Conducting a silent auction can raise funds for your organization while letting you provide an information program or other hospitality to potential donors. Guidelines for doing a successful silent auction include finding prizes that enhance the purpose of your organization, allowing for a range of donor options, arranging procedures for efficient collection of prizes and funds and thanking all participants. As part of an educational presentation, dinner or luncheon, a silent auction allows donors to contribute to your cause at levels comfortable for them and go home with a special memory of your event.
Organizing the auction
Allow plenty of time to assemble your auction items. The more members of your group who participate in acquiring prizes, the higher the awareness of your event in the community. Make asking for donations easy with a letter members can send or present to potential donors, explaining your organization and its goals. Provide a form that can be filled out easily for the donor's name and contact information and a brief description of the prize or service. Allow the donor to set a minimum value on the prize. Offer a receipt suitable for posting for merchants: The XYZ company supports the ABC Community Fundraiser at (location, date, time). This strategy reinforces the community spirit of the donor, while also allowing you to further publicize your event. Ask for advertising a merchant might like to include in addition to the prize. This can be used to decorate the prize display or incorporated in a printed program thank you to supporters. Provide a schedule for collecting prizes before the event, and a secure location for storing them.
Making the prizes suit the organization
Encourage fundraiser creativity, but also provide general guidelines for appropriateness. A nature organization found itself with an unsuccessful auction when it decided to take bids on a gas-guzzling SUV, and it lost some membership in the bargain. A fair raising funds for a school concerned with healthy eating for children might not wish to solicit prizes from junk food purveyors. Highly personal services, such as massage and medical services, should be solicited only if they have been previously used by fund-raisers; even then, they might not suit the occasion.
Allowing for donor options
Especially if you have set a substantial ticket price for your event, recognize that potential bidders have a variety of financial considerations. Dividing a case of expensive wine so that bottles can be bid on singly or in pairs, for example, will allow more donors to participate in the auction rather than hoping a few people will bid on the whole case. Aim for a range of prizes that allow all attendees to participate. Including a sample range of prizes in your advertising can increase enthusiasm for all guests. You can also let attendees know about acceptable payment methods: cash, check or credit cards.
Allowing time for the auction
Establish and announce times for the auction at the event. Point out a few of the auction items, and remind bidders to provide contact information with their bids. Provide a period in which those interested can explore the auction without missing other parts of the program: a cocktail hour before a meal, a break between the main course and dessert or a break before speakers are introduced all work well. Providing music or a display of organizational activities during this time allows those who do not wish to participate in the auction to mingle during this same period.
Ending the auction
Close the auction 30 minutes to one hour before the event ends. Decide whether winners will be announced or quietly contacted one by one. This gives volunteers time to notify winners and arrange for payment and prize collection. Seemingly at every occasion, volunteers will be confronted with at least one auction winner who has gone home early and must be contacted after the event for payment and delivery. Make certain volunteers know what to do in this circumstance. Closing the auction before the event ends makes this problem less likely.
Saying thank you
Plan prompt thank you letters to all prize donors. Although there is no need to report the exact amount of funds the auction item raised, conveying the success of your event makes donors feel effective: Your generosity helped us send four children to camp this year; thanks to our donors, we can contribute $5,000 toward our town's new fire truck. Promptness counts--especially if you might return to this donor for a future event.
