The original intent of having a greeter at Wal-Mart was to make the customers feel welcome.   Wal-Mart has done this for years and it has proved to be successful.    Sometimes, when I enter a Wal-Mart I use this person to help me find things quickly so that I don’t get lost inside the store or if I am in a hurry, I can find the item quickly.    At a fundraising gala, most organizations do a great job of directing attendees on where the check-in table is located, but they sometimes stop there.  My suggestion is that as soon as your guests have checked in and received their catalog and bid number, have an outgoing volunteer or staff member greet them and point out where things are and “break the ice” a little.  This volunteer / staff member might point out who is selling raffle tickets, or point out where the bar(s) are located, or where the silent auction items begin, etc.    I find myself doing this at events and it’s amazing the positive responses I get.

If you have a unique item or experience, such as “An Afternoon of Fishing with Captain Bob” or “An Elegant Dinner Cooked in Your Home” have the donor come up and “briefly” describe the item.  I want to stress “briefly” as it can work well with the donor’s description and their tantalizing details.  On the other hand, I once had a situation where a gentleman was going to play his piano for you, in essence you were getting a private concert for an hour or so.  I was told to ask the donor to come up and give a short demonstration of his piano skills during the live auction …and……well…20 – 30  minutes  later he was done.   In this situation, he was too long…way too long and it hurt the event as it seemed to drag on forever.   My point is to stress “brief” and it can work well in your favor!

Donors standing beside Ernie Rogers after they described their donated dinner.

Here is an old video I found on the web.  This was the Virginia State Championship contest in August of 2004 in Richmond.

Virginia State Championship Contest in August of 2004