In this episode of Auction Is Action with U in It!, Bobby D. Ehlert takes on a question that makes gala committees uncomfortable: what if you stopped doing it the way you have always done it?
If you have ever sat through a fundraising event wondering when the fundraising was going to start, this episode is for you. If you have spent months coordinating volunteers, chasing auction donations, and filling tables only to watch guests check out halfway through the program, this episode is for you too.
The anti-gala is not about canceling the gala. It is about questioning every element of it and deciding what actually serves your mission and your guests.
What Is the Anti-Gala?
The anti-gala is a design approach. You question the traditions you have inherited and decide which ones earn their place. You set aside “this is the way we have always done it” and ask what this event actually needs to accomplish.
You can still dress it up. You can still have sponsors, an auction, and a paddle raise. But every element has to earn its place in the program.
The simple structure looks like this: connect, celebrate, and continue. Bring people together for a focused program. Give guests time to arrive, explore, and connect. Then bring their attention together for 20 to 30 minutes of purposeful programming: a welcome, a powerful story, a clear giving opportunity, and a celebration of their generosity. After that, give them time to enjoy the community they helped create. The entire experience might run two to two and a half hours. The point is to respect their attention and use it well.
The FAB Framework
Before guests ever arrive, your marketing needs to set the right expectations. Bobby uses a simple framework called FAB:
F: Fundraising. Make it clear this is a fundraiser. Do not let guests be surprised by an ask.
A: Activities. Tell guests what they will experience and what to expect during the event.
B: Benefits. Explain who and what their generosity supports. Help people arrive ready to participate.
When your invitation communicates all three, guests arrive informed, emotionally prepared, and open to giving.
The Five-Step Anti-Gala Blueprint
Step 1: Clarify Your Why
“We’ve always had a gala” tells you about the calendar. It does not tell you what the gathering is meant to accomplish.
Start here: why are you having this event? Are you funding a specific program? Introducing new people to your mission? Deepening existing relationships? Celebrating a milestone? Name those goals and prioritize them. When you know what success looks like, you can make better decisions about every other element: the venue, the guest list, the program, and the ask.
Step 2: Reimagine the Format
Imagine you have never attended a gala. No template. No expectation of a ballroom, a plate of dinner, or a long program. What would you create for your mission?
An arts organization might invite guests into a maker space to create something. A school might transform its campus into an experience that shows donors what students are actually learning. You could build around food stations, a tasting, a brunch, or a luncheon. The format should fit the people and the purpose. And whatever format you choose, use the FAB framework to communicate it clearly before guests arrive.
Step 3: Design Engagement
Your mission should be present from the moment someone walks in. What can guests see, try, touch, or discover? Could they meet a program leader? Explore a mission table? Contribute to a shared piece of art? Those experiences create connection before anyone steps on stage.
Your board members have an important role here. Give them jobs as hosts: welcome guests, introduce people, meet someone new. One of Bobby’s favorite prompts for board members is to ask people they do not know: how are you connected to this cause? That question opens a conversation and helps people share their own reasons for being there.
When the program begins, tell a focused story. Help guests understand the problem, the response, the impact, and their opportunity to help. This is the golden goosebump moment: when someone starts thinking, “What can I do?” Protect it. Rehearse it. Give speakers clear roles and time limits so the story leads effectively into the ask.
Step 4: Optimize the Fundraising
This is where a professional event fundraiser becomes essential to the plan. Someone needs to own the fundraising strategy and guide its execution. Being funny, comfortable on stage, or able to talk fast does not establish that expertise.
A professional should help you answer these questions weeks and months before event night:
What giving levels fit this audience?
Who can make a leadership commitment before the event?
Is there a matching opportunity?
Which auction items deserve time in the program?
How do we move from the story into the ask?
How do we accurately capture every gift?
During the event, that professional needs to listen, read the room, give people time to respond, recognize generosity without embarrassing anyone, adjust the pace, and keep the mission at the center throughout.
For nonprofit leaders hiring a fundraising partner: ask how they prepare, how they work with your storytellers, what they help you plan, and how they handle a room that responds differently than expected. Look for someone who can explain their contribution before, during, and after the event.
Step 5: Measure Impact and Continue the Relationship
Count the dollars and understand your net results. But also ask: who connected with us for the first time? What did guests learn? Who wants to visit, volunteer, or have another conversation?
Plan your gratitude before event day. Give board members manageable lists of people to thank. Personal calls within 24 to 48 hours. One hundred donors divided among ten board members is ten calls each. Tell donors what the room accomplished together and help people see how they can stay involved.
Your fundraising professional should also help you review the results, identify what worked, and improve the next experience. The event starts the next conversation.
Two Case Studies
Medical Bridges, New York City
Approximately 100 guests gathered in a New York City law office. Personal invitations brought the right audience together. The mission was clear: getting medical supplies to communities in developing countries. The goal was $25,000 to fund a shipping container of supplies. The event included connection time, mission engagement, and a 22-minute program. That gathering raised more than $50,000: double the goal.
Walter Hive, Scottsdale, Arizona
Guests arrived into the organization’s own maker space and experienced hands-on art, music, activities, and creativity. The mission surrounded them from the moment they walked in. Preparation included a $25,000 match and a $10,000 pre-secured gift. The program ran approximately 25 minutes. The event raised over $100,000. Then the DJ dropped the beat, the drinks flowed, and everyone celebrated.
Different spaces. Different experiences. In both cases, the mission shaped the evening and preparation supported the giving moment.
Key Takeaways
There Is a Real Cost to an Event That Loses Its Purpose
Not just a financial cost. Staff hours, volunteer energy, and donor relationships that never receive the attention they deserve. Ask yourself: what will your guest tell someone about this event tomorrow? Design the event around the answer you want.The Cringey Auctioneer Is a Real Problem
Uncomfortable jokes, calling out guests who have not given, turning a family’s powerful story into a punchline: these are not just awkward moments. They are donor experience failures. Humor has a place. Energy has a place. A great bid call absolutely has a place. But the professional has to understand the room, respect the people in it, and know what the moment requires. Guests should feel welcomed into generosity, not pressured or embarrassed.An Event Can Create Results Beyond the Gifts Recorded That Night
Bobby shares the story of a guest who never raised a paddle at an event but afterward researched the organization and later committed $250,000 to expand a program. The relationship mattered. The event was the beginning.Every Element Has to Earn Its Place
Not because tradition is wrong, but because your guests’ time and attention are finite and valuable. If a moment in your program does not connect people to the mission, build generosity, or deepen the relationship, it deserves a second look.
FULL TRANSCRIPT
Bobby D.:
Well, hello there everyone. Welcome back to the Auction Is Action with You in It podcast. I am Bobby D, world champion auctioneer, founder of Call to Auction, and billion-dollar fundraiser. And today we are going to be talking about something that might make a few gala committees uncomfortable: the anti-gala.
If you have ever sat through a fundraising event and thought, “Are we ever going to get to the fundraising?” this episode is for you. If you spent months filling tables, chasing auction donations, and coordinating volunteers only to watch guests lose interest halfway through the program, this episode is for you too. And to my fellow auctioneers: this is an opportunity to think about the value we bring long before we pick up the microphone.
Let’s start with a question. What drives you nuts about galas? Too many speeches. The same schedule every year. A mission story buried between dinner service and dessert. And yes, let’s talk about the cringey auctioneer. The uncomfortable jokes. Calling out guests who have not given. The endless, “Come on folks, you can do better than that.” Or someone who turns a family’s powerful story into a setup for their next punchline. That can get uncomfortable pretty quickly.
Humor has a place, energy has a place, and a great bid call absolutely has a place. But you have to understand the room, respect the people in it, and know what the moment requires. Guests should feel welcomed into generosity. They should feel good about participating and respected at whatever level they choose. That experience deserves as much planning as the food, the flowers, and the venue.
There is a cost to an event that loses its purpose. A financial cost. Staff hours and volunteer energy. And relationships that never really receive the attention they deserve. Here is a question I encourage organizations to ask: what will your guest tell someone about your event tomorrow? Will they remember a story that moved them? A person they met? What their generosity made possible? Those are the memories to design your event around.
So what is an anti-gala? It is a design approach. You question the traditions you have inherited and decide which ones serve your mission and your guests. We throw away “this is the way we have always done it” and move in a new direction. You can still dress it up. You can still have sponsors. You can absolutely have an auction and a paddle raise. But every element has to earn its place.
A simple structure: connect, celebrate, continue. Bring people together for a focused program. Give guests time to arrive and explore, connect, and meet people. Then bring their attention together for 20 to 30 minutes of purposeful programming: a welcome, a powerful story, a clear giving opportunity, and a celebration of their generosity. And then afterwards, give them time to enjoy the community they helped create. The entire experience might run two to two and a half hours. The timing depends on your audience. The point is to respect their attention and use it well.
I organized this around five steps.
Step one: clarify your why. Why are you having this event? “We have always had a gala” tells us about the calendar. What about the gathering? What do you want it to accomplish? Are you funding a specific program? Introducing new people to your mission? Deepening relationships? Celebrating a milestone? Name those goals. Prioritize them. When you know what success looks like, you can make better decisions about the venue, the guest list, the program, and the ask.
Step two: reimagine the format. Imagine you have never attended a gala. No template. No expectation of a ballroom, a plate of dinner, or a long program. What would you create for your mission? An arts organization might invite guests into a maker space to create something. A school might transform its campus into an experience that shows donors what students are learning. You could build around food stations, a tasting, a brunch, a luncheon. The format should fit the people and the purpose. Communicate that experience before guests arrive. I use a simple framework we call FAB: fundraising, activities, and benefits. Make it clear this is a fundraiser. Tell guests what they will experience. Explain who and what their generosity supports. Help people arrive ready to participate.
Step three: design engagement. Your mission should be present from the moment someone walks in. What guests can see, try, touch, or discover. Could they meet a program leader? Explore a mission table? Contribute to a shared piece of art? Those experiences create connection before anyone steps on stage.
Your board members have an important role here too. Give them jobs as hosts: welcome guests, introduce people, meet someone new. One of my favorite questions for board members to ask people they do not know is: how are you connected to this cause? That opens a conversation and helps people share their own reasons for being there.
When the program begins, tell a focused story. Help guests understand the problem, the response, the impact, and their opportunity to help. This is the golden goosebump moment: when someone starts thinking, “What can I do?” That is the moment to invite action. Protect it. Rehearse it. Give speakers clear roles and time limits so the story leads effectively into the ask.
Step four: optimize the fundraising. This is where a professional event fundraiser becomes essential to the plan. Someone needs to own the fundraising strategy and guide its execution. Being funny, comfortable on stage, or able to talk fast does not establish that expertise. A professional should help you prepare weeks and months ahead of time. What giving levels will fit this audience? Who can make a leadership commitment before event night? Is there a matching opportunity? Which auction items deserve time in the program? How do we move from the story into the ask? And how do we accurately capture the gifts people make? Those decisions shape what happens when the microphone turns on.
During the event, that professional also needs to listen, read the room, give people time to respond, recognize generosity without embarrassing anyone, adjust the pace while keeping the mission at the center.
For my fellow auctioneers: your chant is a skill. Develop it, be proud of it, and then build the fundraising knowledge, preparation, and judgment that allow you to serve the organization well. For nonprofit leaders: ask prospective fundraising partners about their process. How do they prepare? How do they work with your storytellers? What do they help you plan? How do they handle a room that responds differently than expected? Look for someone who can explain their contribution before, during, and after the event.
Then build a path: story, ask, celebration. Plan those giving levels, leadership gifts, and any matches. Welcome participation across giving capacities. If you do include a live auction, select compelling experiences that earn the room’s attention. Two, maybe three items. And remember that an event can create results far beyond the gifts recorded that night.
I have shared a story of a guest who never raised a paddle at an event. Afterward, that guest researched the organization and later committed $250,000 to expand a program in Chicago. The relationship continued and it mattered.
Let me give you two examples of this approach.
Medical Bridges. Approximately 100 people gathered in a New York City law office. Personal invitations helped bring the right audience together. The mission was clear: getting medical supplies to communities that needed them. The goal we discussed was $25,000 to support a shipping container of medical supplies to developing countries. There was connection time, mission engagement, and a 22-minute program. That gathering raised more than $50,000: double their goal.
Then there was the Walter Hive in Scottsdale, Arizona. Guests came into the organization’s maker space and experienced hands-on art, activities, music, and creativity. They could feel the mission around them. Preparation included a $25,000 match and a $10,000 pre-secured gift. The program ran approximately 25 minutes and the event raised over $100,000. And then we celebrated. The DJ dropped the beat, the drinks were flowing, everybody had a great time.
Different spaces. Different experiences. In both cases, the mission shaped the evening and preparation supported the giving moment.
Step five: measure impact and continue the relationship. Count the dollars. Understand your net results. And also ask: who connected with us for the first time? What did guests learn? Who wants to visit, volunteer, or have another conversation?
Plan your gratitude before event day. Give board members manageable lists of people to thank. Personal calls within 24 to 48 hours. One hundred donors divided among ten board members is ten calls each. Share what the room accomplished together and help people see how they can stay involved. Your fundraising professional should also help you review the results, identify what worked, and improve the next experience. The event starts the next conversation.
Here is my challenge: think about your next event. What is one tradition you would delete? What is one experience you would add? And who is helping you build the fundraising strategy that connects it all? You can begin with a shorter program, stronger board hosting, or a mission experience that welcomes guests as they arrive. Choose one change that serves your purpose and build from there.
To explore these ideas further, join me on an upcoming webinar: the Anti-Gala, Rethink the Event Guests Expected. This is happening on November 10th, 2026 at 12:00 p.m. We will walk through the five-step blueprint to bring your mission to life, engage your guests, and build a purposeful fundraising experience with professional guidance that starts long before anyone picks up the microphone. If you missed this webinar, please reach out and I will send you the recording and the slides. The link is in the description below.
Whether you are a nonprofit leader, a board member, an event planner, or a fundraising auctioneer: bring your mission, bring your questions, bring that part of the event you have been wanting to rethink.
Thank you all so much for being part of this event movement. By creating better events you are creating more impact in the world, rippling out to affect so many lives. Thank you for the work you are doing. My name is Bobby D. Thank you to our sponsor Call to Auction. This is the Auction Is Action with You in It podcast. Envision it, build it, execute it, celebrate it. Let’s make generosity happen. Thank you for listening and watching. We will see you on the next episode.
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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.