Any auctioneer can call numbers. Kent's clients hire him for what happens before the microphone turns on: item procurement, event sequencing, and the run of show that decides how much gets raised.
A successful benefit auction is won before the event ever starts. Event strategy and consulting is the planning work that happens between the proposal and event night: deciding which procured items go where, sequencing the live auction lots for maximum bidding, timing the fund-a-need appeal, and mapping the full run of show so nothing on the night is improvised.
Most organizations booking their first professional auctioneer expect to hire someone for the two hours of the event. What actually separates a good total from a record-breaking one happens in the weeks before that, consulting with your executive director, board members, and event committee on the decisions that shape the whole evening.
A conversation about your mission, your audience, and your fundraising goals before anything gets planned.
Guidance on what to pursue, what to pass on, and how many items your event actually needs for its size.
Lot order, pacing, and placement of the fund-a-need appeal, built to keep momentum climbing through the night.
A full script and timeline for event night, from welcome to final gavel, so your committee knows exactly what happens when.
Planning is most of the job. Every engagement runs through a discovery call, a proposal, and a planning phase covering item procurement, event sequencing, and the run of show, before Kent ever picks up a microphone. The event-night performance is the last step, not the whole job.
It's an auctioneer who treats the weeks before your event as the real work, not a formality before the fun part. That means advising on which items to procure, how to sequence them for maximum bidding, building the fund-a-need script, and mapping the full run of show, all before event night.
As soon as you book. The proposal and planning phase typically runs over several weeks to a couple of months before your event, depending on your timeline, giving enough runway to procure items strategically and build a script worth delivering.
Consulting is included in every engagement, not billed as an extra. See the full services list or reach out to check availability.