Lighthouse Central Florida, a nonprofit that provides services to people who are visually impaired or blind, became the first Florida organization to use BidPal Network's wireless bidding devices at its "Puttin’ on the Ritz Gala" Saturday night at the Ritz-Carlton Orlando, Grande Lakes. BidPal is an Indianapolis-based company that automates silent auctions for organizations using iPod Touch devices. Organizers say the digital system helped them increase their silent auction revenue by nearly 15 percent to $49,000, and also allowed the organization to raise $7,000 in instant donations.
“They gave us great reports about activity throughout the evening so we could see when bids went up and track it to specific activities,” said the nonprofit's manager of marketing and corporate partnerships Mary Clark, who noted that donations spiked after the audience viewed an emotional video featuring some of the organization’s young clients.
As the 330 guests entered the gala, each received an iPod Touch and instructions on how to use it for bidding from BidPal employees. Throughout the four-and-a-half-hour event, guests could punch in bids from anywhere in the room. The device also allowed users to opt for automatic bidding based on a maximum bid, and it sent an alert if someone offered a higher bid.
A leaderboard in the front of the ballroom displayed the current price for each item. The board also showed a continual scroll of names of people making instant donations, which Clark believed created a bit of positive peer pressure. Throughout the evening, the nonprofit also sent messages via the iPods reminding people to donate.
Despite the auction increases, the gala's overall revenue decreased by $12,000 from last year's total of $150,000 due to a drop in sponsorships. Nonetheless, Clark plans to use the data of bidding practices from the system to structure future fund-raising activities.
