New Whitepaper: How Do I Run a Silent Auction

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How to run a silent auction

How to Run a Silent Auction

Excerpt from the full whitepaper:

RUNNING A SILENT AUCTION

Whether you’re planning a small school auction or a black-tie gala, running a silent auction is hard work. There are a dozen questions you should ask yourself: will this be a stand-alone event or should I include a live auction? Dinner? Dancing? Before you start hammering out the details, you’ll want to know whether you have the resources—and enough lead time to prepare—to hold a silent auction.

Once you’ve decided, this step-by-step guide will get you through organizing an auction committee, procuring items, creating eye-catching packages and arriving successfully at the end of event night.

TIPS AND BEST PRACTICES FOR YOUR SILENT AUCTION

Publicize Your Catalog.

Create an online auction catalog through your Greater Giving event website, then email your guests a link in advance of the event to the “auction preview.” Unveil packages in groups to build hype and don’t forget to post them on social media.

Thank-you Letters and Receipts

Use Greater Giving’s built-in Letter & Email function to send thank-you letters to all auction attendees and item winners. You can also print or email updated copies of receipts after the event is over and credit cards have been processed. Lastly, publish photos on your Facebook page and tag guests.

Final Reports

Run your final sales and summary reports from Greater Giving and start thinking again about what items sold well this year, what surprised you, and make a list of what could be improved for next year.

If executed correctly, this guide, the technology you’ve integrated into your event, and your team should seamlessly execute a successful silent auction!

Share your stories and best practices with us to be featured on our social media or blog by emailing marketing@greatergiving.com.

From the planning stages, to event night, to reconciliation, Greater Giving offers a complete end-to-end solution—resulting in increased revenue for your organization. Greater Giving provides an all-in-one solution to manage all the details of your fundraisers year-round—from auctions with live or online bidding, to registration and donations, to athons and more, we’ve got you covered. Our solutions are easy to set-up and train volunteers and staff. With no limit to users, number of events, or support—we’ll help you reduce costs and save valuable time. Collecting credit card data at an event is easy as a swipe with Greater Giving USB and mobile card readers. And, with data exchange, you will be able to interface with most donor management software—keeping all of your donor data connected.

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