big way. If your last event didn't meet your financial expectations, perhaps it’s because: 1. You focused on the decorations, dinner and dancing rather than the auction items. You want to show attendees a good time, but only so they’ll spend more.

While live and silent auctions are great ways to get donors to spend money at an event, it's a good idea to incorporate multiple tactics to get your entire audience involved. One popular method is to include a special appeal after your charity auction. What is a Special Appeal? Special appeals, which can go by other names such as “Fund-A-Need”, are commonly used to complement fundraising auctions because they offer attendees who didn't win any charity auction items an opportunity to participate and give.