| Overwhelming Requests for Restaurants to | | | | tracking charts all in one place. |
| Donate, Donate, Donate: Finally a Tracking | | | | “We are so pleased at the way our item |
| System Worth Implementing. | | | | donor request system through cMarket |
| Systems have been put in place at restaurants to | | | | BiddingForGood is working for us and our |
| make their everyday operations run smoothly, | | | | management team. Not only does the system |
| ones they often wondered what they ever did | | | | give us an organized view of evaluating donation |
| without. Systems that can make and track | | | | requests and fulfilling them in an orderly and timely |
| reservations, such as Open Table, have | | | | way, but it also helps us to keep track over the |
| transformed the way a restaurant can run its | | | | year how much and what we have donated and |
| business. | | | | to whom. We have gone from an anecdotal and |
| There is another piece of technology hitting | | | | disorganized system of donations to one we feel |
| restaurants promising to make their everyday | | | | in control of. It also sends inquiring minds to our |
| operations more efficient while offering benefits | | | | website—always a good thing. We recommend |
| such as good community relations, | | | | it highly for all those restaurateurs who often felt, |
| professionalism, and a tracking service bound to | | | | as we did, overwhelmed by the number of |
| help their bottom line. | | | | requests, and how to handle them” says |
| Restaurants, like hotels and Spas, are often hit up | | | | Mary-Catherine Deibel, owner of Upstairs on the |
| for free donated dinners for the sake of | | | | Square. |
| non-profit fundraising, some receiving hundreds of | | | | As easy as it is for the restaurants to use the |
| requests a month for donated items. If you are | | | | system, it is just as user friendly for the person |
| a restaurant handling these types of requests, | | | | making the request. Organizations can visit the |
| there are some important questions to be asked. | | | | restaurant’s website, click on the item |
| How much exposure will you get in return for | | | | request link, and this will bring them to a form |
| your donation? How much time do you spend | | | | where they can easily complete their type of |
| handling all these requests? Are you on or off | | | | request. The system immediately sends the |
| your donations budget for the year? How much is | | | | organization an email acknowledging the request |
| actually being given away? How much business | | | | and telling them when they will be back in touch |
| is being generated by these donated items? | | | | avoiding the problem of organizations feeling like |
| Tracking this type of information can be time | | | | they don’t know where they stand. “The |
| consuming and is normally is put on a forever | | | | professionalism is a key part of the value”, |
| backburner. | | | | says Chris Parsons, owner of Catch, another |
| Cutting edge restaurants have started using the | | | | nationally recognized Boston restaurant that uses |
| latest technology offered by cMarket to explore | | | | the system. |
| this untapped arena. cMarket/BiddingForGood, | | | | The system notifies the restaurant of the |
| the leading online auction platform connecting | | | | request and then allows them an approval letter |
| charity auctions, consumers, and commercial item | | | | or letter of decline, in a timely fashion. For those |
| donors is offering a FREE implementation of their | | | | requests which are denied, not all is lost. Within |
| interactive Auction Item Request System | | | | the response letter is an offer from |
| (AIRS) to companies’ websites to | | | | BiddingForGood to find donated items for them. |
| better manage their item donor program. This | | | | The organization will then have an opportunity to |
| allows for item requests to be handled directly | | | | run an online auction with BiddingForGood, using |
| through the restaurant’s website, with | | | | supplied donated items, including many luxury |
| significantly reduced administrative resources, all | | | | brands, in efforts to raise funds for their |
| while giving a professional experience to the item | | | | organization. |
| donor (often an influential member of the local | | | | The program has had a welcomed reception by all |
| community). | | | | those using the system as of date. The system |
| One Example; | | | | literally takes moments to set up and offers |
| UpStairs on the Square, a nationally recognized | | | | tracking that would normally take hours to do on |
| restaurant located in Cambridge, MA, has been | | | | a weekly basis. “Charity auction requests are |
| one of the first to implement the system and has | | | | one of the most inefficient parts of my job. |
| started to track the amount of requests they | | | | I’m glad a system has come along to make |
| receive, the requests that have been approved | | | | this administrative headache go away” says |
| or declined, what type of request, what type of | | | | Sean Reardon, VP Marketing, Liberty Hotel, |
| organizations have requested items and what | | | | currently using the AIRS system. |
| percentage of the items donated are being used | | | | Finally, an efficient way to handle requests with |
| for specific purposes. They have a dashboard of | | | | real metrics being tracked. |
| all their request information, including monthly | | | | |