A nonprofit gala without a run of show is a series of things that happen in a room. A gala with one is a program with intention, timing, and a clear chain of responsibility for every transition.
The run of show is the master document your entire event team works from on event night: every segment, every cue, every owner, and every contingency. It's not the event program guests see. It's the internal production document that keeps your team aligned from setup through close.
The template below is built for a standard nonprofit gala with a silent auction, cocktail hour, dinner program, fund-a-need appeal, live auction, and formal close. Times are placeholders. Adjust the structure to your event, your program length, and your venue. The format matters more than the specific times.
How to use this template. Copy the structure into a shared document accessible to all staff and vendors on event night. Add a column for "Notes/Contingency" on each row. Distribute it at least one week before the event and review it at your final run-through. Every person named as an owner should have a copy on their phone.
Jump to a section:
- Event Night Roles and Owners
- Setup and Pre-Event
- Cocktail Hour and Silent Auction
- Dinner Program
- Fund-a-Need Appeal
- Live Auction
- Auction Close and Checkout
- Post-Event
- Run of Show Tips
Event Night Roles and Owners
Before the run of show makes sense, assign owners. Every named role below should correspond to a specific person. "Staff" or "volunteers" as owners create accountability gaps when something goes wrong.
Event Director
Overall program owner. Makes judgment calls. Only person who can adjust the run of show in real time.
Tech Lead
Owns all technology: auction platform, AV, live display. Has no other event-night duties during critical segments.
Emcee / Auctioneer
Controls the stage. Receives timing signals from Event Director. Does not improvise program order without authorization.
Check-In Lead
Manages guest registration and check-in staff. Escalates issues to Event Director, not auctioneer.
Auction Floor Lead
Manages silent auction floor and spotter team. Monitors bid activity and draws attention to unbid items.
Fund-a-Need Spotter Lead
Coordinates spotter positions and pledge entry during the appeal. Reports real-time total to Event Director.
Payment Lead
Manages checkout station and handles declined cards, payment questions, and item pickup.
Venue Liaison
Point of contact for catering, AV, and facilities. Handles venue-side issues so Event Director stays focused on program.
Setup and Pre-Event
Setup Phase: 4 to 5 Hours Before Doors Open
T-5:00
Team arrives. Venue walkthrough. Event Director confirms setup access, AV availability, and parking. All owners receive final copy of run of show. Event Director
T-4:45
AV and display setup begins. Screens, projectors, microphones, and speaker system tested before furniture is arranged. Tech Lead Venue AV
T-4:00
Live display confirmed on screen. Fundraising thermometer, donor feed, and display views tested. Tech Lead confirms display transitions for cocktail hour, fund-a-need, and close. Tech Lead DISPLAY CUE
T-3:30
Silent auction tables set. Items displayed, signage placed, QR codes or bid sheets in position. All item photos confirmed in digital catalog. Auction Floor Lead
T-2:30
Full team briefing. Event Director walks all staff and volunteers through the run of show, roles, and escalation chain. Auctioneer and emcee walk the stage and confirm program order. Event Director
T-1:30
Check-in stations open and staffed. Guest list loaded on all devices. Payment methods pre-loaded for registered guests confirmed. Staff at stations. Check-In Lead
T-0:45
Auction catalog opens for pre-event browsing. Confirm catalog is live and accessible. Send notification to registered guests that bidding is open. Tech Lead CATALOG CUE
T-0:30
Catering confirmed and on schedule. Venue Liaison confirms cocktail hour service timeline with catering team. Venue Liaison
Cocktail Hour and Silent Auction
Cocktail Hour: 6:00 PM to 7:15 PM (75 minutes)
6:00 PM
Doors open. Check-in active. Floor staff circulating to assist guests with mobile bidding access. Auction catalog live and displayed on screens. Check-In Lead Auction Floor Lead
6:15 PM
Event Director monitors bid activity dashboard. Identify any items with zero bids and direct floor staff to draw attention to them during cocktail hour. Event Director
6:45 PM
First silent auction close warning. Emcee announces from stage: "The first group of silent auction items closes at 7:15. Place your bids now." Name 2–3 specific lots. Emcee STAGE CUE
7:05 PM
Final 10-minute warning: Group 1 close. Emcee announces. Outbid notifications sent to all active bidders on Group 1 items. Emcee Tech Lead STAGE CUE NOTIFICATION CUE
7:15 PM
Group 1 silent auction closes. Tech Lead closes Group 1 items in platform. Emcee announces close from stage. Winners receive notification. Tech Lead Emcee CLOSE CUE
7:15 PM
Guests directed to dinner seating. Emcee invites guests to find their seats. Floor staff assist with wayfinding. Emcee Floor Staff
Dinner Program
Dinner and Program: 7:15 PM to 9:00 PM
7:15 PM
Welcome and opening remarks. Emcee opens the program. Board chair or executive director delivers welcome (4–5 minutes max). Emcee
7:20 PM
Dinner service begins. Venue Liaison confirms service is underway. First course delivered. Venue Liaison
7:30 PM
Sponsor recognition. Emcee acknowledges event sponsors from stage. Confirm sponsor names and logos on screen. Emcee Tech Lead
7:45 PM
Group 2 silent auction close warning. Emcee announces: "The remaining silent auction items close at 8:00. Place your final bids now." Emcee STAGE CUE
7:50 PM
Outbid notifications sent: Group 2 items. All active bidders on remaining items notified. Tech Lead NOTIFICATION CUE
8:00 PM
Group 2 silent auction closes. All remaining silent auction items closed. Winners notified. Tech Lead confirms close in platform. Tech Lead CLOSE CUE
8:10 PM
Mission moment begins. Video plays or speaker takes stage. AV cued. Room lights dimmed if applicable. No stage interruptions during this segment. Tech Lead Emcee AV CUE
8:14 PM
Mission moment ends. Brief pause. Emcee transitions directly to fund-a-need introduction. No gap between mission moment and appeal. Emcee
Fund-a-Need Appeal
Fund-a-Need: 8:14 PM to 8:30 PM (approximately 16 minutes)
8:14 PM
Auctioneer takes stage. Fund-a-need begins. Live display switches to fund-a-need view: goal amount, thermometer, donor feed. Spotters in position throughout room. Auctioneer Tech Lead Spotter Lead DISPLAY CUE
8:14–8:25
Auctioneer calls giving levels, descending. Spotters enter each confirmed pledge in real time. Display updates with each pledge. Event Director monitors total. Auctioneer All Spotters
8:25 PM
Fund-a-need closes. Auctioneer announces total raised. Display shows final amount and celebration. Emcee thanks donors and transitions to live auction or next program segment. Auctioneer Tech Lead DISPLAY CUE
For a complete guide to running the fund-a-need from cause selection through spotter strategy, see how to plan a nonprofit gala.
Soapbox Engage Auctions runs bidding, fund-a-need, and live displays from a single dashboard on event night.
See a Demo
Live Auction
Live Auction: 8:30 PM to 9:00 PM (approximately 30 minutes)
8:30 PM
Live auction begins. Auctioneer introduces first lot. Item description displayed on screen. Tech Lead has all lot details queued. Auctioneer Tech Lead DISPLAY CUE
8:30–8:58
Live auction lots run in sequence. Each lot: auctioneer opens, bids taken, hammer falls, winner confirmed, next lot introduced. Target 4–6 minutes per lot maximum. Event Director signals auctioneer if running long. Auctioneer Event Director
9:00 PM
Final live auction lot closes. Auctioneer wraps auction. Emcee transitions to program close or entertainment. Auctioneer Emcee
Auction Close and Checkout
Checkout: 9:00 PM to 10:00 PM
9:00 PM
Auto-charge initiated for pre-registered payment methods. Tech Lead runs auto-charge for all guests with payment on file. Monitor for failures. Tech Lead PAYMENT CUE
9:00 PM
Checkout summaries emailed to all winning bidders. Guests with outstanding balances receive itemized total and payment link. Tech Lead
9:05 PM
Payment help station opens. Payment Lead staffs station for declined cards, questions about totals, and cash or check payments. Payment Lead
9:05 PM
Item pickup begins. Auction Floor Lead manages pickup area. Staff confirm item claim receipts for physical items. Auction Floor Lead
9:45 PM
Formal program closes. Emcee thanks guests and invites remaining guests to complete checkout before leaving. Emcee
10:00 PM
Room begins clearing. Final checkout assistance. Payment Lead handles final outstanding balances. Tech Lead exports payment and bid report. Payment Lead Tech Lead
Post-Event
Post-Event Wrap: 10:00 PM to 11:00 PM
10:00 PM
Event Director debrief with all leads. 15-minute standing debrief. What worked, what didn't, any outstanding issues that need follow-up. Event Director
10:15 PM
Revenue summary pulled from auction platform. Total raised by stream: silent auction, live auction, fund-a-need, additional donations. Compare to goal. Tech Lead
10:15 PM
Outstanding payment list generated. Identify guests with unpaid balances for follow-up the next morning. Payment Lead
10:30 PM
Technology packed and secured. All devices, cables, and display equipment accounted for. Platform admin access confirmed. Tech Lead
Next AM
Thank you emails sent to all attendees within 24 hours. See
the donor follow-up playbook for the full post-event stewardship sequence.
Development Team
Run of Show Tips
Build in buffers. A program timed to the minute will run over. Add 5-10 minutes of flex time in your longest segments. Dinner service and the live auction are the most likely to slip. Identify in advance which segments can absorb extra time and which cannot.
Don't share the full document with vendors. Your auctioneer and AV team need the sections relevant to them, not the full internal document. Create vendor-specific one-pagers with their cues, timing, and contacts highlighted.
Designate one person to hold the program. On event night, the Event Director is the only person who can adjust the run of show. If the emcee decides to extend a segment or a speaker runs long, the Event Director calls the adjustment. Multiple people making program decisions in real time creates chaos.
Test every technology cue before doors open. Every display change, every AV transition, every platform action that appears as a cue in this document should be tested in the actual event environment before guests arrive. A cue that works in the office may not work on the event venue's network.
Distribute before the final run-through. The run of show should be in everyone's hands at least one week before the event so they can raise questions in advance. A run-through held the day before the event with a document no one has read is not a rehearsal. It's a first read.
For more on event planning from the first committee meeting through event night, see our complete nonprofit gala planning checklist. For post-event follow-up, see the donor thank you playbook.
Soapbox Engage: Auction and Event Technology for Live Fundraising
Bidding, fund-a-need, live displays, and checkout, all from one dashboard on event night.
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