Spotlight Auctioneer: Lucas Hunt

Who is Lucas Hunt?

Lucas Hunt is the President of HUNT Philanthropy and a celebrated American poet. His latest book, NEW YORK, is now published. He has helped raise hundreds of millions of dollars and promote awareness for non-profits. I sat down with Lucas to talk about his ten years of experience as an auctioneer. 

What is it that you love about your job?

My job provides an opportunity to connect with people. That connection can lead to positive change for others who may never know where the support or help came from. The night after my first auction, I had incredible dreams. It felt magical to me - it clicked from the start. 

What is the hardest part about being an auctioneer?

The hardest part is letting go of my attachment to producing positive results every time. So many factors are out of our control. You want to break the record every time and every year.

What is the most unique item you have ever sold? The highest-priced item?

The highest-priced item I’ve ever sold is a trip to the Cayman Islands staying at the Four Seasons; it featured celebrity chefs cooking for you every day. It sold for around $130,000.

The most unique item I’ve ever sold is what I call “invade a small village.” Technically it was called “Tactical training experience to become an elite operations warrior.” You got on a private plane and drank whisky. When you landed, you were trained in marksmanship and high-speed driving with actors in an urban setting in North Carolina. Another time, a woman asked me to auction the dress off her body! 

What stands out to you about Event.Gives compared to other platforms? How does Event.Gives make your job easier?

Event.Gives’ ease of use, fundraising effectiveness, and donor connectivity stands out to me.

Compared to other platforms, it is faster. It’s more aesthetically pleasing, incredibly useful, and does what it says. Many different platforms say they can do a live auction in real-time or have a pop-up button that donors can just press, but they don’t. Event.Gives is a straightforward system that engages donors and allows me to fundraise virtually or in person without any obstacles. 

What is your favorite Event.Gives feature?

It’s hard to pick just one! I love the donate button/bid button and how it is inlaid, on screen, in real-time. It is absolutely effective. I love how easy the backend is. It is easy to produce professional quality programs that you can seamlessly edit together. I love the speed and clarity of connection. I like the QR code check-in for in-person events–it saves a lot of time. The ability to connect to an RTMP feed is pretty remarkable for hybrid events, and the ability to stream easily into the event is incredible. 

Final words from Lucas

I’m a poet, and that makes me different as an auctioneer. I look to use an economy of language, saying the most with the least amount of words. Brevity is important. This platform does just that.

With Event.Gives, you will quickly and clearly connect with people and impact the donations without explaining how to use the system. I value the human connection that you get with Event.Gives; the people that run it are what make it so valuable. This platform embraces relationships; when you use it, you work with people with excellent communication. The team is available and open so that donors can join that connection.

I think it is essential to have technology that does its job by getting out of the way of what’s important - people, relationships, and connections. This is a technology that highlights people. It’s a business built on relationships.