Rotary Auction Niagara - WOW, WOW & WOW!
That is my impression of the newly re-branded 2023 Rotary Auction Niagara, held Nov. 22 – Dec. 1. The 6 participating clubs (St. Catharines South, St. Catharines, Niagara Falls, Niagara Falls Sunrise, Welland, and Fonthill) had a steering committee overseeing the many aspects of this fundraiser. Characteristics I personally noticed: cooperation, dedication, willingness to change, thoughtful & reflective thinking, and finally, Service Above Self. The committee decided to move away from the old “TV” auction format, and rebranded into a 100% online version. This change greatly reduced the volunteer time required, and as a result, streamlined the process.
What did they accomplish? In addition to migrating to a new and vastly improved auction platform, even in a slow economy, the results were phenomenal - there were more bidders and the final amount raised was the same as the prior year.
A big thank you needs to go out to all the individuals or organizations who donated - without them, there would be no auction. Also, thanks to all the Rotarians who solicited the donations.
Thank you to all the bidders - without them, Rotary would not be able to be “People of Action,” supporting all those organizations locally or globally.
Thank you to our local partners, Skycomp, The Pen Centre & Beam Building. Skycomp provided support for our computerized system in the pick-up warehouse. The Pen Centre generously provides the space for winning to bidders to pick up their items. Beam Building provided warehouse space to store items prior to the auction & subsequent pick up.
Lastly, thank you to all the volunteers who worked in the warehouse, and to our steering committee who put in so many hours preparing and setting up the Rotary Auction Niagara fundraiser.
WELL DONE !!!
- David Grabb
The first act of the committee was to migrate from its antiquated system, with its multiple components, which did not mesh with one another easily. They moved to AUCTRIA - a more professional platform. This platform allows for greater flexibility, multiple pictures, greater description capability, holds all information in one database, enables quick response to any arising issues and will allow for future year-over-year efficiencies. The committee collaborated extremely well in all discussions, and exhibited excellent change management capabilities.
One of main struggles the committee overcame was a steep learning curve for each individual club, as they were responsible for their own donations and inputting information into the new system.
The final concern of the committee was the economy. It was thought there would be a reduction in the number of items donated and subsequent retail value; this turned out not to be true. It was also thought the economy would impact the number of bidders and eventually the amount raised. The opposite occurred - more bidders and the final amount raised was the same as the prior year.
