Silent auction setup

Create a budget. Set a budget that is feasible for your nonprofit and your event to make sure your silent auction runs smoothly. Are you hosting an event that requires a large space?

Are there any events or holidays that could potentially conflict with your event date? Brainstorm potential sponsors.

Sponsorships take time to cultivate and secure, so outline a plan with your committee to: Outline a list of new sponsor targets Assign sponsor solicitors Create sponsorship levels and benefits Develop sponsor materials The earlier you start, the better chance you have to lock them in!

Step 2: Create Procurement Strategy A silent auction can only be as successful as the quality of its auction items. To get started, you can generally count on these charity auction buckets to bring in big bids : Travel package Signed memorabilia Gift baskets Custom artwork Make sure to communicate the retail value of your auction item to bidders on your bid sheet—item value is a huge factor in driving bidder.

To have a strong marketing strategy , you will need to: Select an event name. Create an event-specific hashtag. Develop a social media plan. Promote your event online. Send save-the-dates email and paper. Create on-site signage. Highlight your biggest auction items. Advertise your event in local press and news outlets.

Volunteers The amount of volunteers you need to run your auction is dependent on the size of your event, setup of your venue, and in event fundraising activities you have planned. On-site setup Take a moment before your event to put yourself in the shoes of the attendee. Create the perfect guest experience by taking time to setup: Arrange silent auction tables along the walls of the space.

Display items in a way that appeals to the shopper in all of us. Strategies to avoid hidden items: Good signage Items arranged in baskets Different levels of display Set up your bid sheets with the correct item.

Paper silent auctions will have bid sheets beside each item. Mobile bidding, all item and donor information will be on accessible and bid on via phones. Auction Item System Your auction experience is only as good as your auction items are organized. Here are two suggestions: Color code your items based on categories that make sense for your auction. Example: items with blue bows are memorabilia, green bows are travel packages, and yellow bows are gift baskets. Create a numerical system with categories.

Example:iItems in the s can be gift baskets, s are memorabilia, s are consignment items, etc. Do what makes sense for your specific event. Ready to register your guests? You bet you are! Step 5: Conduct Registration Registration is the first impression your guests have of your event — make it a great one!

Ready to Welcome: Your volunteers should be ready at check-in to greet and register guests, take tickets, and relay important information. Have Handouts Organized : Print all lists, charts, and materials and have everything backed up on a zip drive just in case.

Or better yet, ditch handouts entirely by using mobile bidding to display important information. Ditch Alpha Check In: To avoid long lines and frustration, have multiple registration stations.

Give guests their bidder number and send them on their way! Streamline Registration by asking guests to pre-register early on and encourage them to have a payment method on file. Presenting information in bullet point form allows guests to process information quickly. For intangible items like travel packages and dining certificates, you can "paint a picture" by writing a descriptive paragraph.

Mention restrictions, conditions and exemptions. These include expiration, redemption and blackout dates. Leave a special space to recognize the item donor. If the item is a service or particular location like a restaurant , include a map or specify the address.

Place the Event Name and Charity Name at the top or bottom of the display sheet; choose the option that makes the sheet look as uncluttered as possible. Recent Popular Categories. Tweets by WinspireMe. Summy Lau As Fundraising Editor, Summy brings hands-on experience in nonprofit development, event fundraising, publishing, copywriting and design to Winspire News. She creates blog content, infographics, templates, eBooks and other resources to help fundraising professionals and volunteers exceed their fundraising goals.

Her two favorite perks of working at Winspire: hearing nonprofit success stories and dreaming of new bucket list destinations. Related Posts.

Lou Prisco. Best Practices: Postponing your Fundraising Event With the postponement of a gala event, much work needs to be accomplished in a short period of time and approached with flexibility and care. Latest Posts. The bid sheets that are numbered — are for the packages that will be placed on the green tables. The bid sheets that are — are for packages going on the orange tables. You place each of the bid sheets face up on the appropriate tables and motion to your crew to start bringing the silent auction items off the truck.

You tell your crew that each package has a colored sticker with a number on it. The sticker colors are green and orange.

When do you need to book your venue? When do you need to finish sourcing items? What are the key deliverables for your marketing plans? You might want to use a some productivity tools to help keep things organized. Pre-Promotion: As soon as your silent auction date is set, start sending invitations and rallying your community!

Pro tip: If you share item descriptions online before the auction, attendees can plan what they want to bid on, or help advertise the items through word of mouth. Venue: Your venue should be big enough for attendees to mingle and chat, especially if the silent auction is only one part of the evening's entertainment.

Consider the needs of your event, and make sure you find a space that highlights the auction. Even better, work with your community: you could ask a local restaurant to host and auction off a dining package or private dinner, strengthening your ties with business partners. Source High-Value Items: An auction is as good as its items.

Go find valuable items that will get your audience excited, so you can raise the maximum possible revenue from your auction. Later in this post, we cover which items your audience is likely to find valuable. Item Setup: They say don't judge a book by a cover, but we all do it. Set up a solid display to make your items seem appealing! Choose wisely from stages, platforms, easels and cases, and keep lighting and location in mind when arranging your collection. Make sure everything is tidy, and that each item has its own time to shine—you don't want a bidder to skim over their could-be item!

Item Description Sheets: Every item should have an item description sheet , where you can give more details about what the item is, say who it was sponsored by, and provide a photo this is especially helpful if the item isn't physical! For an example, a vacation package. You can also distribute copies of these sheets throughout your event! For example, collect them into a booklet and keep them at dinner tables, cruiser tables, the bar, etc.

This will remind your attendees about the silent auction and will encourage them to place a bid. Registration: Registration isn't required!

But there are two core benefits to having bidders register before the auction: 1 Your silent auction can be anonymous. After participants fill out the registration form , you'll assign them a bidder number, which they can use to place bids instead of using their names. Some people would rather not put their name on a public bid sheet for everyone else to see!

This is VERY important, since you might need to get in touch with the winning bidders after the event—or provide them with receipts. Some bid sheets will include a place for people to note down their contact information but, again, not everyone is comfortable leaving their information in a public place.

Bid Sheets: Bid sheets are where the actual auction takes place. They should include the name of the item, its value, and a minimum bid amount. Then, if you've used a registration form, you'll just need pace for people to note down their bidder number and bid amount.

Some auctions also offer a "Buy Now" price. If someone as their heart set on an item, they can buy it before the auction ends and take it off the market! This is optional, but it's a good chance to increase revenue, since the "Buy Now" amount is usually quite high. Volunteers: Silent auctions can be labour-intensive. Recruiting well-trained volunteers to help with soliciting items, inventory management, auction set-up, registration, and checkout will ensure your event runs smoothly and your bidders have a good time.

Remember: you'll also need someone to wear a Volunteer Coordinator hat! Auction Monitors: If possible, experienced or trained volunteers or staff should act as auction monitors. They'll be in charge of keeping an eye on the items and bid sheets to make sure everyone's following the auction and bidding rules.

Checkout Area: Having a cordoned off area that deals with the actual monetary transactions will help make transactions private if requested and secure.

Be prepared to deal with cash, checks, and even credit cards using any nonprofit credit card processor. Silent Auction Software: Although it's not a necessity for every organization, auction software like Auctria can help you manage your fundraiser more effectively and easily. Here's how to sew success into the fabric of your auction. Keep it Mission-Related Your audience is attending the event to support your cause Each participant in your auction should feel like they're getting something out of it: Bidder: Your bidder shouldn't just feel like they're buying something—they should feel like they got lucky after an evening of fun.

Make sure they enjoy browsing, bidding, and talking about the items at your auction. Item Donor: If you've set up your items right, and your bidders are motivated, the items should sell for what they're worth or more! That way, at the end of the night, any item donors can feel proud that their items did well, and raised valuable funds for you. Your Organization: When your bidders and donors are happy, you're more likely to secure future event attendees and item donations!

That means you'll forge stronger relationships that help you to raise more into the future. And there you have it: a win-win-win. But, you ask, how can you figure out what will excite your guests? Some of the items that work across the board are: Restaurant gift certificates Wine and wine collections Vacation getaways Hotel stays Sporting event tickets — especially VIP boxes that bidders would not otherwise be able to access Entertainment concerts, theater, symphony, opera, ballet tickets — especially when these events tend to sell out Gift packages of any of the items described above Other experiences may be even more unique, and as such may be even more valuable to your audience.

Some ideas, outlined in this post by Claire Axelrod , are: Personal services performed by your staff, your board or a group of your supporters. Get creative, and use the skills of the people in your network. Unique community experiences. For example, lunch with a respected professor, a day spent behind-the-scenes with a local broadcaster, a ride on a traffic helicopter, etc. Think of things that people may not otherwise be able to access, but that they'd find enjoyable or interesting.

Once-in-a-lifetime experiences. If you have donors with a large budget, then by all means look for that walk-on part in a movie… the dinner for 8 cooked by a celebrity chef in your own home… the box seats for the World Series… the opportunity to conduct the symphony. There are also some items that you shouldn't bother looking for, including: Professional services such as unless the provider is well known and respected : Interior design consultation Pilates classes A chiropractic session Financial services consultation Art unless you have a crowd of art lovers and your art has been vetted by professionals.