Your gala is one night. Make it the one that funds the year.
A Plus Benefit Auctions pairs full-service planning with a certified Benefit Auctioneer Specialist on the mic — so your organization raises more, with less guesswork.
Planning a gala is a big responsibility
Whether this is your first gala or a long-standing tradition, you want to execute the best event possible — and that's a genuinely difficult thing to pull off alone. A Plus Benefit Auctions supports you at every step: from the first planning meeting, through the night of the event, to a post-event evaluation that sets up next year's success.
The 12-Month Gala Planning Guide
A month-by-month roadmap for your committee — key tasks and deliverables from the first planning meeting all the way through post-event follow-up. No email required.
Nationally Certified
Meet the Auctioneer
Dr. Ben Gonzales, BASBen's passion for auctions began the night he watched a great auctioneer transform a room's energy — and its fundraising total. He went on to earn his certification as a Benefit Auctioneer Specialist (BAS) through the National Auctioneers Association, a designation held by only about 3% of auctioneers nationwide and roughly 25 auctioneers statewide in California.
Ben brings an unusual vantage point to nonprofit and school fundraising: alongside his auction work, he's spent his career in education — as a high school social studies teacher, vice-principal, and principal — and earlier, as a Camp Director and Family & Community Program Director with the YMCA. That background gives him a genuine understanding of how schools and community organizations actually work, not just how their galas should sound.
Ben holds a Bachelor's in Political Science from San Jose State University, a Master's in Education Administration from the University of the Pacific, and a Doctorate in Organizational Change and Leadership from USC.
Why hire a professional auctioneer?
Anyone can stand in front of a crowd and ask for money. A trained benefit auctioneer is built to maximize what that room is willing to give — and to hand you back the time it takes to do it right.
Going it alone
- A volunteer or board member on the mic, learning live
- Fundraising energy that depends on who's willing to talk
- Item pricing and pacing set by guesswork
- Fund-a-need moment with no one trained to read the room
- Post-event debrief: "let's just hope for better next year"
With A Plus Benefit Auctions
- A certified Benefit Auctioneer Specialist running the night
- Pre-event consultation to build your fundraising plan
- Live item ordering and pacing built for revenue
- A fund-a-need appeal designed to land
- Post-event evaluation you can build on next year
How we work together
A great gala isn't just one night of energy on stage — it's a process. Here's what working with A Plus actually looks like, start to finish.
Consultation
We start with a conversation about your goals, your guests, and what success looks like for your event this year.
Planning
In the months before your gala, we build your program timeline, help pace the night, and set your fund-a-need goal together.
Event Night
Ben takes the mic — live auction, fund-a-need appeal, and reading the room from welcome to last call.
Follow-Up
After the gala, we debrief what worked and build the plan for next year's event to raise even more.
What A Plus brings to your event
Pre-Auction Planning
- Unlimited consultation leading up to your event
- Access to a vetted network of event partners
- Support with item acquisition
- Live-item ordering for maximum revenue
- Sound, lighting & location consultation
- Event timeline planning
- Bid-spotter & clerk training
- Silent auction consultation
- Fund-a-need (paddle raise) goal-setting
Auction Event Services
- High-energy auctioneering for the night of your event
- Revenue-building games
- Silent auction MC services
- Fund-a-need (paddle raise) appeal
Auction Supplies
- Paddle numbers
- Clerk supplies
- Fund-a-need tally program
- Drink tickets
- Silent auction bid sheets
How the investment works
Every organization's budget looks different, so the fee structure should fit your event — not the other way around. A few common ways this works:
Flat Fee
One predictable, all-in cost agreed on up front — easy to budget for and easy to explain to your board.
Percentage of Funds Raised
A structure tied to your event's results, so the incentive to maximize your night is shared.
Sponsor-Underwritten
A sponsor covers the auctioneer fee so that closer to 100% of what's raised goes straight to your mission.
Not sure which makes sense for your event? That's exactly what the first conversation is for — call or email and we'll figure it out together.
See what your event could raise
Enter your fundraising goal and expected guest count for a quick, benchmark-based look at how that revenue typically breaks down across the night.
From the room on the night
Frequently Asked Questions
Why hire a professional benefit auctioneer?
Anyone can stand in front of a crowd and ask people to give money for an item — but a professional benefit auctioneer brings specific training and skills designed to maximize an organization's fundraising. On top of that, a professional handles a wide array of services that save your team time and energy in the months before the event.
Why not just ask a board member or local personality to volunteer?
A willing volunteer can ask a room for money — but a trained benefit auctioneer is built specifically to maximize what that room gives, through pacing, reading bidders, and running a fund-a-need appeal designed to land. It also frees your board member or staff to actually host and enjoy the event instead of carrying it.
Are your services expensive?
Like any professional service, there's a fee. But the right way to look at it isn't as an expense — it's an investment. The value A Plus delivers, in both dollars raised and hours saved, is designed to make that investment pay for itself many times over.
How do your fees work?
It depends on your event — a flat fee, a percentage tied to results, or a sponsor-underwritten arrangement are all common structures (see "How the Investment Works" above). We'll talk through your budget and goals on our first call and land on whatever structure fits best.
How far in advance should we start planning?
Most successful events take nine to twelve months to plan properly. That might sound like a long runway, but premium venues and standout auction items both need to be secured well ahead of time — organizations that start early have far more room to build a great night.
What makes A Plus Benefit Auctions different?
Beyond his BAS training, Ben's background as a public school educator and former YMCA program director gives him a real understanding of the unique needs of 501(c)(3) organizations and schools. He can quickly and accurately read your specific challenges — because he's worked inside organizations like yours.
What clients say
"Ben Gonzales, auctioneer extraordinaire, brings that rare combination of professionalism, expertise, and personality to the challenge of school fundraisers. We not only raised sufficient funds for this school year's enrichment programs, we covered the anticipated funding gap for next year too."
"Ben was amazing, and I can't thank him enough for all the money he raised for us. I got choked up taking down the numbers for Fund-a-Need with all the parents willing to give. He made the night a huge success."
"Our event was a black-tie gala in a Four Seasons ballroom, and Ben's thoughtfulness and intentionality shined even more in that setting. Thanks to Ben and his spotters, we brought in far more than we'd hoped for in the live auction and fund-a-need."
"Ben exceeded our expectations. He connected with the audience in a way we couldn't have imagined, and knew exactly when to push and when to pull back. We booked him for next year the day after the event."
Let's get your gala started
Call or email directly — no forms, no waiting on a reply. Ben typically responds within one business day.