A benefit auctioneer can charge either way, and I charge a flat professional fee, not a percentage of the funds raised. I recommend your nonprofit insist on the same. A flat fee means the auctioneer's job is to serve your mission and your donors, not to squeeze the room for a bigger cut. It also means your organization keeps control and transparency over every dollar, which matters when a board member or a donor asks where the money went.
I am a licensed auctioneer in North Carolina and South Carolina, trained at the Western College of Auctioneering, and I have spent more than two decades on national stages as a speaker and emcee. Here is how the two fee models work and why the difference matters more than the number.
A flat fee is a fixed professional fee agreed before the event, covering the auctioneer's preparation, the night itself, and usually the emcee work around it. You know the cost before you sell a single ticket, and it does not change if the room is generous.
A percentage fee pays the auctioneer a share of what the live auction or paddle raise brings in. On paper it sounds like the auctioneer only wins when you win. In practice it creates two problems. The auctioneer has an incentive to push donors harder than your relationship with them can stand, and your finance committee cannot know the true cost of the event until it is over. Some donors also do not love hearing that a piece of their gift went to the person holding the microphone.
Fundraising is sacred work, and how your audience feels at your event matters. A benefit auction needs someone who can read the room, build momentum, connect guests to the mission, and make giving part of the experience without making anyone uncomfortable. I do not read a script. I tailor the night to your cause, your audience, and your goals, and I want to be paid for that work, not for how hard I leaned on your best donor.
It works. FORK Cancer, an event supporting local cancer charities, told me after their 2025 gala that my energy, humor, and heartfelt presence made it their biggest and best event yet, raising more than 130,000 dollars. I have emceed that event for several years, and the relationship is possible because nobody in that room has ever wondered whose side I am on.
Ask whether the fee is flat or a percentage, and get it in writing. Ask what the fee includes: consultation on the item lineup, the run of show, the paddle raise, emcee duties, and travel. Ask whether they are licensed in your state, because a benefit auction is still an auction. Ask for references from events like yours, and ask to see them work a room on video, not just a highlight reel.
Then ask the question that tells you the most. How do you decide when to stop pushing a bidder? A good benefit auctioneer has a clear answer, because protecting your donor relationships is the job. A flat fee makes that answer easy to give.
If you want to talk through your gala, paddle raise, or association fundraiser, you can reach my team at leighbrown.com or 704.507.5500.
Some do. Leigh Brown works on a flat professional fee rather than a percentage of funds raised so the nonprofit keeps control and transparency and the auctioneer's incentive stays aligned with the donors.
Typically preparation, consultation on the live auction items and paddle raise, emcee duties during the event, and the auction itself. Confirm travel and any extras in the written agreement.
Yes. Leigh Brown is licensed as an auctioneer in North Carolina and South Carolina and trained at the Western College of Auctioneering. She serves charity galas, nonprofit fundraisers, association events, and corporate events.
Fearlessly real and faith-driven, Leigh Brown is the Disruption Navigator guiding professionals from chaos to clarity with guts, grace, and a good dose of grit.
