Most silent auction donors arrive at the event with an idea of the amount of money they will be spending.
They look for the regularly featured items they love year after year, as well as new, enticing additions, but they nearly always have a spending limit already in mind.
The question is, what if they have money left over at the end of the night?
Offering mission-inspired packages as part of your silent auction is a great solution for guests who want to donate more but have already purchased the fabulous item they wanted all along. These gifts are directly related to your nonprofit and can be large or small, inexpensive or extravagant, so everyone can purchase one. And, best of all, your guest leaves the event knowing they’ve done as much as they can to support your mission.
For nonprofits that offer services to a community, the donations they receive from donors is the fuel they require to obtain the products needed to complete their work. For many organizations, there are times when the on-the-ground teams are unsure whether or not they the cash flow is enough to continue the important work they provide for their community. Let’s take a look at a few different types of mission-inspired packages to get some ideas started for your next fundraiser.
Explore more ideas for mission-inspired packages with Mission Limelight’s CEO Talena Barker in her Greater Giving webinar “Power Up Your Auction Revenue Through Creative and Strategic Refinement.” She offers insights and ideas to make it easy for your guests to give directly to your nonprofit at your next fundraising event.
Bidding for Services
Put your nonprofit’s services into the auction so your guests can “become” part of team. Let them sponsor a specific item you offer with bids that can be as small or large as they want. The auctioneer could offer $10 per meal packages and guests can purchase any number of meals they want to donate—25, 40, 100, or 250 meals!
If your nonprofit helps underprivileged women find jobs offer bids on business clothing. It could be a small as a pair of shoes, handbag, or accessories, all the way up to an entire outfit.
Offer every type of service you provide, with varying pricing options. Detail what the benefactor will receive from their donation and make the amount easy to multiply to fit into your various bidders’ funding goals.
“Buy a Service” Tables
Adding a “Buy a Service” table or tables to your event space for a quick and easy way for donors to purchase your nonprofit’s services for a benefactor. Place them in convenient locations around your venue and dress it up in your nonprofit’s swag so it’s clear the items on the table are directly connected to the work your organization carries out.
For instance, if your organization supports a homeless shelter you could offer opportunities to purchase either toiletries, bedding, or an entire bed. Your guests could even go big by purchasing a bedroom package where all these items are packaged together for one benefactor to receive for a night. Providing different levels of service opens up opportunities for everyone to give.
Fundraising for a youth sports team offers other opportunities to give. Your guests could purchase a uniform or equipment for $50, give $60 toward a tank of gas to get the team to a game, or even write a check for $200 to pay the rent on a soccer field for a day. Take a comprehensive look at what your nonprofit needs on a daily basis, then build your mission-inspired items around those needs.
