There are several benefits of holding a silent auction to raise money. Unlike live auctions, silent auctions put little pressure on donors and appeal to their desire to get something for their gift. This event also helps to expand your donor base and reach smaller donors who want to donate but can’t donate large amounts of money. If you’re looking for unique silent auction ideas, you’ve found them. While products and experiences are popular, a name tag is a great way to increase your fundraiser’s publicity and allow donors to create something meaningful. Perhaps the most popular item, which appears 5 times on our top 20 list, falls into the category of unique experience packages.
These auctions are usually scheduled by alumni or PTO/PTA organizations, and you’ll want to include items that appeal to students or parents of students, depending on who will be attending. You don’t need high-value items for viewers to be interested in the artworks you’re auctioning off. Instead of trying to ask for a donation from an artist whose work is selling for $100,000 or more, ask local artists who are trying to make a name for themselves to donate some pieces. By including locally produced artwork in your auction, you can help aspiring artists build a loyal following. Seeing a professional sports team in action on the field is one thing.
We recommend using a free fundraising tool that allows you to share exciting previews of your items, accept all payment methods, and update your followers in real time. You can also sell tickets for your event and allow attendees to add a donation to the cost of their ticket for another funding increase. The most popular auction items are usually unique, limited edition or exclusive, such as signed baseball shirts, VIP behind-the-scenes passes and unique outings. In general, when donors get into a bidding war, they want to spend money on something they can’t get anywhere else.
For something truly special, reach out to well-connected board members or spend time brainstorming with your volunteer committee to see what unique relationships they can have. Be sure to promote these high-impact Silent Auction Package Ideas items before the event (our online pre-bid package makes it easy) and encourage your auction volunteers to point them out to guests. Creative themed baskets are great raffle prizes and silent auction items.
Are you looking for fun fundraising ideas for your PTO, school club, student council, sports team or church youth group? Lottery baskets and silent auction gift baskets can make a lot of money for your organization – you just need some really attractive ideas to entice your guests to bid on them. However, when planning the technical details of your auction, remember that your auction will focus on the items you get for your guests to bid on. Without an exciting collection of auction items, your event may not be the success you expect it to be. Fortunately, we’ve created this list of silent auction basket ideas to ensure that your selection of auction gifts gets your guests in a hurry to bid the highest bid. Raise money for your charity, PTO/PTA back-to-school event, sports/football team, school, church, band or any other organization?