Please Arrive 15 Minutes Before Your Shift Begins

A Night of Hope 2017

December 2nd

Event Volunteer Positions

*Volunteers may leave their purses at the center during the auction. They will be locked up and safe. Please drop them off between 10am-12pm on that day, and you can pick them up between 9:30pm-10pm that evening. Between 12pm and 9:30pm there will likely not be anyone at the center, so you will not have access to it during that time. You are welcome to bring your purse to the hotel, but there will likely not be a secure, locked place there to store it.*

**NOTE** Setup times may be shifted earlier.

Please arrive 15 minutes before your shift begins.

VOLUNTEER CHECK-IN TABLE: 2 Volunteers (1:45pm-9:30pm)

Volunteers will come to this table to sign in and get direction for where they are supposed to be. They can also come here throughout the evening to ask questions about the schedule, what their duties are, etc. We will be training the volunteers who run this table ahead of time so they can feel more comfortable with informing other volunteers.

MERCHANDISE, VOLUNTEER RECRUITING, AND INFO TABLE: 1 Volunteer Managing Merchandise, 1 Managing Volunteer Recruiting and Info Table, and 1 Floating (4:30-6:15 and 8:30-9:30)

Merchandise: Selling items to people who are interested in buying something, and keeping an eye on money & items. If you need to leave, take the container with the money to a volunteer or staff who is working at registration.

Volunteer recruiting & info: Be ready to share experiences about volunteering and to encourage people to get involved in volunteering, and to share info you know about the center and sex trafficking.

Floater: Be ready to jump into merchandise, volunteer recruiting, and giving info when you see the need.

SET-UP CREW: 15 Volunteers for Silent Auction, 7 for Live Auction (2:00-4:00pm)

Decorations & Centerpieces, Silent Auction Items, Live Auction Items, Dessert Auction Items, Registration Area, Banking/Check-Out Area

GREETER/FLOATER (Welcome & Goodbye): 6 Volunteers (4:30-5:30pm and 8:30-9:30pm greeting, 5:30-8:30pm floating)

Two greeters will be right inside the doors from the parking garage, 2 outside the elevator to welcome and direct people to the registration area, 2 around registration to welcome and inform attendees about where everything is located. During “floating” time, be available to jump in if a volunteer doesn’t show up or if we need extra help.

REGISTRATION WORKER: 6 Volunteers (4:15 – 9:30pm approximately)

First impressions are lasting impressions. The arrival of our guests is the moment we’ll set the tone for our entire event. Our ability to serve our guests in a timely and professional manner will start the night off on the right track. Registration volunteers should be outgoing, enthusiastic, and not show stress or extreme hurry.

Each station should be staffed by two volunteers. We will have three registration stations to accommodate our 220 expected guests. Registration should stay open from the time doors open until the beginning of the Live Auction; however the majority of our guests will check in within the first 20 – 30 minutes. Any guest should be able to check in at any station. The front table is where guests are greeted. The back table is where the bid packets are kept.

A report for registration will be created that includes guest name, bid number, and table number. This report is typically called the “Check-in Worksheet”. Off this report, Volunteer 1 (seated at the tables) will check off that they are present.

Volunteer #2 will retrieve their bidder information once Volunteer #1 tells them the guest’s name. Bidder information is inside a file folder in the crates. There will be one file folder per each guest or one per couple. They are in alphabetical order, which is also (for the most part) bidder number order. Inside the file folder will be: address verification form, bid cards, and the catalog. On the outside of their catalog, there will be a label listing bidder’s names, bid number, and table seating. This information will allow our guests to find their table and seat, and to bid in the silent auction immediately.

Volunteer 1 will verify their mailing address on the address verification form is correct, or request they fill it out completely.

Express Pay Procedures

Express Pay (also known as “Advance Pay”) is a system by which your guests pre-pay their purchases for the evening and reduce the banking lines at the end of the evening. It’s the same concept as opening a tab at a hotel and paying when you leave. If you buy nothing, you pay nothing.

As guests check-in at the event, they provide a credit card to be imprinted. These guests are considered Express Pay participants and may bypass the standard check-out at the end of the evening, going directly to “Express Pay” area to retrieve their certificates and receipt. They will then be directed to pick up any items they have in the Silent Auction room.

1.  Volunteers ask the guest: “would you like to Express Pay for your purchases this evening?” or maybe “would you like to avoid standing in line to pay at the end of the evening?” If so, familiarize the guest with Express Pay.

2.  Volunteers will take the following information from the guest:

a.  An imprint of the credit card to be billed for purchases. The volunteer writes (1) the bid # of the guest on the credit card slip in the boxes where the items purchased normally gets written on the right side of the form, (2) their 3-digit CVI code from the back of the card next to their credit card number on the top of the form, (3) the zip code of the address the credit card statement is mailed to underneath the credit card information on the left side of the form, and (4) a phone number to contact them with any questions if there are issues with processing the card in about two days. The guest will sign the slip. No total amount is written on the slip. NOTE: Volunteers advise guests that their credit card receipt will be voided and professional shredded if they do not purchase any items.

b.  Put the signed credit card slip into the plastic sleeve provided.

3.  Remind guests that their final receipt will be mailed to them within two weeks following the auction, but they will receive a preliminary receipt at the end of the night.

Here’s the quick process Registration performs for every guest:

Volunteer 1: Greets the guest and asks for their auction ticket.

Volunteer 2: Retrieves guests’ bid packets and brings to Volunteer 1.

Volunteer 1: Ask the guest if they’d like to participate in “Express Pay” and fill in their credit card information on the credit card slip, swipe their card manually, and request the guest to sign the form. Thanks the guests, tells them about the information listed on their catalog (table number and bid number) and directs them to the Silent Auction room, while also letting them know where Live Auction and Dessert Auction items are for preview.

Our auction may or may not take walk-up registrations. If a guest registration changes (someone attends in the place of someone else), a form needs to be completed for the new guest. They will need a NEW bid number assigned to them. The rest of the information comes from the information of the guest they are taking the place of (i.e. table number and then payment is already taken care of). It is important to have outgoing, enthusiastic and patient volunteers assisting with the sales recording and banking/check-out. Training done by Volunteer Coordinator

During the Auction: entering sales from bid forms

1.  Each bid form gets the catalog number, bidder number, and sales price entered into the auction software. After you’ve done your entry, put your initials at the top right of the bid sheet. Check the screen one last time before you push the last “ENTER” key.

2.  Each form gets verified for accuracy of initial data entry. From “Successful Bid Information” screen, check to ensure initial data entry was correct. Put your initials at the bottom right of the bid sheet.

Check-Out Banking Procedures

As the guests leave the auction, their last impression is of the check-out experience. We want our guests to leave with a positive experience and with all of their purchases in hand.

We will have 2 Non-Express stations, and then one troubleshooting computer station. Express Pay guests can go directly to the Silent Auction (Seattle Ballroom) to claim their items.

Non-Express Pay Guests:

1.  Collect the bid number from the guest

2.  Access their banking information in Auction Tracker and enter their payment information in Auction Tracker, preview the items and let guest know their purchases, as well as their total owing.

3.  Collect payment from the guest and staple to

a.  Use “The Cube” to take their credit card payment.

b.  Cash payments: No change is provided, request the rest as donation and note on receipt.

c.  Check payments: write the bid number of the guest in the “for/memo” line at the bottom left. Checks made out to “The Genesis Project”.

d.  Log payment type and amount in Auction Tracker

4.  Print out receipt 2 times

a.  All methods of payment are stapled one copy for GP of the receipt, fold receipt in half, and place in the plastic sleeve to ensure it is not misplaced.

b.  Give the guest the other copy of the printed receipt

5.  Let the guest know they can obtain their certificate and physical items with their receipt from the Silent Auction room (Seattle Ballroom).

6.  Thank them for attending and for supporting The Genesis Project

Express Pay Check-out (mainly FYI):

1.  An “Item Retrieval Attendant” will collect their bid number from the guest

2.  Go retrieve the bag with their bidder number on it

3.  Check off on their receipt all their certificates and items that are in the bag

4.  Place the receipt with items back in their bidder bag and…

5.  Thank them for attending and for supporting The Genesis Project

SILENT AUCTION CLOSER, ITEM ORGANIZER: Closers: 4 Volunteers,(4:30-6:00pm)

Item Organizers: 4 Volunteers (5:30-9:30pm)

Act as an “Official” to the bidding that takes place for the Silent Auction items.

1.  Throughout the Silent Auction bidding time, volunteers monitor the bids being placed on the forms. If a guest jumps their bid to further down the columns, place an “X” in the boxes that are skipped. Watch carefully for Guaranteed Bids, in which you can circle the bidder number and then remove the top two copies and take to the banking/check-out IN BOX.

2.  Volunteers are also assigned to “close” sections of each Silent Auction table, usually 15-25 items when the time runs out for bidding. Study the activity of bidders. Are some items very active? Watch these items carefully at closing time so you’ll know who got the final bid. All problems must be brought to the attention of the Volunteer Coordinator or Auction Coordinator immediately.

3.  When closing is announced, verbalize to bidders that the bidding is now closed. Starting from each end of the table, immediately and quickly go down the row and circle the final bidder number with a red pen. When checking for winning bids on the bid sheet, begin with the “Guaranteed Bid” section on the bottom right-hand corner of the sheet. After circling all the bid sheets in your area, tear off the top two copies (white and yellow) of the bid sheets. Leave the pink copy of the bid sheet on the table with the auction item. Pick up the pens.

4.  Volunteers hand off their grouping of bid sheets and pens to the one of the closers who will take them to the banking/check-out IN BOX.

5.  Silent Auction team will return, after the ALL the Silent Auction tables have closed and guests have gone to the live auction area, to write the winning bid number in bold Sharpie across the pink form, and tape the pink form to the item itself on each of the Silent Auction tables.

6.  Silent Auction team will then set up “Bidder Bags” in numerical order and compile all items by bid number to put into corresponding “Bidder Bags” for the guest to retrieve at the end of the evening. A list of non-Express Pay guests will be given to you so that you can set aside those guests who need to bring you a receipt from the banking area.

7.  We will print all Express Pay receipts and attempt to bring to the Silent Auction area in order to put in the “Bidder Bags” so when Express Pay guests arrive, go retrieve their “Bidder Bag” and present them with all their items. If they weren’t Express Pay, they won’t have a receipt in their bag and need to present the Silent Auction team with the receipt. Go over each item from bag with the guest to ensure all items are there or they’ve not received items in error.

Express Pay Check-out:

1.  Collect their bid number from the guest

2.  Go retrieve the bag with their bidder number on it

3.  Check off on their receipt all their certificates and items that are in the bag

4.  Place the receipt with items back in their bidder bag and…

5.  Thank them for attending and for supporting The Genesis Project

**Note: if you are interested in volunteering in this way but cannot commit to the whole time, you can sign up individually as a Closer (4:30-6:30) or an Item Organizer (5:30-9:30).

HEADS OR TAILS RAFFLE TICKET SALES: 4 Volunteers (4:15 – 7:30pm approximately)