Podcast – Episode 29: Paddle Raise Only Events: Simpler Format, Bigger Impact
In this episode of Auction Is Action with U in It!, Bobby D. Ehlert records live from Chelsea Piers, Pier 59 in New York City, just before leading a paddle raise only fundraising event for a children's hospital in India.
No live auction. No silent auction. No raffles. Just a paddle raise. And as Bobby breaks down, sometimes that's exactly what the event calls for.
Key Takeaways
The Paddle Raise Is the Most Inclusive Fundraising Tool in the Room
Auctions are exclusive. The paddle raise invites everyone to participate at whatever level is meaningful to them. If you're not doing a paddle raise at your event, you are leaving tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars on the table.Some Audiences Don't Need Auction Items. They Need a Reason to Give.
When donors have the capacity to buy whatever they want, the live auction loses its pull. A paddle raise focused entirely on mission and impact is often a better fit for high-capacity donor audiences.Pre-Secured Gifts Kill the Crickets
Having gifts committed at the top giving levels before the paddle raise begins breaks the ice, builds momentum, and gives the room permission to follow. Tonight's event opened with a $25,000, $10,000, and $5,000 pre-secured gift already in place.Matching Gifts Multiply the Ask
A 2:1 match means every dollar raised becomes three. A $1,000 gift becomes $3,000. A $10,000 gift becomes $30,000. Matching gifts give donors a clear reason to give now and at the highest level they can.Impact Messaging Should Run Through the Entire Event
From the connection hour through the program, donors should be surrounded by messaging that centers them as the heroes of the mission. Not what the organization does, but what becomes possible because of the donor's generosity.A Short, Tight Program Gets You to the Ask Faster
Welcome, sponsor recognition, mission video, paddle raise. That's it. The less friction between arrival and the ask, the better. Dinner and celebration come after the fundraising, not before.Storytelling Sets Up the Paddle Raise
A well-produced video that shows the mission, the people served, and the specific impact of tonight's goal gives donors an emotional reason to act. The story does the heavy lifting before the paddle ever goes up.The Paddle Raise Only Format Is Low Stress for Everyone
No auction item procurement, no raffle ticket sales, no complex logistics. The paddle raise only event is one of the cleanest, most focused fundraising formats available, and when done right, it performs.
FULL TRANSCRIPT
Bobby D.: I am your host of the Auction Is Action with You in It podcast and today I'm coming to you live from Chelsea Piers, Pier 59 here in New York City. It is a beautiful spring evening and we are getting ready to do a paddle raise only event.
Paddle only. You're asking Bobby, how can you do a paddle raise only event? You don't have an auction, you don't have a silent auction, you don't have raffles, you don't have anything. No, we don't. Tonight, the sole fundraising tool is our paddle raise only. And this is a very important fundraising tool. If you're not doing a paddle raise at your event, you are totally missing out on tens, hundreds of thousands of dollars. You need to be doing a paddle raise, number one. But there are many events out there where all of the other stuff doesn't really fit.
Tonight we're raising money for a children's hospital in India. And a lot of our donors in the room don't really need anything. They have enough money. They can buy whatever they want. But what we're here to do is help fund this children's hospital. And what's really special about tonight is they have a 2:1 match for every dollar raised. So if you give a dollar, there are two more dollars matched. That's actually $3. Pretty good ROI for this fundraising event.
So here's how a paddle raise only event works. Inside, they're doing heavy hospitality during the connection hour: drinks, mingling, setting the tone. What I love most about this is that they have impact messaging all the way through the space. A huge wall talking about the different departments at the hospital. Another wall with donor-centric messaging: with your support, with your generosity, with your help, we're able to make this happen. We couldn't do this without you. And that's so important. Your donors are the ones doing the heavy lifting when it comes to fundraising. You've got to put that out there.
In this connection hour, board members are connecting with guests, meeting, greeting, sharing information about the mission, sharing their why. And that's really setting us up for fundraising success later. Connecting people to people, then connecting people to the mission, then connecting people to the impact they'll be creating. So important.
We also have a very short program tonight. Welcome. Thank you to sponsors. Then we get right into the fundraising. We show a video, talk about the impact, and then we get right into the paddle raise.
Now there are a few very specific things you have to have in place to set yourself up for success in this paddle raise. The most important thing: pre-secured gifts. Tonight we have a $25,000 pre-secured gift, a $10,000 pre-secured gift, and a $5,000 pre-secured gift. That is going to kill the crickets, break the ice, and get people excited about raising their paddles. What we're hoping happens is that those pre-secured gifts inspire organic giving. People seeing others give and thinking, if they're giving, I'm going to give.
And then there's the match. A 2:1 match means every donation is essentially tripled. You give $100, it's like giving $300. You give $1,000, it's like giving $3,000. You give $10,000, it's like giving $30,000. And tonight we're raising money specifically to help purchase a fluoroscopy machine, a type of imaging technology that helps surgeons and medical teams in this children's hospital perform procedures as successfully as possible.
So we're going to start at $25,000. Then $10,000. Then $5,000, $2,500, $1,000, $500, and $250. Our goal tonight is participation. We want everyone to be able to give at whatever level is meaningful for them. That's what makes the paddle raise such a powerful and inclusive fundraising tool.
Once we get through the paddle raise, we announce how much we raised, say thank you, and that's it. Then everyone moves into dinner, dessert, and celebrating the generosity together. Super simple.
And this paddle raise only format is super easy to execute. Very low stress. You don't have to go out and get auction items or sell raffle tickets. What you do have to do is nail the storytelling. Tonight that's handled through a video produced specifically for this event, talking about the children's hospital, the impact that's possible, and why tonight matters.
So here's the formula for a successful paddle raise only event. A great connection hour that connects people to the cause. Pre-secured gifts to break the ice. A matching gift to create urgency and multiply impact. Storytelling woven all the way through. Clearly communicating that this is a fundraiser. And then someone who is a pro at leading the actual fundraising moment, making sure it feels good, looks good, is smooth, encouraging, inspiring, and motivating.
Thank you everyone so much for joining me on this live edition from Chelsea Piers here in beautiful New York City. For those watching, look at this view. And for those listening, just know it's a beautiful day. Thank you for all of the great impact you are making in the world. We couldn't do this without you. You are all changing the world and I want to say thank you for having me be a part of your mission and the impact you're creating.
Remember: auction is action with you in it. And sometimes you don't even need the auction. Paddle raise only. Let's do it. You can do it. Find out more at inspirehearts.com or check me out on all the socials. Thank you everyone. Have a great one. We'll see you. Bye.
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At Call to Auction, we specialize in turning galas and fundraising events into mission-driven, revenue-generating experiences. From paddle raises to live auctions, our team knows how to excite donors, engage audiences, and inspire generosity in the moment.