Why a Professional Fundraising Event Team Matters
Every single role on your fundraising event floor plays a vital part to your ultimate success! Some are so pivotal, they can make or break both your donor’s experience and your bottom line. That’s why we don’t leave high-stakes roles like Bid Assistants and Event Clerks to well-meaning volunteers. Instead, we bring in seasoned pros who know how to work in harmony, keep the energy high and ensure every single gift is captured accurately.
Meet the Mavens!
If you’ve ever been to one of our events, you’ve seen our team in action. Maybe you’ve interacted with one of our Bid Assistants out on the floor, hyping up a live auction package while keeping donors engaged. Or maybe you’ve noticed our Event Clerks—heads down, headset on—laser-focused on tracking every bid and gift. But here’s the thing: that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Behind the scenes, our team is doing so much more. And that’s the Marquam difference!
When you’ve got a dream team running your show, great outcomes aren’t just possible—they’re the norm.
The Role of the Professional Bid Assistant
Bid Assistants are the heartbeat of the fundraising floor. They’re the folks connecting with donors, answering questions, relaying info to the auctioneer and ensuring every single bid and gift gets its moment. They cheer people on, facilitate communication, spark bidding wars and create that electric energy that keeps the room buzzing.
And here’s the kicker: fundraising events utilizing professional Bid Assistants raise at least 15% more, on average than those without. That’s no small thing.
Why Professionals – Not Volunteers?
Our Bid Assistants (BAs) never just wing it. They apprentice with us at live events after undergoing a rigorous and detailed training protocol – until they’re ready to represent both you and Marquam with finesse!
- One-on-One Coaching with seasoned Event Mavens (our highly trained + most experienced BA trainers)
- Live Event Apprenticeships (with real-time feedback)
- Post-event Debriefs for ongoing skills refinement
- Online Modules + Continuing Education
- Professional Designations
We’re prepped for anything—and know how to effectively handle: surprise sale items, last minute pivots, progressive bids, incentive drawings, donor questions, even the occasional over-served guest. Pro BAs know how to read the room, when to push, when to hold back and how to keep the auctioneer, your team and every vendor in perfect sync.
As Maven Bid Assistant, Morgan Bechtold, says: “Bid Assisting is such a fun and exciting way to help our nonprofit partners reach their goals! My favorite part is during a bidding war—when the donor and I work together to win, because when they win, the organization truly wins. And when they win, we all do!”
Bid Assisting is part cheerleader, part strategist, part performer, logistics executer and part communications liaison. It’s both an art and a science—and one of the most powerful ways to ignite generosity in the room.
The Role of the Professional Event Clerk
While Bid Assistants are out working the crowd, the Event Clerk is the steady hand keeping everything together and accurately recorded. Think of them as the boss of the live program. They’re the auctioneer’s right hand, our team’s point person, the person tracking challenge matches, incentives – all the while ensuring not a single dollar (or detail) slips through the cracks. This is the number one area where well-meaning volunteers lose your organization money. Leave the clerking to the pros, please.
In short: they keep the live program running like clockwork. And we couldn’t do what we do without them.
Marquam Agency’s Founder, Misty Marquam, says, “Live program energy is chaotic, intense and ever-pivoting. It’s super easy for important details to slip through the cracks for folks who don’t execute these functions every day. That’s why we always rely on our experienced Event Clerks + Event Team to run our shows, accurately track the money and handle the execution of the details.”
The Power of a Full Professional Team
We never just send an auctioneer and cross our fingers for the best. We provide an army of professional fundraising event folks here for your WIN! From Event Clerks and Bid Assistants to your Registration Concierge, Sales People, Event Planners, Videographers, Script Writers, Marketing + Media Pros and seasoned Benefit Auctioneers and Fundraising Consultants—we’ve got your back.
Every detail is managed. Every revenue stream maximized. Every donor taken care of.
Sara McMahon, our Ops + Marketing Maven, says: “We’re a professional, experienced and trained fundraising and events team. We work together to support one another and our clients’ goals. Our single focus is to make your event the best it can be, no matter what unexpected things pop up. And they always do!”
Teamwork Makes the Dream Work!
Ready to work with a powerhouse team of fundraising professionals who live and breathe this work? We show up ready to deliver a seamless, high-impact event that maximizes revenue and leaves your donors raving about their experience.
Because when every detail is handled, every gift is captured and every donor feels celebrated—the results speak for themselves.
Let’s uplevel your fundraising game – together? We’d love to help you change the world!