Duncan Schieb -Event Fundraising Expert Auctioneer from New York City, NY

I've called over 15,000 auctions and raised more than $200 million for nonprofits. I'm Australian and I also hold US citizenship, so hiring me is straightforward for your finance team. No visa paperwork, no foreign vendor withholding, W-9 like anyone else. I lived in New York from 2010 to 2021 and worked charity galas around the country during those years. I'm based in Sydney now and travel back for events. What I'm hired to do is run the auction and the appeal. That's the part of the night where the money actually moves, and it's what I'm good at. If you already have an emcee your guests know and like, keep them. Some of my best nights have been working alongside a local host while I handle the auction and the fund-a-need. If you don't have an emcee, or you'd rather not coordinate two people and a handover halfway through the evening, I'm happy to do both. Most events get less out of their appeal than they should. Across US events this year the paddle raise brought in more than the live and silent auctions put together, and even so only around 4% of guests gave anything during it. It's rarely because people don't want to give. More often the moment just isn't built well. Lot lists have the same problem. In that same data, live auction items made up 6% of everything offered and produced 59% of the revenue. The median live lot went for $2,500 and the median silent lot for $120. A lot of committees spend months collecting items that never earn back the time. So I'd rather be involved before the night than just turn up and call it. That means finding a matching donor early, locking in a lead gift to open the ask, setting giving levels to what your room can genuinely afford, reordering the lots, and working out where the story should sit. How much of that you want from me is up to you. Some organizations bring me in six months ahead. Others just want someone who can call an auction properly, and that's fine too. Send me three numbers: what your last gala raised, what the appeal raised on its own, and how many people were in the room. I'll tell you what I think you're leaving on the table. Costs you nothing.