Elevate Conference Recap

What happens when people gather with purpose?

In this episode of Auction Is Action, I’m sharing reflections straight from the Elevate Conference—an event centered around one powerful idea: fundraising is ultimately about people coming together. When we gather, something special happens. Trust grows, ideas expand, and generosity becomes possible in ways that simply can’t happen in isolation.

We talk about why gatherings matter more than ever in the nonprofit world, the role events play in building social capital, and how great fundraising events create outcomes that go far beyond the dollars raised. I’ll also walk through a powerful exercise used at the conference that challenges organizations to think deeper about why they host events, what they want people to carry home with them, and what becomes possible when the right people are in the room together.

Plus, I’ll introduce our newest resource designed to help nonprofit leaders and event professionals raise more and stress less: GalaToolbox.com.

If you believe fundraising events can be more than just programs and paddles—if they can build community, trust, and lasting impact—this conversation is for you.

Recommended For

Nonprofit leaders
Development directors
Board members
Event planners
Fundraising committees
School, hospital, and foundation galas

Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:00

Alright, here, what are you gonna give on at$25,$50,$75,$100,000? You are listening to the Auction is Action with UNID podcast presented by Call to Auction, where our favorite four-load word is S-O-L-D. So, so hey there everyone, Bobby D here at the Elevate Conference, and we're just getting started here with day two. And my mind is blown with all of the great information that has been provided by all the great speakers and the presenters in all of the sessions. And uh yeah, this is fantastic. They're just getting ready to get started. So let's take a look. And I am here with the kilted auctioneer, Matt Robin. Matt, how has your elevate been?

SPEAKER_00 0:38

Uh, it's been phenomenal. I got to attend last year virtually, and being here in person is so much better. Uh so as a fellow auctioneer, what is one thing that you pulled out of this conference that you're gonna be able to bring directly to your clients? I'll say neuroscience and event design, hands down, the two most important things that people just think happens naturally and it does not. It is beyond intentional.

SPEAKER_02 0:59

That's right. It's very strategic. I think they used the word engineered yesterday. And uh and today we do have the author of Neuroscience giving us a keynote.

SPEAKER_00 1:08

Neurogiving, Cherry and Cauchy. I totally have a happy man crush on that guy. That book is incredible. Any fundraising uh paddle raise appeal that I write, I'm gonna use AI and say, please write me a two-minute paddle raise appeal using the framework created by Cherry and Cauchy in Neurogiving, and what it spits out is absolutely phenomenal.

SPEAKER_02 1:26

Yeah, I'm a huge fan of that book. I just finished it and it did. It flipped my whole mindset of what uh what uh giving really is.

SPEAKER_00 1:35

Well, and how to encourage that uh, you know, that the mirror neurons that get you firing where you're like, I feel as opposed to I think. I don't want you thinking, I want you feeling that you have to give$10,000, not thinking, can I afford this?

SPEAKER_02 1:48

Right. Yes, that's absolutely right. Uh Matt, here we are, uh Elevate, and that's uh let's go learn some more. All right, thanks, Bobby. Right now, thanks for being here. Hey there, everyone.

SPEAKER_01 1:58

I am here with Stephen Kilbreth here at the Elevate conference. What do you think about this conference, sir, Stephen? I think it's been amazing. It's so fun being with uh all of the great vendor partners that we have. And what's cool about this is we get to be in the room with everybody and we get to see all the speeches and everything like that. But what's most important is the 300 people sitting out there. Absolutely. I love that these are all fundraising event-focused individuals that see the value of events and how that they can help to build their community. Yeah. And then one of the things we've been learning, like you and I have been talking about the whole time, is how we approach our events is being mission focused, right? That is the star of your event. If the star of your event isn't mission focused, then you're you're doing it wrong. It shouldn't be us, it shouldn't be the band, it shouldn't be anything other than the mission that you have for your organization. That's absolutely right. So, uh, what's one thing that you're able to take uh to help your clients from this conference? You know, that's really it. I think I think what we've been learning is that every event is unique, and you have to I love the session that we had on how to create the ambiance of the event and how you how you look at it and the design aspects of it, the lighting, the the colors that you can use. Now, again, I would say that's not the star of the event, but it does set the mood for your mission. Yep, and you got to set that mood because when people are feeling good, they're given. That's exactly right. No question about that. All right, Stephen. Okay, that's awesome. Thank you. So, uh, where uh where can we find you, Stephen? Well, killbirth events.com. If Bobby's not available, you can uh come our way. Bobby and his team isn't available, you can come our way. We'd be happy to help you out at your event. Right on. Thanks, Stephen.

SPEAKER_03 3:26

Hi, friends. Hello, hello, hello, hello.

SPEAKER_02 3:29

Hey everyone, I am here with the world famous auctioneer, MC of Elevate, the one and the only Kelly Russell. Kelly, how has your elevate been?

SPEAKER_03 3:38

My elevate has been really fun. Have you been elevated? I'm I'm always elevated, my friend. I I run on a high, right? Like it's the thing. We love that. We love that.

SPEAKER_02 3:48

So, what's your favorite thing that you have seen here at Elevate?

SPEAKER_03 3:51

All of it. All of it. It's all my favorite. I love auctions, I love events, I love the relationship building. Really, it really comes down, that's the biggest thing I love. When it really comes down to it, I love the relationship building with the folks that are in the room, with the vendors that are in the room, with the other auctioneers that are in the room. We have fun. And it's so good to see everyone come together and be united under the premise of we're here to help elevate everyone else.

SPEAKER_02 4:16

Absolutely. And in having uh people that are all surrounded together to elevate their fundraising event.

SPEAKER_03 4:22

Well, you know, one of my favorite sayings is we rise by lifting others. So elevate, rise. I love it. So it's all really fun. So thank you, Bobby D.

SPEAKER_02 4:30

Awesome. Well, you're doing a great job as the embassy, and uh thanks for letting me be a part of this.

SPEAKER_03 4:34

This is really glad you came. Thanks for being here.

SPEAKER_02 4:36

Me too.

SPEAKER_03 4:36

Bye, friend.

SPEAKER_02 4:38

Well, just want to thank those auctioneers so much for sharing their expertise and their ideas and their uh opinions about fundraising and all the great stuff that we did learn at Elevate. But I wanted to share some of the biggest ideas that really stuck out with me, and not just about fundraising events, but about generosity and community and what actually happens when people gather together. Because if you're in the nonprofit world, whether you're an executive director, a development professional, a board member, or even a fundraising auctioneer, one thing is clear events still matter, but maybe not for the reason that we used to think. Now, one of the first ideas that stood out from Elevate uh was this that fundraising events are not just events, they are gatherings. And gatherings do something powerful to human beings. When people gather together, something biological actually happens. Trust increases, connection increases, generosity increases. Researchers talk about oxytocin, the trust hormone. Now, this is released when people share experiences, break bread together, laugh together, and yes, give together. But generosity is not solitary, generosity is social. And that means when we design fundraising events, we're not just designing a program, we're designing a shared emotional experience. And and another powerful idea that came up was this question: What if you held an event and didn't raise any money? Now that sounds like hearsay in fundraising circles, but think about it. What could still happen? You could grow your community, you could deepen relationships, you could create new advocates, you could build trust, you could connect with donors, with board members, with mission leaders in the same room. Because events aren't just about the dollars that are raised that night, they're about what becomes possible when the right people gather together. And here's an interesting reality check from the data. Now, there's 1.9 million nonprofits in the United States. That's definitely grown, but only about 900,000 are actively operating. Donor retention right now is about 41%. And here's another surprising statistic: only about 15% of giving happens online. Most major gifts are still happening in person at meetings, at events, at gatherings where humans, beings can look each other in the eye. So if you're wondering whether events still matter, they absolutely do, but they need to be intentional. Now, one of my favorite frameworks from the conference was called the progression of generosity. And it looks like this story creates resonance, invitation activates alignment, giving in axe alignment, and acknowledgement creates connection. In other words, fundraising is not convincing people to give, fundraising is proclaiming what we believe in so that clearly that people want to participate in that mission with us. It's an invitation into mattering. And this ties into something that researchers and philanthropy are starting to understand more deeply. Why people give is actually less important than uh the who they become when they give. Because people uh align with their identity, they see themselves as a helper, as a protector, as a builder, as an advocate. And when someone raises their paddle or they make a gift, they're not just giving money, they're confirming something about who they are. That leads to another powerful insight. The event itself is not the finish line, it's the starting line. Your event is not the final moment of generosity, it's the beginning of a journey that uh of your donor, and which means that the real work actually starts long before the event happens, before the first glass of wine is poured, before the invitation goes out, and before the room is filled with people. The planning begins with intention. And honestly, that's one of the reasons that Beth Sandifer and I launched were able to launch gala toolbox.com at elevate because so many nonprofit leaders told us that they wanted better tools and templates and strategies to help them design events that actually build relationships and raise more money. Not just events that happen, but events that work. And one framework that shared is called the event arc. And now think about uh your event like story uh with chapters. Chapter one's the welcome, helping people understand how to participate. Chapter two is the mission, show them the work, share the stories, let them see the impact. Chapter three is fundraising. This is where the live auction and the paddle raise come in. Chapter four is celebration, honorees, entertainment, recognition. And chapter five is gratitude, thanking the board, the sponsors, the volunteers, and the guests. Every great event follows this narrative art because events are not spreadsheets, events are emotional environments. And this brings us to something fascinating about the neuroscience of generosity. When people feel emotions together, something incredible happens. Their brain waves start to synchronize, their heart rates start to synchronize. Researchers call researchers call this neurocoupling. Shared emotion creates shared identity, and shared identity creates cooperation, which means the most powerful moment in any fundraising event is the moment when the room feels something together. That's the moment when generosity becomes contagious. That's what I call the golden goosebumpt moment. And here's something people don't decide whether their gift is affordable, they decide what is normal. Human beings are social creatures, and nobody wants to be the first paddle in the air. But once someone moves, something changes. Momentum begins. The first follower creates a movement, then the second, and then the third. And suddenly generosity becomes the norm in the room. But matching gifts also play a big role in this as well. And studies have shown that matching gifts can increase donor participation by more than 50%. And here's an interesting nuance: most donors actually prefer matches that are already committed. They want to know that the momentum is already started because generosity is contagious, energy is contagious, and kindness is contagious. And when people are seeing generosity happen around them, it invites them into the experience. Now, another idea that stuck with me is that we should stop treating generosity like it's an imposition. You don't have to convince people to be generous. Human beings are naturally generous, and what we need to do give them is a reason to be generous with us, a reason rooted in purpose, in impact, in belonging. One of the most important reminders from the conference was this we often measure events by three things attendance, revenue, and applause. But maybe the better question is this the morning after the event. Will donors remember the program? Will we remember who uh they became in that room? Because when someone raises their paddle, volunteers, advocates, or supporters of a mission, something deeper happens. They become a part of the story. And that in many ways is the real work of fundraising. Now, helping hope feel real, helping people see that their generosity matters, and helping people feel connected to something bigger than themselves. And when we do that well, something beautiful happens. Events stop being transactions and they start becoming movements. So if you're planning an event this year, here's the question I'd like to invite you to ask not just how much money can we raise, but what kind of community can we build? Because when people gather together around a shared purpose, incredible things become possible. And that's where generosity begins. I want to thank you all so much for joining me here on the auction is action with you in it podcast. And if you found this helpful, please share this with someone who plans fundraising events or works in the nonprofit world. Now, if you're looking for tools to help you design a better event experience, make sure you check out gala toolbox.com. You can also find us at calltoauction.com. Until next time, remember auction is action with you in it. And the most powerful action is generosity. So, friends, thank you for all the impact that you were making in the world. Again, my name is Bobby D, your host, the auction is action with you in it podcast. And we will see you next episode.