EP 6 Opening Hearts & Wallets with an Auctioneer with guest Bobby D
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[00:00:00] Welcome to Impact Unleashed, the nonprofit edition, where we dive deep into the untapped potential of nonprofits and their remarkable ability to create a lasting impact. I'm your host, Sara Mayer. Let's dive in.
Sara Mayer: Hello everyone, I'm super excited today to introduce my guest. I think you're really going to this episode. He's one of my favorite people ever to see at an event, to have an event, to hire for an event, but also he's a great friend. So I want you to meet Bobby D. He's America's favorite auctioneer who's made a name for himself in the nonprofit industry and beyond.
Sara Mayer: With over two decades of experience, he truly is a master at creating excitement and electricity from the boardroom to the ballroom, but he's more than an auctioneer. He's an MC, an event consultant, professional [00:01:00] speaker, performance coach. Podcast hosts and liver of life to the fullest. Some great adventure stories there.
Sara Mayer: If you check out his Facebook, join us on this podcast to hear Bobby D's captivating tales and insights into the world of fundraising auctions and events that take him from coast to coast, helping nonprofits fulfill their mission. Whether you're a nonprofit professional entrepreneur maybe you're just curious about auctions.
Sara Mayer: Bobby's unique perspective and story will leave you inspired to do better. And you're going to love this episode with the world champion auctioneer. Bobby D, I'm so excited to have you on the show. I've been meaning to reach out to you and I was like, Oh yes, let's do it.
Bobby D: Awesome. Sarah, it's so good to see you.
Bobby D: It's been it's been a pandemic since we've seen each other in person, but I've been seeing you all over the social media and this new podcast idea that you've got coming out is super awesome. So I'm really honored to be be a guest on this.
Sara Mayer: Awesome. Thanks. And it's been [00:02:00] so great, like reconnecting after the pandemic with everybody.
Sara Mayer: I can't wait to be at one of your next events.
Bobby D: Oh yeah, for sure.
Sara Mayer: So let's talk about you a little bit to start because I know you have an interesting start. How did you get into this world of fundraising at galas?
Bobby D: In my case, it was nepotism. My my stepdad as an auctioneer, and he's been an auctioneer as long as I've been alive.
Bobby D: And then my mom married him, oh my gosh, 35, 40 years ago. And she had always wanted to be an auctioneer. So she married an auctioneer. And then we all were then, in this auction business, but I never wanted to be an auctioneer as I was growing up. Yeah, I was wanting to be something different.
Bobby D: I thought it was going to be like an engineer or like a, build things and whatnot, but then go to Arizona state, I got into engineering one on one and I looked around and I was like, these are not my people. And and I was working the part time job and, and when you're in college, desperate times call for desperate measures and my [00:03:00] stepdad, Gary Daylor was like, Hey, you want to come and work at the auto auction with me as my apprentice.
Bobby D: Something like. Sure. Let's go and hopped in and was working in the in the auto auction there in Phoenix. And I was like, this is fun. Like I, growing up, I always wanted to be like a radio DJ or something like that behind the microphone. And then all of a sudden I'm doing auctions and I'm like, Whoa this is very similar.
Bobby D: I get to have fun. I can tell jokes, interact with people. It's I love this. And then As an auctioneer, you are always asked by different, boy scouts, girl scouts, churches, schools, and nonprofits to help as their auctioneer and then the more nonprofit work that I was doing in parallel with my auto auction work, I started, getting into bigger and bigger events.
Bobby D: And then one day I was able to help an organization and they were like, wow, Bobby, cause you were so awesome. We were able to, fund, 10 more wishes than we ever thought we were going to fund before. And and that's super awesome. And then I started doing, putting two and two together.
Bobby D: I'm like, wait a minute. So if I get to do like awesome, fun things with the auction and I get to help [00:04:00] people, I was like, yeah, I want to do that. And then woke up one morning. I was like, wait a minute. I'm selling used cars to use car dealers. That's not giving me the warm and fuzzies, but I'm helping nonprofits raise money and making a true impact in the world.
Bobby D: Yeah, I want to do that. So then in 2017, I made a drastic shift from doing, most of my income was coming from auto auctions to where then a hundred percent of my income was coming from fundraising events and becoming a fundraising consultant and a master asker and all of those things.
Bobby D: And now I run a that do events coast to coast. I've got a great team that I work with that are able to get out and serve any type of nonprofit and any size of nonprofit and any size of event budget as well. So it's it's super, super awesome to have now find myself where I'm at and then here we are at this moment to be a hanging out together.
Bobby D: It's pretty cool.
Sara Mayer: I just love your story because I, Honestly, I could never picture you selling cars now that I've seen you really touch the hearts of people at an [00:05:00] event. I know there's people who do fall in love with the car, but maybe not in an auction.
Bobby D: Yeah. I
Sara Mayer: just can't envision it.
Bobby D: You'll have to check out my YouTube channel.
Bobby D: There's some old school videos that I've got on there. There's actually one that's got a hundred thousand views and it's a fast auctioneer goes fast and it's pretty ridiculous. I'm selling like a hundred cars an hour and it is fast. But then you switch it around and then you look at what I'm doing now, and that's not fast.
Bobby D: It's a lot of fun, but it's a, yeah, it's two different sides of the same coin.
Sara Mayer: Yeah, very cool. We're glad to have you on the nonprofit side because I know that you have raised a ton of money. Do you have a number? Do you keep track of that?
Bobby D: I, at the end of the season, we always like to do like a collective number of what we, what we've raised, with all the events that we've done within the year last year at the end of 22, I think collectively we were probably close to a half a billion.
Bobby D: 500 million is where we're at. So we're trending towards that big B number soon. And then the [00:06:00] more events that we're able to help with and the more money we're able to raise, it's going to come a lot faster. So I'm excited for that. And that's in
Sara Mayer: one year.
Bobby D: No, that was collectively since I started for 20 years.
Bobby D: Yes. But we do yeah. About, we help nonprofits raise anywhere between 15 and 25 million, year over year depending. And, and it's not only about the dollars. It's also about, impact because some. Organizations only raise 50, 000 and that moves their needle tremendously.
Bobby D: And then you have big national organizations that raise like 1. 2 million, but on their like 300 million budget, it's like just a little bit. So it's it's all in perspective.
Sara Mayer: And that's what I was going to talk about next is the impact because you're really a master at getting people to raise their paddle to donate, but you're doing it by talking about the impact.
Sara Mayer: Yeah. So how do you do that? How do you build that into the point? How do you create that energy in the room that compels people to support the mission?
Bobby D: It's a collaboration with the nonprofit and again, any size, [00:07:00] they all have that story. They all have that mission and they all have those different impact points for what they've done, to the point of where we're at.
Bobby D: And then it's making those connections right there and with the donors and the guests that are in the room and be like, okay, friends, we're at this point right now. And I call it the golden goosebump moment. So we've got to build that, build that energy, that inspiration that impact by storytelling, Previous event and then at the event.
Bobby D: And once we get to that, like one moment and everybody's on the edge of their seats and they've got the goosebumps and they've got the paddle in their hand. And then that's where I'm able to make that magical pitch to say, friends, this is that time we're able to come together to make some amazing things happen.
Bobby D: So raise that paddle at that level. That's inspirational for you. And let's make some magic happen here this evening. And it's really making that call to action for that those audience members to. Become a part of the mission to become a part of the nonprofit to then help make bigger impact happen.
Bobby D: And then year over year, when amazing things happen because of the funds that were raised from the event, then the owner, or the [00:08:00] donor takes more ownership of their, their investor status, their donor status, and how they're a part of that nonprofit's midget mission. And then they.
Bobby D: Fall in love even more. And when they're deeper in love with that, then their investment gets deeper. And then you do that a couple hundred times with all the donors that are in there. And then that's where nonprofit budgets are able to go from like here to like really big.
Sara Mayer: Yeah. And you bring up a great point.
Sara Mayer: There's a moment in the room where you can feel it, but that moment isn't created in a few minutes. It's actually a longer timeline. Oh yeah. So when you're working with non profits, or if non profits are working up to a big event where they know that they're going to ask for money or auction off items, What are some of the key components to really think about as they're crafting that experience so that you have the best opportunity in the room?
Bobby D: I always get to say that the nonprofit and their development team get to set them up and then I'm the one that gets to come in and help knock them [00:09:00] down. So it is, it's all about setting these events up for success. And it really starts day one when they start to plan for that event or plan for that gala.
Bobby D: And it's their, their marketing and making sure that's on point, really putting that mission out there. They're talking about just the great things that they're having new within social media, within email marketing within conversations that their board members are having with their network, volunteers and staff and everybody, and really getting just focused on, this is what we're here to do.
Bobby D: And then I always like to call it the it's like the mountain where we're down here as we're planning and it's building and it's Building and it's building. And then that golden goose bump moment is at that pinnacle right there. So it's always building. And then once you're at the event, it's as soon as the donor walks in, it's like, how can you keep building that inspiration and that motivation, through, effective, messaging through video walls, through having, kids at the door, with their, the pom poms and cheer and, and all of that kind of stuff.
Bobby D: And then once they get into that program, it's having that that, that testimonial speaker, having that [00:10:00] impact video, However, that is to help us to, to build to that. So it's really about effective storytelling. It's about that hero's journey. And then it's making sure that you have the right person making that ask, because you spend all that time and energy and money to get to that point.
Bobby D: It's super valuable to make sure that then the next step is done.
Sara Mayer: Yeah. And it's all, it's not easy in the room. Sometimes it's loud. People are eating. They're. Drinking a couple
Bobby D: beverages,
Sara Mayer: talking to people. So how do you truly get the attention and hold the attention of the room in that moment?
Bobby D: That's a great question. So the donors and guests are investing their most valuable asset that they have. Their time and their attention and yes, dollars are going to come after that. But when a like a donor makes a make makes a decision to come to your event to come to your gala they're they're trusting you with their time and their attention and you damn well Better not waste that because they are like that's super [00:11:00] valuable And when you're in a room and everyone in the room is like completely distracted Not paying attention to what's happening on stage they're like, Okay, we're done.
Bobby D: We gave you a chance and we're going to take over this party. This is our party now because you didn't inspire us. You didn't motivate us. We're going to have a good time. And it's really flipping it on that to where you're creating that captivating and engaging program that's there, making sure the individuals that are on stage are not boring.
Bobby D: They need to be Dynamic. They need to be energetic. They need to, bring that audience along with them. And when that happens, they're good, they're going to focus on stage. They're going to be focused at what the task at hand is, and they're going to be quiet. And so many times I get clients that'll come to me or potential clients, and they'll say, Bobby, like our crowd just didn't shut up.
Bobby D: They're just super loud. And they have a really good time. And then I start to go through the checklist and I'm like this is why they're not paying attention because they don't, you're disrespecting them because you're not giving them a captivating program to be a part of, and you're not inviting them to be a part of that fundraising.
Bobby D: [00:12:00] So that's really number one, is that effective storytelling and that, creating that captivating program that's on stage. And then also it really helps to have a great production team, having, you got to have enough speakers, you got to have the right lighting, you got to have the right video wall.
Bobby D: You have all the things that are there. To then, make it make it a pleasant and enjoyable experience for the donors that are there. Cause again, we're competing against every other media outlets in the world. Like they could have stayed home and watch Netflix. They could have gone to the movie.
Bobby D: They could have went out to the mall. They could have gone anywhere on the air
Sara Mayer: or something,
Bobby D: exactly. But they're there at that moment and they made a decision and they want to give you money. They want to participate in this. Cause it makes them feel good. But it's up to you as the nonprofit to then make it worth it for them to be there.
Sara Mayer: Yeah. And a lot goes into that. As many of the listeners know, I used to do a lot of events for a lot of nonprofits. And we used to talk about awards and this seems so silly, but we would talk about [00:13:00] how long would it take somebody to walk from the very back of the room to the front? And how can we streamline that process?
Sara Mayer: Because we realized it was almost a minute and a half. You're giving out 15 awards at a minute and a half your crowd. Tends to tune out.
Bobby D: Yep.
Sara Mayer: They're waiting a minute and a half for 15 people to walk up there. So we would talk about, all right, dry run. Somebody has to realize we called their name, put their fork down, put their nap in and do all that thing.
Sara Mayer: And it came down to that level of detail. But I really feel like talking through those things, set our auctioneers up for the best experience because we didn't. Hand them over a board audience at that point. Not that the awards were boring and who was winning him. It was the transition time.
Bobby D: Yeah. And it's looking at that whole program and every moment is valuable.
Bobby D: And every moment has a dollar figure on it. So let's say, you're trying to raise 100, 000 [00:14:00] and you really only have about 30, 000. 35 to 45 minutes of attention. And if that's the case, each moment is worth about 2, 000. So if you're, again, spending 15, 20 minutes, just waiting for people to come from their seat up to the tape, up to the stage, you're wasting like 30, 40, 000.
Bobby D: So you got to come up with effective techniques to to minimize that time and to keep that momentum rolling.
Sara Mayer: Yeah. And I love that you bring that up because there are a lot of people that go into an event. You have the caterers, you have the entertainment people putting on the AV, you have just a whole bunch of people.
Sara Mayer: And I think it's so important to, to really, you don't necessarily need to have a full meeting of all the people, but to really think about what are we here to do. And I always tell this little short story I went to this one gala and what was so distracting was the servers were coming around, and they were taking the salt and pepper, and then the next group would come around and take the butter knife, and the next group would come around and take the [00:15:00] plate.
Sara Mayer: And it was like. I don't care if the salt and pepper stays on the table until the very end. I know that proper etiquette is they are not using it, but it was so distracting. I'm trying to ask for money here. And these people are just coming around clearing. And so we had a conversation with the caterer was like, Hey, can we just not do that during these certain moments?
Sara Mayer: Because we want all eyes on the auctioneer. And I also don't want them tripping the auctioneer who's trying to run through the crowd. And it had never dawned on them. And so I don't think people come out and say, how can I take the spotlight off this person? But they don't think about it. They're just doing their job and going around.
Sara Mayer: But that conversation later, the catering director was like, you changed how we do all our events because we didn't realize how distracting that is to have 50 people ascend, trying to take butter knives.
Bobby D: Yeah, and it's a collaboration of so many things to come together at that [00:16:00] moment. Yes, you have the donors and the guests that are there, and then you have the nonprofit and their team that's there, that's organized and planned everything.
Bobby D: But then there's the whole vendor segment that comes along with that. And everybody really needs to be a part of the game plan and This is what we're here to do. We're here to raise as much money as we can. We're here to create a smooth and positive experience as we can. So that when the donors leave that night, they're like, that event was awesome.
Bobby D: I love the work that they're doing. And I can't wait to come back next year and bring my friends. And once everybody's really on that same page, Then that's where those magical events truly can happen. I'm a board member of the international live events association in New York city. And it's all event.
Bobby D: People is really what it is. It is those caterers. It's the venue, it's the event planners as the photographers, it's the designers and the, the florists and all of the, all of those people that serve events and all have a very similar passion to be able to come together to create that collaborative effort.
Bobby D: Then with the nonprofit, everybody working together and having having that, [00:17:00] that purpose to create that golden goosebump moment. And then when everybody's on that same page, then that's where you really can knock the ceiling off of those fundraising goals that you have.
Sara Mayer: So many nonprofits they start out, they're smaller, they start to do these events and they may start with a happy hour or something where people aren't seated.
Sara Mayer: And then their event grows. How do you know when it's time to actually hire somebody and make a live ask?
Bobby D: Oh, that's just
Sara Mayer: make a live ass first and then hire somebody.
Bobby D: I had this conversation with a potential client yesterday. They've been doing a casino night for nine years. Next year, there's their 10th year.
Bobby D: They're really excited to celebrate. They've been doing some great work in the pediatric cancer space, funding research, funding family support. And they have had one of their board members to be the asker that was there and the kind of the pain point that they had. They were like, Oh my gosh, our ass just took too long and people started to tune out and they just started to check out and we lost all the [00:18:00] electricity.
Bobby D: We lost that energy and the momentum. That was in the room and then
Sara Mayer: sucked out of the balloon.
Bobby D: Totally. So the solution to that is you really have to have someone that's on stage that can read the audience that knows when to hang a little bit longer to wait for that next gift to come in. But then also to know that, enough is enough and we have to move to the next level.
Bobby D: And it's really about building that momentum as you're going through that paddle raise and having a plan and having a strategy of what. You, your asker is going to be saying, through those, different levels. Now you don't have to say something at every level. That's okay. And if you've done effective storytelling and that that donor development, that audience development, leading up to that moment, you really don't have to say anything.
Bobby D: You just have to ask for the money, but people like. Nonprofits think they just need to spew all of their impact story. They need to, put all that mission stories out there and they just need to be like, we need to make sure we hit every level. And it's no, you don't. Cause you've [00:19:00] already, if you've done the work beforehand and you've done that prior proper planning, you're going to have a great performance with your paddle raise.
Bobby D: So it's really setting that up. That up for success. And now you just can't create an event and say, we're going to do a paddle raise here of you've got to prepare for it. You've got to set the expectations of your guests that are there. You've got to have a great person on stage to be able to help ask for that.
Bobby D: You actually have to have paddles to be, in, in their hands so that when they're ready to make that gift, they're like, yes, let's go 10, 000 right here. Let's talk
Sara Mayer: about that for a minute. I've been doing a couple of auctions lately that they've ditched the paddles. Where do you stand as an auctioneer?
Bobby D: So
Sara Mayer: on your phone or
Bobby D: I actually had my Phone in my lap right now. And somebody called me while we're on the podcast. And I'm like, Bobby, I can't believe you didn't turn your ringer off. So here I'm turning my ringer off right now, but that happens at events. And I know that technology is an effective [00:20:00] tool for registration.
Bobby D: I know it's an effective tool for silent auctions. I know it's an effective tool for CRM and all of those different pieces that are there. Like you have to have that. That's one of the key ingredients to have a great event. You have to have that registration technology. But here, I want to just do an experiment with your audience.
Bobby D: Now, audience, we've got this beautiful story. We've all heard the starfish story and it's all about, the, all the starfish on the beach and the kid picks the one up and throws it back and the old man's but what difference does it make to all these starfish?
Bobby D: If you throw one back, it's it makes a difference to the one starfish anyways. Now we're inspired. Now we're ready to give. All right, friends, let's go. We want to raise as much money as you can. Please all pull out your phones right now. And everybody pulls out their phones. And what's the first thing that they do?
Sara Mayer: I have seven notifications right now. That's it.
Bobby D: Right there. And you, and we've spent so much time and energy on that storytelling to bring us to that moment and get that energy and that focus in the room upon, the this fundraising opportunity that we have, and you are just giving them all permission to leave the [00:21:00] room.
Bobby D: Because now you've got all these notifications. You get the text from the babysitter. You're looking at the score online. Yeah, exactly. And now you're creating friction to giving. And all of a sudden they, again, they've got to go through all the notifications. And now we've taken them out of that inspirational moment that you've spent all that time and energy into, and they got to push a button.
Bobby D: And then they got to push another button and then they got to push another button and then they got to put the Wi Fi doesn't
Sara Mayer: work. Yeah. Cause you're in a casino, the wifi doesn't work. So you're in a casino and casinos don't want you on your phone. So they don't give you great wifi. So I can't even donate.
Bobby D: Yeah so that happens. And then when there's any friction at all to, when someone's in that moment to make a reactionary gift it disappears. And then they're like that was a pain in the ass. I'm not going to give, especially, with our older generation, our boomers that are out there.
Bobby D: And I hate to say that I'm in that gen X generations. That's now that next that's there. And I get frustrated it. At different apps. I got to have five different apps to [00:22:00] send my kid to school now, and I don't want to deal with it. And when you're in that moment, seconds count and you have again, like I said before your donor is giving you that attention and you're, they're giving you the time and if you.
Bobby D: Take away that attention and take away that time that they're investing in you, their dollars are going to disappear as well. So that's why we're still using the paddles. Yes. I know it seems old school and yes, it feels analog, but again, you think about when someone is ready to make that gift. They've made that decision and they're feeling that reaction.
Bobby D: They're feeling that energy and that electricity from the crowd and they want to do something. It's so easy for them to say, you know what? I want to make a gift. Where's my paddle? Yes, let's go. And it's that fast.
Sara Mayer: And it's so visible. Like I always talk about the time I walk into events. I'm a savvy event person.
Sara Mayer: So I walk into an event and I know what I'm going to spend either in an auction or in the ask and you've got a budget. Yeah. I have a budget and. You can compel me to maybe give a little more, but I know when I walk in the room, what I'm where I'm [00:23:00] thinking and I was at a table and another auctioneer who we all know, got everybody to raise their paddle for 1, 000.
Sara Mayer: I had nine people sitting at my table with a paddle up for 1, 000 and I wasn't going to spend 1, 000. How much money do you think I spent Bobby D. 1,
Bobby D: 000.
Sara Mayer: I spent 1, 000 because as soon as they all raise their paddle, I'm like, Oh, I better get it out. Here we go. You
Bobby D: know,
Sara Mayer: It just inspired me. Do I regret it?
Sara Mayer: No, I absolutely love that. That nonprofit, it was truly inspiring and I've actually given them more, but it compelled me when I looked around the room, I'm like, wow, everybody's like really into this to raise my paddle at a number that was maybe a little higher. And. And so I've had a couple of nonprofits say to me what if somebody comes later and says they didn't mean to do that and they want their money back and my answer to them has been in all the [00:24:00] events that I've ever done.
Sara Mayer: I've only had 1 person do that. And it was to put it on a different credit card.
Bobby D: Right.
Sara Mayer: That was it. nobody. Yeah,
Bobby D: nobody regrets that. And yes, like you were challenged by the room. Yeah. To give a little bit more than you thought, that you stretched it a little bit, but it was that, that contagious energy that's in there and you and they taught us this in the DARE program.
Bobby D: Just 'cause everybody else is doing it doesn't mean you have to do it. No. It's human nature. When you see everybody else doing it, you want to do it too, because you see. That joy and that, that sense of accomplishment and that pride that they have when they're raising that paddle, they're like, yes.
Bobby D: And you're like, I want to feel like that. I want to do that too. And then you're like, all I have to do is raise my paddle. Yeah. It's only money. We're going to make more, someday, but it's the, the transition of that dollars to impact that's with that. And then that's what fills our heart.
Bobby D: And then that's what sticks in our brain forever. And we're like, okay, yeah, I want to feel like that.
Sara Mayer: Yeah. So I know that you do silent auctions, live auctions, and also the ask, what was one of the most creative things you've seen done at an [00:25:00] event?
Bobby D: Oh my gosh, there's so many different things that are later are coming out now where it's not so much again, auction, which is a transactional giving method.
Bobby D: You have the ask with the paddle raise, which is a true philanthropic giving method, but then there's also some gamify opportunities that are out there. And this is a chance where when you're working with a great technology company, you can truly track that. And you just gave a perfect example of what it looks like for a table to have a hundred percent participation.
Bobby D: And when you have a team that's able to track the participation at every table, then everybody at your table, all 10 of you raise your paddle at 10, 000. Guess what comes to your table? A round of champagne. Boom. And all of a sudden now everybody starts to see the champagne coming out and they're like, okay, table, we gotta get together.
Bobby D: Let's all give. And it doesn't matter what they're giving, but what it matters is that they're participating. And when we see that a hundred percent participation happen, then, we want to reward them. We want to encourage other tables to now have that a hundred percent participation. So you can really, [00:26:00] again, gamify it within that.
Bobby D: I've seen some great things where there's a, what they call a paper airplane toss. And this is really fun at. At kids events or like school events and whatnot, I have some Montessori schools that I love working with that, that they would have this big bucket and then everybody would fold up their paper airplane and then they would throw the paper airplane at the bucket.
Bobby D: And, maybe that makes it in, maybe it doesn't, but every paper airplane that they throw could be like a hundred dollar donation or a 50 donation or something. And then they reach in there and they grab out one of the airplanes and they say, they're like, Oh, number one, two, three, you won a trip to Mexico or something like that.
Bobby D: And it becomes a fun way to give it's interactive, it's engaging, it looks cool, it's neat, but it's an easy way to incentivize the donors in that room to to give, and it's also an easy way for someone that's a guest that's doesn't really know anything about this nonprofit to say, I'm going to give you a test donation.
Bobby D: I'm just going to give you something little, I'm going to throw a little bit at you, and then you've been in development for so many years. Once you have that gold mine [00:27:00] of that data or that donor data, name, email, phone number. You're like, all right, we're off to the races. Let's let's steward that donor into that next gift.
Sara Mayer: Yeah. I think one of the ways that we raised a lot of money at the end was to say, Hey, you don't need your paddle anymore. If you want to turn it in, we didn't want to call for a hundred dollars. We'd say, if you turn in your paddle, it's a hundred bucks. And you all know, I came from a competitive fundraising event and I will tell you.
Sara Mayer: We had the first place person beat the second place person by 70. So that was one paddle. And the third place person was 35 behind the second place person.
Bobby D: Oh my gosh.
Sara Mayer: That's two people tossing their paddle in or not tossing their paddle in
Bobby D: to determine the winner. Super cool. Good old paddle drop.
Bobby D: We love that.
Sara Mayer: Yeah. Two more questions really quick. What's the most interesting thing you've auctioned off in the live auction?
Bobby D: A vasectomy.
Sara Mayer: What?
Bobby D: A vasectomy. [00:28:00]
Sara Mayer: Oh,
Bobby D: no, true. True. Somebody
Sara Mayer: raised their paddle and bought a vasectomy. Yeah. It
Bobby D: was somebody that it was neat the way that they packaged this.
Bobby D: Dare my puns but they created this experience. And yes, as as parents we love our children, but once you get to that level, you're like, I don't want any more children. And what's the most effective way to not have any more children. It's a vasectomy and why don't we make it fun?
Bobby D: Why don't we do a little tongue in cheek with that to where they had, the, okay, the operation was performed by one of the best surgeons in the city. And then they had a little care package with it. They had some frozen peas. They had some Advil, they had, some Netflix, gift cards and door dash gift cards and different things like that.
Bobby D: And a massage and this and that to where, the dad that, you know or the mom was usually the one that bought it. For the dad and they didn't, when they won that, then they, they brought up this basket and it was really fun to, again, just like own what was happening at the event with this particular auction item.
Bobby D: That is [00:29:00] probably the most interesting one that I've sold.
Sara Mayer: Wow. That's really, I didn't expect you to say that.
Bobby D: I
Sara Mayer: was at an event, real funny story. So it was kids and they had. They had a piece of art and they had baked like brownies and tamales. It was two kids and they were going to auction them off.
Sara Mayer: And they, they actually brought the food there. And it was like 200 brownies and 200 tamales. The biggest miss was that the, they set them up on the table in the foyer. Which was fine to display. And the wedding next door ate them, all of them. And so the guy who was my lead came up to me like with like terror in his eyes.
Sara Mayer: And he's Sarah, we're about to send these kids to the stage of the auctioneer and the food is gone. What do you mean the food's gone? He's [00:30:00] the one right next door. They ate them. What? And so I had to tell the auctioneer and the auctioneers like, it's fine. It'll be fine. Who goes to an event and wants to carry home 200 brownies?
Sara Mayer: Like I'll figure out a way to spin it. Like the kid will come to their house. If we're okay with that. And they ended up sending, selling for big money just because we turned it from a physical item into an experience. And the kids like came to the office and they bake brownies with the donor and talk about stewardship.
Sara Mayer: That became those donors became really engaged in the nonprofit because we were able to get them into something else. So that's awesome. Yeah. And,
Bobby D: And yeah, as much as we want to eat a tamale at the end of an event, it's okay. So let's yeah, extend that relationship out a little bit further beyond the event.
Sara Mayer: Yeah, it was super fun. All right. What brought in the most money? What brought in the
Bobby D: most money? A glass of water.
Sara Mayer: Really?
Bobby D: Yeah. Yeah. So same thing. It's not about, [00:31:00] I was saying, it's not about what you're buying. It's about what you're giving and it really doesn't matter what.
Bobby D: They're, your donors that are buying in the live auction. It could be anything. And, we've done glasses of water for a hundred thousand dollars. And it was really about what the dollars were going to do for the nonprofit and not what water was going to do for the buyer.
Bobby D: So it's really refocusing the, the. Purpose of why we're having this fundraiser. Just this past Monday night we were doing an event for the Robert Irvine foundation and it was called beats and eats, and they had all these great celebrity chefs that were there. They had OAR performing.
Bobby D: It was such a great experience, but there was a moment in the night where we paused and Robert and I were on stage together. And Robert is like the best storyteller. And he's and his British accent, Bobby is it doesn't matter what you're getting. It's the money it's what it's doing.
Bobby D: And there's money. is changing lives. So let's go. And I'm like, all right, Robert, let's do this. This is that time friends. And then we had a, it was an experience. I think it was a cooking experience with Robert. And then [00:32:00] it ended up selling for 25, 50, 000 because 50, 000 was helping to fund one a mobility device for a disabled veteran.
Bobby D: And again, it wasn't about, What, the dinner that they were going to have a Robert, which was going to be awesome, no matter what, but it was really then about that money that was raising to change the life of an individual. And that's that magical moment.
Sara Mayer: Yeah. And I think that's the one message I would want everybody to get from this episode.
Sara Mayer: I think so many times nonprofits spend an absorbent amount of time getting items and trying to find the right item and paying for items and all this stuff. And you just heard Bobby D the best selling item. The highest value was a glass of water.
Bobby D: That's it right there.
Sara Mayer: So it's really about the messaging and the key.
Sara Mayer: I just love this conversation, Bobby D. And if somebody is listening and they're like, I'm so inspired, I want to work with him, how would they get in touch? What might they expect?
Bobby D: There's a lot of different ways that, that you can interact with [00:33:00] me. I do have a weekly podcast that comes out. I co host it with my wife, who's also an auctioneer and a fundraiser, Aaron Ward.
Bobby D: It's called heart of the gala. You can find it everywhere. Podcasts are that's one way that you can I'm always putting out content and different things on my different social media channels. Just type in Bobby D auctioneer. You'll see it. It's out there. I'm on LinkedIn all the time. And it's just reach out and say, Hey, Bobby I'm looking for some help with this.
Bobby D: Particular event that we have, no matter where you are in the nation or where you are in the world. I can definitely help with some planning ideas and some different things that are there, but then to find an individual like myself, and there's only so many Saturdays in a year and, I get booked out usually a year or two prior to the events.
Bobby D: But there's a great collaborative network that I'm a part of other, fundraising auctioneers that are out there. There's not a lot of us, but I do have a great network and I'm able to help guide nonprofits to find that great fit for them. Now, I'm not the best fit for every audience or every, every event.
Bobby D: But if there is someone in Los Angeles that is looking [00:34:00] for a particular style auctioneer, I know who that is. If they're looking for somebody in Seattle, in Portland, in Chicago, in Florida, wherever it is there is this network that's there and I'd love to refer whomever needs help with that to someone that knows what they're doing, has the experience in the fundraising and does have those innovative ideas to really shake it up and to help you raise more money.
Bobby D: So That's how I want to be able to help the world is have better events.
Sara Mayer: I love it. And it's really about that impact. And that's why I always have loved working with you at events because you do a great job of inspiring the hearts and opening the wallets.
Bobby D: You as well, Sarah, you, there's not many like you in the world that do understand the opportunity that events are able to open up for nonprofits.
Bobby D: Many times it's just Oh my God, the gala. We hate it. Events. Cause it takes so much time and so much energy away from the nonprofit staff. But if we can flip the conversation on that and really look as the event as one of 365 days in a [00:35:00] year, but that one day that you can identify hundreds of new donors, you can raise hundreds of thousands of dollars and you can create such a valuable experience that you really can't put a price on that, that, that lives in the hearts and the minds of donors.
Bobby D: Way beyond that event, it's all going to enhance your fundraising your plan, past the event and going into the next event. And it can take, your little budget that you have, that's like this big, and it can really make it very big because now, again, it's not just the dollars, it's that attention and it's that time and it's that trust that the donors are giving you.
Sara Mayer: Yeah. I love that you bring up that it's not just one night as well. It's all your own. Thank you so much. I've truly loved this conversation. I know our listeners are just going to eat it up. So connect with Bobby D and unleash your impact on the world. Thanks, Bobby D.
Bobby D: Thanks, Sara
Thank you for tuning into this episode of Impact [00:36:00] Unleashed, the nonprofit edition. I'm so excited you were here on this journey. If you haven't signed up for our newsletters and wonderful resources, please visit nonprofit impact unleashed. co again, that's nonprofit impact unleashed. co I look forward to seeing you on our next episode.
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