After the Auction

After the Auction

            After the art auction I put on for Rescue:Freedom, I have mainly been working on completing the very last tasks associated with the event.  I have also been ruminating over what I’ve learned from the experience.  I conveniently was interrupted for a week due vacationing in Las Vegas (of all places), but now I am back on track. 

            Before and during the auction, I really was not sure how the actual purchasing of won bids would work.  I could not decide if it was better for guests to purchase their winning bids during the event or after the event.  I thought purchasing their items after the event would make the auction itself less stressful.  I was even a bit stressed about how the actual payment process would work during the event, especially since we were allowing payment via credit cards.  But the risk for purchasing won bids after the event would be guests not following through on payment later on.  It turned out that most everyone purchased their winnings at the auction.  The actual payment process actually happened without issue.  Incidentally, the vast majority of guests paid with a credit card.  I have only had to follow up with five individuals about picking up and paying for their winnings, and they’ve been completely reliable.  Actually, I had heard it would be this way, and it was true.

            I should have all payment collected for each item by Thursday.  Once we have that, we’ll be able to advertise to our guests how much money we were able to raise for survivors of sex-trafficking.  Also, half of our proceeds will go to one of our auction’s featured guests, Arts Aftercare.  I’m excited to be able to tell guests how much we raised (especially since most won’t know what our goal actually was).  I’m also excited to have an excuse to get in touch with them.  It will give me an excuse to reach out to them and hopefully get them involved somehow with either organization. 

            I also have a few other follow up tasks to complete.  The first is to send thank you notes to our volunteers, our partners, and maybe even some of our art purchasers.  Another is to figure out what to do with the art that didn’t sell.  Hopefully Jeremy will want to use it at a future event.  I don’t mind giving it back to the original donors, but I’m also a bit sheepish about it. 

            Ultimately, I learned a few things from this experience.  The first is that in order to raise the amount of money you want, it is very helpful to match your event’s guests to what they are purchasing.  In the case of our auction, our more expensive fine art didn’t sell because we didn’t specifically have art buyers there.  It also can be hard for art auction guests to bid a lot of money on art because its value is so subjective.  I also learned that planning a fun, well run event does create an opportunity to share with guests about issues that need funding, such as sex-trafficking.  Last, I learned that even though I now know I can manage a large event, it is still important to not lose sight of future funding opportunities.  In our case, I was hoping to connect more auction guests to volunteering with Rescue:Freedom.  This could still happen.  I did just put a note about that on Facebook. 

During the Auction

During the Auction

            From the moment volunteers arrived to help set up for the auction to the moment we all left The Hub, people regularly asked me how I was feeling.  I kept replying, “I don’t know.”  I was so focused on operations that I really didn’t know how I was feeling.  However, I’ve since had time to give it some thought.

            To start, I’m really happy with how we scheduled the event.  I’m glad I’d prepared set up ahead of time by making sure all of the art was ready to hang and that I’d mapped out where each item should go.  I’d even mapped out where to put the admission table and the food.  I’d created various directional signs for guests.  Just enough volunteers showed up to make this happen by our 4 P.M. start time.  I also had scheduled my time leading up to the event so that I was not forced to stay up late the night before in order to finish last minute details. 

            Also, regarding the operations of the event, I kept waiting for something to go wrong, but nothing major happened.  The worst that happened was that some of the art fell down from the wall.  The humidity of the day had loosened the taped string, which was holding the work to the hooks.  Luckily there really was no major damage.  We just fixed how each item was displayed and moved on.  Moreover, volunteers and guests generally were on time.  More importantly, guests were able to bid, win, and purchase items with ease.  They were fed.  They mingled.  They gave to great causes, and they heard information about how to fight trafficking.  We cleaned up afterward and left the building early.  Throughout the day, I also got a lot of positive feedback from guests, which I was so relieved and happy to hear.

            I was also really happy with the entertainment and the speeches given during the event.  I could not have asked for more professional musicians in Candice Russell and then Curtis and Grace of Jubilee Band and Arts Aftercare.  I really thought they created a great ambience and were witnesses to how you can use creativity to speak against a heavy issue like sex trafficking.  I also really appreciated how Jeremy, the president of Rescue:Freedom, spoke with such conviction about helping women and girls leave sex-trafficking.  I also sensed guests making a connection with the work of Arts Aftercare as they learned how their art toolkit is helping trafficking survivors open up about what they’ve been through.  This could not have happened without the great relationships Jeremy has with all of these people.  It proves to me that good relationships are so important in fund-raising.

            I also thought the addition of Caffe’ Lusso and Sozo Friends also helped to give our event credibility.  Guests also learned that you can purchase great tasting, socially responsible coffee.  They also learned that you can purchase wine while giving to a good cause.  Again, this happened because of Jeremy’s good relationships.

            The main thing that I wish I had done differently is to figure out how to get art buyers to our auction.  I used Facebook, posters, and word of mouth to advertise everywhere else I could think of.  Interestingly, our guests bid more on our craft items and photographs than our more expensive fine art.  Part of the issue is that I, the event coordinator, just did not know enough high end art purchasers.  Also, the value of art is subjective.  I think this combination is why our guests purchased less expensive items like the jewelry and smaller art.  We’re still tallying the results, but it looks like we made close to $2,500.00, which is half of our initial goal of $5,000.00.  If we were to put on an art auction again, we would need to either focus on higher end art buyers or more specifically on what we think the general public would like. 

            Last, I also wish I had spent more time figuring out how to formally connect guests to Rescue:Freedom, so that opportunities for volunteering or fund-raising could happen in the future.  However, figuring out the operations of the auction took precedence from the moment I started planning until the moment the auction was over.  On the other hand, I did see guests having conversations with both Curtis of Arts Aftercare and Jeremy of Rescue:Freedom, and they did hear both men speak from the stage.  So it really is possible this happened organically.

            If you were to ask me now how I am feeling about the auction, I would say that I am proud of my accomplishment and what I learned.  We raised awareness and money for sex trafficking survivors.  I just wish I would have had the bandwidth to focus on art buyers and then facilitating future volunteer opportunities.  Now that I understand the operations of an auction, I could make both happen.

Before the Auction

Before the Auction

            In the days and months leading up to the Art Auction and Benefit for Rescue:Freedom, I put in well over 85 hours of preparation for it.  In so many ways the auction seemed to be a good fit.  We had a goal of raising $5,000 for a very good cause.  I looked forward to raising awareness about sex trafficking.  I hoped to move our guests into action beyond just donating money.  These are all things I cared about.  I also looked forward to seeing how many volunteers I could facilitate into meaningful involvement with Rescue:Freedom.  Moreover, I anticipated being around a lot of art and artists.  I looked forward to adding project management to my resume    I also just wanted to know if I could pull it off.

            I spent a fair amount of time looking for and organizing volunteers.  I eventually found many to prepare appetizers for the event.  Others committed to helping with set up or tear down for the event.  Some helped during the event, such as with admitting guests.  I mostly found help from immediate family members.  A few helped with advertising by putting up posters for the event.  Jeremy, the president of Rescue:Freedom, and Lindsay, a committed Rescue:Freedom volunteer, helped advertise by inviting people on the Rescue:Freedom mailing list.  But, much of the preparation fell on my shoulders.  One, I wanted to make sure things got done.  Two, I wasn’t totally sure how and when to delegate tasks.  We had no precedence for an event like this.  I think prior experience would have helped me know how to delegate.

            To market the event, I tried a few different things.  After all, the event is pointless if nobody shows up.  I sent press releases to various media outlets such as the Queen Anne News and the Seattle Times.  Admittedly, I never did check to see if anything made it into any publication I contacted.  I just had no time!  I spent a day distributing posters and flyers.  I also contacted area churches from Mars Hill to Quest Church to Bethany Presbyterian to a friend’s church in Renton.  Oh, and of course I used Evite and Facebook.  On Facebook, I did something I’d never done before, which was to create a Community Page for the event.  That seemed to help as it seemed to reach people I didn’t know. 

            I also emailed various sex trafficking survivor groups to invite them.  I’m not aware that any showed up.

            I also kept a somewhat lengthy list of things to do before, during, and after the event.  Some of the items on the list were trivial, such as finding out where the brooms were kept so we could clean up afterward.  Others were a bit more important, like figuring out how to accept credit card payment for won bids and who to trust with the sound system when the musicians sang.  I regularly emailed or called Jeremy or Lindsay, staff at the Hub, Candice Russell –one of our musicians, and the volunteers during the weeks leading up to the auction.

            Being that we had not discussed a budget at all, I also keep a somewhat long list of items to purchase or borrow: coffee cups, extension cords, cash box, drink tickets, artistic tape, thumb tacks, a drill, a hammer, a container or two for carrying art, etc.  The list goes on and it’s boring.  I purchased a bit more than I wanted to, but I decided to view it as a tithe. 

            One fun aspect was collecting the art.  I had pictured collecting more fine art, but instead I collected a surprising amount of photography, enhanced photos, and craft items, with some fine art added in.  I had initially asked for framed art, but quickly learned that people are not usually willing to provide that due to how expensive it is.  It is expensive to purchase frames, and framed art is expensive to ship.  I also got a lot of jewelry and craft items donated.  There is no framing needed, and they are easy to transport.  Admittedly, I was nervous about accepting those items due to a member of Rescue:Freedom really wanting to focus on having fine art.  However, I’d already told people I would accept craft items.  Moreover, being that we had no precedence for an auction, I felt we could not be choosy about what we auctioned off.  In the end, I’m so glad we used craft items, as those items received a lot of bids!  In hindsight, I also enjoyed meeting with art donors and the anticipation of being surprised and excited over what they gave.  The most expensive art given to us was Charles Fazzino’s serigraph titled Looting Las Vegas.  It is valued at $2,000 to $2,700.00. 

            Of course, let’s not forget the survivor made items.  Really, their hand made paintings and purses and trinkets were the highlight.  That’s how it should be.  Also, I just really enjoyed making the bidding sheets for all of their items and anticipating how the auction guests would respond to both their high aesthetic qualities and the story behind them. 

            So much of the coordination leading up to this auction was tedious.  Using the software on my laptop for making the event posters and flyers was boring and frustrating.  There was a fair amount of uncertainty.  I just had no precedence for how all of the moving pieces of this project would come together.  I had no idea how much of what quality of artwork I would get.  I really stressed out about enough guests attending or whether or not they would bother to bid on items.  I tried to counteract that by making sure there were enough items to bid on.  I had little idea of what to expect from volunteers, let alone the other people and organizations who participated.  In the days leading up to the auction, I completed tasks a bit by faith.

My Jaw Hit the Floor Today

We'll have four paintings made by Indian survivors of trafficking.  The paintings are of birds, sunsets, and trees.  I find them charming and representative of someone's hopes and dreams for a better life. 

I just found their website here:  http://sharansthan.org/programs.  One program they offer is Day Care.  Here is what they write about it:

This offers holistic care - education, physical care and medical attention to the children who are uncared for in the Red Light Area - Ganga Jamuna, at Nagpur. Outside of our daily care, the mothers are forced to induce drugs to their infants in order to entertain costumers. (Age group 6 months – 6 yrs; Timings 9am – 6pm).

Um, is that saying prostituted mothers are forced to give their children drugs in order to keep them subdued while they "work"?

I have even more motivation to put on the best art auction there ever was.

They Didn't Follow Through...

So, a few of my artists who said they would donate artwork didn't follow through with their donations.  The weird part is that I don't mind that much.  If I was still scrambling to find artwork, then I think I'd be more disappointed.  But, as James predicted, people have actually been pretty generous in what they've given.  For example, a painting I acquired yesterday retails for $800.00.  It's a good painting too!

In fact, the details are coming together.  I still have a bunch of things to print out, such as the bidding sheets.  I still have to prepare some of the artwork for hanging.  I could use a bit more help with people donating food for the auction and a few people to help with tear down.  I'm also a bit concerned about getting the internet at The Hub to support our credit card swiper.  Otherwise, I think I've done everything I can possibly do to advertise for our event.  At this point, about 75 people have RSVP'd yes.  That's not the 200 I was aiming for, but you never know. 

I picked up one painting and three framed photos for the auction today.  All are just beautiful, and acquiring them involved spending time with good friends.  Someone should pay me to do this.  =)

Jubilee Band

I just found out that Curtis Romjue and maybe even Jubilee Band will be performing at the auction.  Thank YOU Jeremy Vallerand for making that happen.  You all may remember Jubilee Band from the Justice Conference.  Part of our proceeds will go toward benefitting Curtis' organization Arts Aftercare.