When it comes to your auction Bid Spotters…go PRO!
When you rely on volunteers, alone, to act as “Ringmen” a.k.a. “Bid Spotters”, you are leaving thousands of dollars in the room!
Professional bid-spotters significantly increase your revenue, by acting as an extension of the auctioneer into the audience! The spotters, will ensure that the guests surrounding them receive special attention– making sure their bid is not missed, and help bidders (who may be tipsy) to not lose track of who has the last bid. Pro-spotters help captivate the audience’s attention and increase audience participation and excitement, using professional strategies, some of which are listed below. Plus a pro, will act as a great model for your volunteer bid spotters to try to emulate!
To help guarantee our auctioneer’s success, and thus your success(!), each gala will receive at least one of our pro bid-spotter team (we make zero from this choice, as you will pay them directly, but they will help us raise SO much more money!)!
“The energy they (bid-spotting team) brought to the event was electric and we look forward to working with them again next year.”
Frequently Asked Questions
When you go Pro, you’ll raise more funds, and your guests will be more engaged… and entertained! We receive compliments, all the time, from guests, on how they love watching the spotters and the extra ZING they add to the gala!
When you rely on volunteers alone, to do bid-spotting, you are leaving thousands of dollars in the room! Over the years, we have found that most volunteer bid spotters (about 99%), will become quiet and shy during the auction. The work simply requires an extremely high level of “social courage!” Even when volunteers try their best, please realize they will not have the professional skills or the experience, to keep up with the bids, nor the same interaction with the guests and bidders that help start and keep up the “bidding wars” that we want to see!
We strongly suggest 1 Pro-Spotter for each 75 guests. For example, for a crowd of 200 we would suggest 4 Pro Spotters (5 tables of 10, per pro-spotter). If you hire 2 pro spotters, for a crowd of 200, then you will need about 3-4 volunteer bid-spotters to fill the space of 2 pros. While most galas have at least a few volunteer Bid Spotters, AND we have a great 10 minute training to help them be effective, be aware that there is no substitute for an experienced professional.
Over the years, we estimate that each Pro Bid Spotter helps increase funds raised by an average of $3k-$5k each (often MUCH more). Other than when Carolyn serves as a Pro Bid Spotter, we do not make ANY money or profit from this choice, as you will pay them directly.
Our Pro Bid-Spotting Team

Carolyn Carvey
Co-Founder, CEO, & Pro Bid-Spotter
As Chad's wife and business partner, Chad and I support each client and gala as a duo! You will see us working the room, side by side, being Chad's second set of eyes, making sure all bids are recognized, and cheered on! We will often be working opposite sides of a bidding war, egging their respective bidders to bid "just one more time!" Guests regularly comment about enjoying seeing a husband and wife dynamic, and the extra excitement we bring to the auction!

Monica Kibbe
New Benefit Auctioneer Specialist & Pro Bid-Spotter
Local elementary school teacher by day; enthusiastic pro bid-spotter, and newer Benefit Auctioneer, by night! Monica, with nearly a decade of experience of professional bid-spotting for us, has finally allowed us to talk her into becoming a Benefit Auctioneer. She works the room with her smiles, good cheer, and time-tested strategies! And now, she has recently earned her Benefit Auction Specialist designation!

Thomas Gerdes
Pro Bid-Spotter
Local elementary school teacher by day; enthusiastic pro bid-spotter by night! Often part of a duo, with Monica as his partner in getting those paddles raised!

Sarah Lee
Pro Bid-Spotter
Sarah is a librarian by day, and one fantastic bid-spotter by night! She is dazzling, all smiles, and loves to interact with guests!

Chazz Lovelace
Pro Bid-Spotter
We met Chazz when he was our client and gala chair for 100 Black Men of the Bay Area. Chazz is an incredible Bid Spotter, and helps us with bid-spotting and check-in/out services for our clients.

Eric Chivichon
Pro Bid-Spotter
A pleasure to have on the team, we first met Eric through a Hotbed Benefit, where Eric was one of the graduates & scholarship recipients of 10,000 Degrees!