Welcome to Revenue Speaks, where communication becomes growth. I'm Sheila Johnston, founder and CEO of Luminari Partners. This show is produced in partnership with Page Design Group, where together we align strategy, brand, and digital to drive growth, Revenue Speaks explores how strategic communication aligns leadership and drives measurable revenue, because communication is an overhead; it's infrastructure, and in the end, Revenue Speaks. Freddie, thank you so much for being on the Revenue Speaks podcast. It is such an honor to have you behind a different microphone. I'm sure many people know who you are, but for those that might not, can you tell us a little bit about yourself and who you represent?

Yeah, I'm Freddy Silveria, owner of FSA Auctions, and we do fundraising events and strategy for major nonprofit galas and organizations, and help listen and talk to you know what their goals are, and then on stage representing their mission and organization, and have a lot of fun and connect donors to a great cause.

Auctions. Tell us about where these auctions happen.

All over, a lot of ballrooms, a lot of outside. We were just talking about the Empty Bowls event coming up for River City Food Bank. That's actually at the Sacramento Zoo. It's outside, but it's where donors come together, community comes together around an amazing mission cause, and they want to support and support financially with their time, with their energy, and it's a lot of fun.

How do these missions find you

word of mouth. Typically, you'll do an event, and then at that event, there's somebody else that's like, "Hey, you were great. Can you come do our event? I'm like, "Yeah, sure. It's a business that's all built on reputation. You know, it's about you know this person does a good job, and they put their heart into it and want to represent us well.

I've been to a few events where you have been the auctioneer, or your team member Rachel has been the auctioneer, and the stories that you tell during raising money for these mission-driven organizations are so incredible. For mission-driven organizations that hire you in FSA auctions, how do they communicate the value that you then turn around and sell during a live auction?

Totally. So there's a lot of preparation that goes into every event. Maybe there's a fun to need video, a special appeal video. I want to see that ahead of time, and also I want to do a tour if possible. So like I was doing a tour with Robert's Family Development Center, and Tina walked me around and showed me, you know, this is our space, and this is where the youth have an opportunity to to grow. And so, I want to be able to be on stage and represent that, because in the moment, yes, you can script and plan a lot of things, but there's a lot of moments when you're on stage, you've got to be able to adapt or pivot or think on your feet very quickly and be able to speak to that mission for a lot of different reasons. So, doing a tour of the nonprofit ahead of time, watching the fun to need video ahead of time, and my favorite thing to do, my secret sauce, is if there's a fun to need speaker that's in the room that night, I like to build some rapport and connect with them during typically the cocktail hour. You know, let's say it's John Doe, Jane Doe speaker, and I like to say, "Hey, tell me about the mission. What does it mean to you? How are you connected? And that's actually where I get a lot of my really good nuggets for leading into, you know, the fundraising components is it's hey you know I was talking with our fund to need speaker Jane a little bit earlier this afternoon and she told me about X Y Z mission and this is why it meant so much to her and a lot of times they just feel comfortable to share some things that are like golden nuggets. There's a lot of things that you have to prepare for, but then there's also a lot of things that you have to just feel that night and read the room and find an opportunity to insert the golden nuggets.

I'm so glad you mentioned the golden nuggets because obviously this podcast is about revenue speaking and the power of communications embedded in your infrastructure that essentially leads to revenue gain, culture gain, the scaling of an organization. So I love that you mentioned these golden nuggets because what you experience at these organizations is what is reflected in what you sell are able to raise for an organization. Have you found that there's a certain checklist of communication deliverables that allow a fundraiser to be more successful than others?

Oh, totally. Everything needs a plan. It needs some structure. Things don't just happen. You know. Yes, the organic moments are beautiful and. You're like yes, but that happened because of X, Y, and Z that helped get to that moment. I'll give you an example. Casa Sacramento they send an email every Friday, and it's basically their golden nuggets. It's a story about the week. You know, we've served X amount of youth, or we had this advocate that came, and I love to see that, and it's consistent. And for me, in the world I live in with events, what I always see is donors love and appreciate that consistent communication that talks about the mission. Hey, this week this organization's doing this with this child, or this organization this week helped you know do a backpack drive with the start of school right now. So you want to stay top of mind, and the donors, you know, want to feel connected to the cause.

That connection is so important because it allows an organization to ask multiple times throughout the year. With the culminating event being their gala or their annual fundraiser, you don't have to sell as hard, right?

Right. Yeah, people care about the mission, and they just need to feel, you know, compelled through a very tight run of show, and have a mission moment that's powerful that opens up their heart, so that we can open up their wallets and purses to support the cause. So, yeah.

How do you read the room when you are conducting a live auction of hundreds, if not 1000s, of people. I know you have done this with the United Way. They typically sell out the Memorial Auditorium. I'm sure larger events too. But when you're communicating the value of a potential item that's going up for auction, how do you assess the energy and what might land? Are you improvising on the fly?

Yeah, part of it is creating that energy in the room. I've had a lot of people say, "Gosh, your energy is just contagious. It's exciting, and I want to be a part of it. And and I raise my paddle just to hear you scream. And like, and yes, that's all natural. I'm just having fun generally. And donors are coming to the events. They want to have a good time. They want to have fun, but you got to read the room too, and every room is different. Part of it is creating that energy ahead of time. Like we were just meeting with Habitat for Humanity yesterday, and we talked about hey, after every live auction lot, let's do this really cool celebratory moment. And so that way, people, when they win a live auction a lot. They're like, I want to be a part of that. So yeah, you read the room, but you're creating the energy for people to feel inspired, to feel compelled, and to want to support the cause.

When you're assessing an organization to do a live auction for, do you assess how effective their communication story has been before you do an auction. Do you give them some advice or tell them to change this or that?

Yeah, I try to stay in my lane. I I know what I know and I know what I don't know, and I like to know. Hey, tell me about a current story. Tell me about something that's going on right now. That helps me understand the mission. A lot of times, you have new donors that come to events, and that's their welcome point to X Y Z mission. What the nonprofit's role is is after the event to steward those donors to create donor retention, and that's the secret sauce. Like you're saying, of having some of that consistent communication that's telling those stories. The event is just a welcome point to have folks and donors and community feel more connected.

Do you feel that that obligation is the responsibility of one person or a team of people within an organization?

I think every organization is different, different capacities, but definitely having one person or as many as possible that can support the communication of the mission is powerful and needed. It's just something I can't do. No, exactly, exactly.

Identifying the voice of the organization, but then dispelling that amongst the entire team. I want to go back a moment and talk about when you and I first met, and that was in a Dale Carnegie leadership class. And the first session of Dale Carnegie, you came out swinging, and it was so incredibly memorable because what you were saying and how you were saying it inspired the rest of the class to match your energy and what was possible in conveying a message, what has that class taught you as you grow FSA and make a meaningful impact in the community?

Oh yeah, Dale Carnegie played a huge role in my development. I've always been energy, but I think the most important thing is is to know how to shift your energy. You don't want to always be so woo like hi like you've got to read the moment. Back to your other question about reading the room when you're setting up a fund to need. My energy is very different. It is totally different. I'm excited and it's all you know live auctions fun, but that moment right before the fund to need, before the first couple of asks, is so. Important because you've got to center the room. There shouldn't be a sound in the room. There should almost be chills where people are like, "This is the moment. A lot of that work came from our time with Dale Carnegie, is understanding the moment and understanding your communication style. And sometimes it can be putting folks off. Sometimes it can be bringing people in, and you have to understand when to bring the energy and when to bring the heart, and when to mix the two. So, Dale Carnegie played a huge role in just understanding people, and it was fun. Like our mutual friend Jenny, like yes, oh my gosh, yeah,

she and we're all still friends. And I know for me, Dale Carnegie was very influential in understanding not only yourself but your audiences as well.

Totally, that's helped in management and business and personal life. But speaking of audiences, how do organizations that you work with prep you for who you're about to ask to donate or fund a need? Totally, yeah. There's a lot of prep that goes into that. I mean, we're talking about no cards. Like for me, I want to see the entire guest list of every single person that's coming to the event ahead of time. I look at the whole guest list. I want a seating chart. I also like to have names on every single table of the sponsor of that organization because on stage, the more times you can call someone by name or by business or recognize that person, they appreciate that, and I think that's been another secret sauce, golden nugget to some of the work. This comes from my dad. My dad said so many folks always are simple. They just want attention, recognition, and appreciation-it's very simple. And how can you find genuine ways to be able to recognize people? And you know, a lot of times when I'll say sold $2,500, will actually bring more energy than that. That was weak. Sold, sold. You know, but no. And thanking you know, thank you, Smud. Thank you, PG&E. Thank you, Tiger. Thank you, XYZ Organization, for your support tonight. It's not just thank you, bidder number 123, It's thanking that person. So your question is the preparation. Yeah, it's. I've got a whole note card of as many names as I can possibly fit on one card. So during the cocktail hour, I'm walking around with sometimes the executive director or director development, and I'm looking at my note card and I'm saying, "Hey, can you go introduce me to X Y Z person that's on the list that we talked about ahead of time? Because I want to build rapport. I may or may not know that person, and so I want to build rapport during the cocktail hour and just ask them, 'Hey, thank you for being XYZ board member of nonprofit. What is your connection? Why does the mission mean so much to you? Now again, that's more information for me when I'm on stage, not to point that person out, but just for me to understand the room. Yeah. Again, reading the room, but then when that person feels compelled to give during the paddle raise or in the live auction, I can say, you know, thank you, Jane Doe, for all of your support. You know, been a board member for a long time.

It sounds like communication is the key,

totally,

and fundraising. Totally, everything.

It's all everything's communication. Whether it's preparation, it's night of, because it's not easy to make it look easy. There's a lot of work and a lot of preparation that goes into when you're on a microphone in front of hundreds of people in a live setting, you can't go back and edit. There's no editing. There's no rewind. It's in front of you right now. There's no. Let me rewind. You've got to be watching it and you're on it and got to have a lot of prep ahead of time to to know the room.

Well, speaking of that, what moments are you most proud of in your journey in FSA auctions, and what communication experience made that a memorable moment for you?

So, a lot of the tiny moments during the cocktail hour, and I'm just sitting down with sometimes our fun-to-need speaker, having a conversation privately, one-on-one at a table, you know, away from all the people, just saying, "Hey, tell me about why this organization means so much to you. A week or two ago, was doing an event for Make-A-Wish. I was talking with a young man. I said, "You know, tell me about your wish and what did it mean to you. And he talked about his wish and he wanted to go meet Odell Beckham Jr. football player for Miami Dolphins at the time, and he told me all about it. And he was so excited, and and I could see how he lit up and how much joy it gave him. The best part about it was watching his mom, because his mom was sitting right next to him, and his mom. You could just feel how much this organization meant for her, and I think that's the thing for me that I've kind of got chills right now is thinking back to some of these moments because for me, I have personally been impacted by a lot of things in my life that I can connect to and relate with with these organizations. I can't connect to everything. There's a lot of things I can, whether it's health, whether it's finances, and my background, and so some of the moments that you're talking about and the communication that led up to it, it's not necessarily the beneficiary of the nonprofit, but it's the person that comes with them. It's their caregiver. It's mom. It's dad. It's the family that know the real struggle that that person on stage has been through, and they're not necessarily the ones that are forefront for the cause that night, but they're the ones that when they go home that they have those conversations and say, "I'm proud of you, son, or "I have man, it got me got me going. So I think the most important thing is is to have your head and heart right, so that when you're on stage or connecting with somebody, that you're fully present. It's the tiny moments, it's the caregivers, it's the families.

Thank you for sharing that. To me, it sounds like in those moments where you get to have a one-on-one conversation before the gala or before the auction, where you get to really experience the mission of an organization, you get to see it live unfold in front of you.

It's cool,

and I bet that's really special for the organizations that you represent too, because they might see their mission come to light differently in moments like that.

Yeah, when they were given out the scholarships to go to Sac State, UC Davis, and I'll never forget when the camera at the event turned on one of the young ladies, and she was just crying. That $1,000 check was going to make a massive difference for her. That was weeks and weeks of work at a job. You know that that's a lot of money to be able to support her education or her family, so it makes a difference.

Speaking of making a difference, there is a story about your impact, and at one specific fundraising event that you were the auctioneer for, you auctioned off a glass of water. I believe it had a lime in it. Tell us what communication strategy you used in that moment to sell that glass of water? That is, that

is a great question, and I have to give credit to a lot of other auctioneers that have done that before. Yes, we brought up a glass of tap water. It might have had a lemon in it, and might have had ice. And we come up here, and it starts the night, and here's the communication. The communication is: I've got a glass of tap water in my hand, and I say, "Folks, tonight is not necessarily about what can you get. It's about what can you give. This glass of tap water represents your generosity tonight. This is a glass of tap water that's been on stage by multiple beneficiaries of the nonprofit that have touched this glass with their love and care for the organization. You have an opportunity to support XYZ mission right now. Who would like this glass of tap water for $1?

You started it at $1. Yeah, started $1.

We got $1 now, $2 now, $3 now, four now, $5 now, 10 now, 20 now, 30 now, $100, now 200, 300, 500. I want it for $1,000 in the far back. $2,000. It just takes off that energy, but it's the communication. That's what it represents. All it is. It represents generosity. It represents heart. It represents the donor being able to say, "Yeah, I bought a glass of tap water for $1,000, but it's because I support the mission.

Do you find that moments like that, where you're communicating value differently on behalf of your client or a nonprofit, that the community sees the nonprofit differently after that.

Totally, 100% Yeah,

I'm sure the organizations also see themselves differently and what their potential might be.

Right. We. I'll give you another example. Please do. I was just meeting with Tina. We were struggling with how to procure live auction lots in our meeting this morning, and she's showing me the tour of Robert's Family Development Center, and she says, "Now I'm excited to share. This is the last part of our tour. She said, "This is my favorite part, our garden. I said, "Okay, let's see the garden. She said, "This is my baby is our garden, and we take care of the vegetables and things. I said, "Tina, I once sold a basket of vegetables for $5,000. She said, "What? Like, what? Who are these people? Like, who buys a bag of? I said, "Tina, you you might come up and say, folks, our final live auction lot tonight is a basket of vegetables. It's from our garden at Robert's Family Development Center. We've picked it with love today, and this represents our mission. Represents our youth that take care of that garden. So here it is: the basket. It's like a it's like a Lion King Simba moment, and it sells because we're in a world with nonprofits that people are there. They just want to give, and we're giving them the opportunity to give.

That's a beautiful story that you. Just shared about Tina and having her reframe what a basket of vegetables can go for. How do you encourage other individuals to think about giving differently?

I like to remind folks what their dollar can do. So, for example, let's say we sell a live auction lot for $2,500. Well, back to CASA, court appointed special advocates every $2,500 helps fund a casa to be with a youth for an entire year. So we say sold $2,500 123. Thank you very much for all of your support. Now you just won the trip to Cabo, but you also just created an opportunity for a casa to be with a child for an entire year, so that's the impact of your dollar. So it comes to reading the room, but it's reminding folks, hey, we're not just here buying a trip to Cabo. You're also providing, you know, with your support impact for the youth that we're serving tonight.

There was a beautiful feature about you in Comstocks magazine where you talk about how your personal experiences really have changed how you show up for this community in the greater Sacramento region and beyond. Has your personal experiences changed the way that you approach the organizations that you raise money for?

100% Yeah, I'm so grateful that you asked because that's everything. Everybody's got a story, and I've got a very strong, powerful story of a lot of struggle and hardship that I can relate to. A lot of the people that we're fundraising for, I've lived a lot of challenging moments. My mom lived in chronic pain for 17 years. That's a long time of my life. I'm 37, and for two-thirds of my life, my mom was in a lot of pain, and my dad-he's been fighting cancer and some other health challenges for the last five or six years as well. And you know, I'm an only child. A lot of things have been on me, so when I'm representing an organization, it's personal. I've slept in a hospital bed over 100 nights in my life. Like that's a lot. My dad is my world. Faith is my world. I genuinely care about making a difference, and I think people can see that when I'm on stage. I give 100% I leave it all out there. And if I'm honest with you, the day after events, I'm exhausted. I'm laying in bed for till 9o'clock. Like, but I give my all because it matters and it makes a difference for these whether it's kids or families or whoever it might be that we're representing. And I love what I do sincerely.

Thank you for sharing that. It absolutely shows you do give 110% the night of, and for this community day in and day out. I always see you on. I hope you take some days off here and there. But what you do for Sacramento, it is one of the most beautiful things I've seen.

Thank you.

Throughout our conversation today, Freddie, you've explained and demonstrated in multiple ways that you listen as much as you speak. For our nonprofit and mission-driven organizations that are listening to this show, if revenue could talk, what would it tell nonprofit leaders that they're not listening closely enough to. We

don't give enough pause for people to share what they're going to share. God gives two ears and one mouth, and we have to listen more. All of us, I myself included, I'm the first one to admit I've got to do a better job of listening better. And you might think something like this is the way we should do it, but then all of a sudden you hear from the child that we're representing, and they say something totally different, and you're like, "Oh, I didn't think of that. You know, people don't care what you know until they know how much you care, and to know how much you care about somebody is to listen.

Where do you see FSA auctions going 10 years from now?

I'm just happy to be doing what we're doing. That's all. I have no idea. I really don't know. The

best laid plan is just knowing that the plan is yet to be written. Yeah. Sometimes never know, but it's another example of listening to what's out there.

Yeah. Thank you very much, Sheila. I appreciate it.

Where can people find you, Freddie?

freddie@fsaauctions.com. I don't Google fsaauctions.com. Social media is all at fsa auctions.

Thank you for being on the show, Freddie. This has been an honor to have you here. You do so much for Sacramento and beyond, and are one of the reasons that nonprofits are so successful here in town.

Well, you're doing amazing work, and you're reaching and connecting with folks. I'm just grateful to be part of it with you. Thank you. Appreciate it.

Thanks for listening. We invite you to subscribe to this podcast. And take our revenue alignment assessment, a short strategic diagnostic for mission-driven executives. You will find everything you need at revenuespeaks.com, because communication isn't overhead; it's infrastructure. And in the end, revenue speaks.