Free Isn't Free: The Hidden Cost of Bargain Auctioneers

In this episode of Auction Is Action, Bobby D. tackles one of the most common—and costly—mistakes nonprofits make when planning a fundraising gala: hiring the "free" auctioneer.

At first glance, saving a few thousand dollars on an auctioneer fee sounds like a smart financial decision. But what if that decision costs your organization tens of thousands—or even hundreds of thousands—in missed fundraising revenue?

Bobby breaks down the true role of a professional fundraising auctioneer, why fundraising events are unlike any other speaking engagement, and how the right auctioneer can dramatically increase donor participation, paddle raise revenue, live auction performance, and overall event energy. You'll learn why an auctioneer isn't an expense on your budget—it's one of the most important investments in your event's success.

Whether you're a development director, executive director, board member, or gala committee volunteer, this episode will help you understand the hidden cost of bargain auctioneers and why free isn't always the best value.

Because when it comes to fundraising, the cheapest option can end up being the most expensive.

This episode is perfect for nonprofit leaders looking to maximize revenue, elevate the guest experience, and unlock the full fundraising potential of their gala.

Recommended For

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

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Alright, here what do we think about it? You are listening to the Auction is Action with UNIT podcast, presented by Call to Auction, where our favorite form of word is S O L D. Don't don't. Well, hey there everyone. Bobby D here, your Auction is Action with UN It podcast host, Billion Dollar Fundraiser, been doing this for 25 years, auctioneerschool.com coach. And today we're going to be talking about the free guy. That's right, the free guy. And I am just getting ready to go to a uh big gala right over here at Cipriani's uh Wall Street. And we are in store for a beautiful, beautiful day. Uh it's a beautiful day here in New York City, and just put the bow tie on here and uh getting ready to uh do some fundraising. So our free guy, now we're just gonna riff a little bit and talk about why the free guy is costing you so much money. Yes, you can't believe it, free, free costs money. But the truth is that free truly does cost you money. And in the case of tonight, this is a big organization, and they got a lot riding on the line. They're gonna try to raise $250,000, $300,000. And they don't want to trust this event in the hands of the free guy, and the free guy is someone that is scary, the free guy is someone that is out of control, the free guy is someone that has zero stake in the game, and I don't want you to ever, ever experience that in your life. But the sad thing is that there are many of you out there that have experienced the free guy. Now, the free guy is someone that is donating their auctioneer or MC services, and that's someone that doesn't really value their time or value their profession or value their opportunity that they have to help you raise as much money as possible. Now, there are exceptions to this rule. There's many exceptions to this, and there are times where you do have a well meaning board member, you do have a well uh trained uh auctioneer. There are a couple events of the year that I do uh do for free. Don't tell anybody, but I'm very picky about that, and I do donate my services to them. But there are more uh organizations that are out there that are utilizing this free guy, and I would say 98 to 99% of them uh are unsure of the opportunity that it's really costing them. Now, uh you do have that well-meaning board member, you do have the uh sports analysis uh or analyst uh from the news, uh, the weatherman, uh the news anchor, uh the celebrity, uh the really gregarious, funny uncle that's out there. And it's sad to hear that this happens. I really, really am disappointed when they hear this happens because they're leaving that much money on the table. And when they're leaving that much money on the table, that is impact that you are not delivering to those that you serve. And it's really heartbreaking to hear when this happens because there's so many times I had a couple conversations this past week that were talking to clients, potential clients, that were saying, Bobby, I can't believe how bad that it was. I can't believe that this really could have happened. And I really sad that it did happen. And our guests they didn't have a great time. Our guests felt pressured, our guests felt uh annoyed, uh, our guests were not in a comfortable place, and this happens all the time with the free guy, and it's such a bummer to hear this, and it's it's it's so unfortunate that it drives a organization or development director or event planners or even a CEO and a founder to reach out to us because that has happened to them. Now, if you are one of those that are out there that have experienced the free guy or girl uh that uh really hurt your events, they've turned off your entire room and by what I call the record scratch. Now, this record scratch is where they say an off-color joke, uh, they say something that uh goes against the mission, they start to get political or they get something like that. And it's really heartbreaking to hear that that this is a reality in the nonprofit sector. Now, in this nonprofit world, there are uh many, many, many auctioneers that are out there that you can hire of all varying degrees of fee structures and fees. I mean, heck, even our auction team uh has a zero fee option, and we can help you figure this out. We're not gonna let a few thousand dollars stand between you and success. And the free guy just continues to hurt the reputation of auctioneers. Like, I go to many, many different uh fundraising uh conferences, AFP, association development officers, uh, many different ones that are out there, and I hear it all the time. They're like, oh my gosh, I was at this gala, or we hosted this gala, and the auctioneer was horrible. I'm like, oh no, that doesn't have to be like that. It can be good, it can be great, it can be amazing, it can be inspiring, it can be so many things. And to hear that, it just again breaks my heart to know that that exists. So now we're creating a resource, and I'm really, really excited about it. It's gonna be in the link below about how to stop hiring your free guy and hire a professional, and we're providing eight, maybe ten different ways that you can underwrite the services of a professional auctioneer so that you can guarantee your success in your fundraising event, your galley, your golf tournament, whatever it might be. But it's so, so vital for you to be able to hire someone that knows what they're doing. They are a fundraising specialist, they're a benefit auction specialist, they are someone that has spent time and energy and and dedication to the craft of fundraising. And when I hear that these opportunities were missed, again, it just breaks my heart. And I'm I'm very, very, very, very sad about that to hear that. Uh so uh please download the free guide of how to not hire the free guy and hire a fundraising professional to be able to help your organization raise more money than ever before. But yes, the free guy is hurting your your fundraising and is hurting your reputation and is hurting the opportunities that you have to fundraise beyond the event. Future fundraising opportunities go right out the door because you had someone that thought they could do this, or they saw a YouTube video online, and they're like, Oh yeah, I could do that. That Bobby D guy, he's got good hair, and he tells funny jokes and and he talks really fast, and I could totally do that. And you know what? There are places for the free guy and the free guy, you I'm talking to you, free guy, right now. You need to do better. And if you don't know what you're doing, put the microphone down and get off the stage. You are hurting your the organization that you love the most, and you are hurting the dollars that are raising. Now, if you are one of these free guys, you want to be a paid guy, or you even want to be a professional, here's an opportunity for you. Go to auctioneerschool.com, auctioneer s k-o-l.com, and you can learn everything about being a fundraising auctioneer. And I'm going to teach you that. And it's easy and it's free. Auctioneerschool.com. Go over there and at least get a little bit of education so that you know much more than what you think you know, because you don't know what you don't know. And when you go out and do a fundraising event as the auctioneer, as the MC, as the paddle raiser, you're just doing a disservice to so many that are out there. So organizations that are using the free guy, stop it. It's 2026. It's time to move into the future and to be able to move into actually good fundraising. And you can do this. And for the free guy, again, stop. You're hurting, you're hurting it. Like you can help, but not that way. That's not helping. That's hurting. So I want to uh say thank you to everybody that's out there uh here in beautiful uh New York City. I'm excited to be able to go to this fundraising event that's gonna be happening right here at Chipprianis in just a little bit. And thank you again for all the impact that you are doing in the world. Thank you for spending some moments with me here today and learning on how to be uh a better or create better. So don't forget to click the link below and get that free resource so that you can hire a friend raising auctioneer without putting any extra money out there. We're just gonna help you bring in more. So thanks again, Bobby D, Auctions Action with you in the podcast. We'll see you next time. I am 25 at the bow, 35 of the bit, 45, 50 by, 50 by 75 of the bit, 80 vibe of the bit, and I so