Streamline your Radio Auction
System includes online bidding and projector software
When Caroline Gornick took over as co-chair for the Gaylord Rotary Radio Auction, little did she know how overwhelming the task would actually be. She was literally flooded with mountains of paperwork.
Her fellow Rotarians handed her hundreds of donation forms from local businesses with the details of their support. "I spent hours inputting the information into an Excel spread sheet. It was a very long and tedious process," Gornick says, adding "I just knew this had to change - otherwise nobody would ever want to volunteer for this job!" The Radio Auction has been around for 30+ years and nets about $28,000 per year.
To improve the process flow, Gornick and Co-Chair Olivia Smith teamed up with a local computer company, Alpine Web, and together they designed a cloud-based software that makes record keeping a breeze.
"The Rotarians submit their donation forms online," explains Gornick. "I don't have to deal with any paperwork anymore and can concentrate on other aspects of the auction."
The support from the club has been overwhelming, as 60 out of 62 members members used the system in the club's most recent auction. In addition, the team improved an already-existing online auction component, as well as computerized the checkout process.
Raise more money even before the actual event
Club President Dale Gehman says "Everything went really smoothly, and the donors appreciated the fast checkout function." "We were extremely happy to make $10,000 before the actual event. The online auction started our fundraising efforts early," adds Gornick. The system worked so well that the neighboring Alpena Rotary Club used it for their radio auction.
Gornick and the team at Alpine Web knew the software had great potential. Over the past few months they developed BiddingOwl.com, which is a cloud-based auction management software that tracks items, donors, solicitors and guest. "Every non-profit has its own auction website to start fundraising early. This is essential in today's world," explains Gornick. In addition, it has a projector function that is essential for any radio or TV auction, just like many Rotary auctions.
Rotarians are able to input bids on their computers and the results are projected onto a screen." Gornick says, "The system works just like the departure and arrival monitors on airports - they are precise to the second."
No computer skills are needed to setup and work the system. "We made it very intuitive and simple", says Gornick.
And best of all, it is virtually free. There are no expensive setup or subscription fees. "The use of the silent and live auction management is free! However, we do charge a 5% performance fee for online auctions and the use of the Rotary Interface," explains Gornick. "This is a great investment, considering the increased revenue generated by online auctions."
