Australia WHO
St Margaret’s School for Girls, an existing Givergy client, is an independent girls’ day school in Aberdeen. St Margaret’s has around 370 pupils ranging in age from 3 to 18. The school is large enough to offer flexibility and choice in terms of the curriculum and extra-curricular activities, but small enough to ensure that each girl is well known within a friendly and family atmosphere. They provide all our pupils with a fully rounded academic education, essential for entry to higher education, and to industry, business, and the professions.
St Margaret’s offers means-tested bursaries each academic year, which are the focus for fundraising activities.
PRIOR FUNDRAISING CHALLENGES
As a comparatively small school St Margaret’s does not have the large alumni community which other schools benefit from, nor historical endowment funds which support bursary provision.
THE EVENT:
The Spring Ball Online Auction 2023 was the second time St Margaret’s School used Givergy for an Online Auction. Having collated a portfolio of prizes from the school community, local businesses and friends of the school, the school used the Givergy platform to hold an online auction and prize draw.
The online auction and prize draw ran for two weeks before closing on the night of the Spring Ball. Over the course of the evening, guests were reminded to bid online before the online event closed at 10pm.
Rachel Paterson-Davies, Head of Development, commented that ‘the system for silent auction items is very simple to use and straightforward to configure. It’s also easy to add branding and it’s user-friendly for everyone’. As this event was exclusively run online, the mobile site was used heavily during the Spring Ball.
The school community was very supportive of the event which raised a total of £9,247.
THE DONOR EXPERIENCE
St Margaret’s was thrilled with the positive guest feedback that had been received. By choosing items specific to the local area and professionally showcasing them, the team felt they maximised interest well.
TOP TIP
- Promote the event well in advance to generate interest and build anticipation.
- Make the most of the Givergy fundraising site, as the organisation found that adding graphics to the page added excitement around the range of auction items available.
- Use as many communication channels as possible to promote your online auction.
- Keep the communications going post-event. Share your success with your community.
“The support from Givergy was excellent from start to finish. The system is easy to use and the online resources are brilliant. The system would also work for organisations of all sizes. A faultless experience, thank you.”.
