A silent auction typically displays items around a room with bid sheets that have incremental values that donors can write their bid number on. The auction goes on for a period of time and the highest bidder will win the prize.
With technology advancements, traditional bid sheets can be replaced with online bidding done from a user’s phone. This allows for donors to manage their bids easier, usually resulting in more (and higher) bidding.
Whether you’re planning a small school auction or a black-tie gala, running a silent auction requires attention. 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?
Please read and share any of our silent auction related items!
This two-part series helps you maximize your revenue and create a memorable experience for your guests by approaching your gala event as if it was a pop-up retail store. This first article focuses on the silent auction. Part 2 will focus on the live auction. All of this information and more comes from our highly… Read More »
This information and more comes from our webinar, It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Auction Profits. Auction packages are a great way to maximize your efforts and your revenue. By combining several items together, you can create a one-of-a-kind experience that will attract your guests and drive up bidding. But how do you describe… Read More »
In the first article of this two-part series, we looked at the concept of choice overload and reviewed some of the pros and cons related to small auctions with few biddable items versus large auctions with many items. We learned that because silent auctions are inherently unique events, caution should be taken to avoid a… Read More »
Ask someone for advice on the number of packages needed to make a silent auction truly shine and you might receive a response like, “as many as you can get.” When planning a benefit, we generally don’t spend time worrying about procuring too much; if anything, we worry about not having enough. But dig a… Read More »
So, you’ve already done some of the heaviest lifting in adopting a new technology—you’ve sold your nonprofit’s board on online bidding, then you reached out to guests about how to use it, while adding great online bidding resources to your website. But there are some more considerations to keep in mind when making such a… Read More »
Keep the bidding going in your live and silent auction with Second Bidder Winner. Your silent auction has gotten off to a great start.You have starting bids on all your items, and you are ecstatic. But later in the evening, your enthusiasm starts to lull when you notice the majority of your bid sheets only… Read More »
Rather than take up valuable space in your silent auction, why not simplify the process and offer restaurant gift cards for immediate sale? Everyone likes to eat out, and restaurant gift cards are great revenue generators; however, sometimes you have so many it becomes a distraction from larger items. A great solution is to create… Read More »
Perhaps you’ve had the same silent auction approach year after year, and you feel it’s becoming stagnant. You’re looking for a way to do something differently. Consider the “bid on green line” approach. What’s different about this, and what do you need to implement it? This game requires you to preset your bid auction sheets…. Read More »
You’ve got some really fantastic items for your auction this year—how are you going to entice your guests to bid on them? You’ve only got a few brief seconds to engage and entice as they walk through the item displays. What’s the best way to capture their attention? Look to your auction item descriptions. Simplicity… Read More »
What better way to generate excitement at your next fundraiser than to involve your guests in a game? People love to play and love to laugh. Give them a chance to do both while raising money for your cause. Heads or Tails is a common auction game. Here are a few more ideas to spark… Read More »