By: Dan Campbell, Fundraising Auctioneer

For Shakespeare, this might be a more dramatic question, but for your gala, it still can carry significant consequences to the success of your night! With over 1,000 galas under our belts, we have seen events with and without emcees, and a variety of emcee skill sets. There are so many things to consider whether you should consider an emcee, so let’s get to it!

First a great emcee can make all the difference in the world. Here are the most valuable attributes you want to find in an emcee:

  1. Comfortable on stage – someone who is used to being in front of a crowd and can command their attention.
  2. Understand your mission – every person on stage is a representation of your mission. The emcee should be someone who truly understands what your mission is about, and if they have a personal connection, even better!
  3. Can control the crowd – an emcee needs to bring everyone’s attention to the stage for your program. Most galas are a festive event, with lots of social time, beverages and distractions that can make a noisy group. Your emcee should have strategies for getting the attention of your audience to see what is about to happen next.
  4. Transitions – an emcee can be a valuable component to keeping things moving, helping transition between other people entering and exiting the stage. Having strategies to assist those who do go on stage manage their stage presence, their timing, and maintain control of the stage is critical to a program that needs to avoid fatigue for your guests.

From our perspective, the emcee role is a shepherd of the night, and not the main event. They should avoid overshadowing the mission with their own brand. Humor is always enticing but should be kept light and to the point. 

The higher end of emcees often carries a cost for their services in most cases, unless they are already part of your mission. Some organizations have an insider who is a natural, and you should certainly use them if you have them! That said, an inexperienced emcee or someone who doesn’t truly understand their role, can make the night more challenging.

As auctioneers, we are often asked to emcee events in addition to serving as the fundraiser for the night. Most auctioneers have the right skills to serve as an emcee, so this is always an option. Keep in mind that it IS best practice to separate the fundraising voice from the mission voices. It is typically more impactful to have the fundraising voice be a moment of the night, whereas if your fundraising voice (auctioneer) is on stage all night as emcee, shepherding the night, that true distinction is less evident to your audience. That transition to giving is less obvious. I personally would never shy away from the role, but if you have the right person who can be your emcee that is available, please use them. 

To summarize, the emcee has an important role in shepherding the night, calm and controlling the audience, and creating an efficient program for your event. They should be fun, light, and to the point. If you can find the right one, it will make all the difference in the world.

We love this team! We have had the honor to share the stage with so many Emcee’s!! They set the tone before we come up to the mic!