Auction fundraising ideas and proven fundraisers.

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Profit Quests Fundraising

Free Fundraising Ideas And Resources For Nonprofit Organizations

Fundraising Ideas Silent Auctions

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Shhhh! .... Silent Auction In Process

Silent auctions are a fantastic method to bring fun and profit to special events. Do you have a banquet once a year? Why not have a silent auction at your event to bring in extra money.

This does require some time and planning, but

you will find that you will have a good time doing

it. Don't expect too much from your first year.

Your initial auction will help you work out all of the

bugs while letting your supporters know that you

will be doing this each year.

The first step (1.) is to recruit a Committee Chair for the silent auction. This will be a sub- committee of the special event that you will be hosting. If your auction will be held during a banquet, the Auction Committee Chair must coordinate the time involved with the overall Banquet Chairperson. This is a crucial factor in making the silent auction fit seamlessly into the banquet allowing for a memorable night that your supporters will not soon forget.

Next (2.), the Auction Committee Chair will then recruit helpers for the following activities:

1. Securing gifts from merchants (2 nights in a hotel, vacation trip from a travel company, cell phone from a cellular company with minutes, etc.).

2. Securing services (lawn service for 2 months, free tax processing, free dental checkup, automobile tire replacement, etc.).

3. Find items on consignment that you can offer (paintings, movies, antiques, etc.)

4. Securing gifts from restaurants (dinner for two at an upscale restaurant, one free lunch each week for a year, etc.).

5. Securing services from members (free house cleaning for a week, accounting, home decorating, etc.)

6. Securing gifts from members (paintings, hunting trips, tapestries, unusual works of art, etc. -- NO JUNK please).

7. On site set up team. This team will be in charge of printing the placards for each item. They should plan for attractive display tables. Create a sheet or two for each item where a person may print their name, phone #, and amount for which they bid for the item.

8. Head cashier with several volunteers. The last thing you want after a successful banquet and auction is for donors to have to stand in a long line to get their item(s) and pay for them. Make the check out process fast and easy for your donors.

The key to a successful auction is to have the most unique and unusual items found anywhere. The more items that someone can touch and take home the better. Services are fine, but more funds are realized with actual physical items unless its something like a vacation trip or dinner for two.

(3.) Be creative in looking for items. Ask for donations initially. If you have to purchase items, purchase at wholesale only and set the minimum bid at what you paid for the items.

As you are looking for items, set up your online auction web site. We suggest you look at cMarket Online.

Ask members for item ideas during a brainstorming session. Also, have your Silent Auction Chair attend a board meeting and get your first items from board members. Ask for the best items they can provide. Emphasize you do not want junk that's been sitting in their closet waiting for an opportunity to unload.

On the night of the auction, items should be attractively displayed (4.) on tables (with skirts) surrounding the banquet meeting room. At one auction, a doctor offered a restored Mustang automobile that was actually driven into the banquet room for all to view. The amount raised for the car was well over $20,000. Provide plenty of room for guests to move around.

Limit the auction to 1 hour before the banquet begins. Allow an extra 15 to 30 minutes as others begin to arrive and take their seats. This gives newly arrived supporters some opportunity to bid. Provide some chamber music or other type of low key entertainment as guests arrive.

(5.) Have the banquet host count down when there is 10 minutes left in the auction. Then have an announcement every minute during the last five minutes. Officially close the auction before your Invocation and Introductions. Announce the winners just before the featured speaker takes the platform. Give instructions how a winner is to pay and pick up the item won.

Gather all items (6.) while the guest speaker is talking. Bring items to the back exit with the names of the winners and their winning bids. Be ready to take checks, cash (do have plenty of change) and credit cards. If you can't take credit cards, then set up a billing form and get the donor to sign. Tax deductions usually do not apply for these items, but check with the latest IRS rules if in doubt.

(7.) Deposit your profits and send a special

"thank you" to the donors of your auctioned

items and the bid winners. Give them all a

short report on what was raised and

encourage them to attend next year and to

refer their friends. For issuing receipts,

see Receipting Policies.

Ask your contributors in this letter to contact you if they have an item for next year's auction. Write a story and include it in the local newspaper unless you had a photographer from the local newspaper at the banquet. (8.) Start planning for next year's auction.

Find here at Profit Quests more resources on charitable auctions.