A silent auction is an excellent fundraising technique that is fun and productive for the non-profit and enjoyable for the participants. These fundraisers can be justifiably classed as easy but they repay handsomely.
A spacious venue such as a church or school should serve perfectly well for a silent fundraiser. Here first let us be clear on what a silent fundraiser means. In a silent fundraiser participants bid by placing bids on a sheet of paper and at the end of the bidding period the highest bid wins. This does not make the bidding competitive, it stays fun and in keeping with the spirit of charity.
Get the community members to donate items, from their home or business. There is a lot of scope here. You can build up a huge collection of stuff to auction for example, sports goods, household items, utensils, keepsakes, mementos, paintings, rugs, cutlery sets, etc. If required, you can purchase stuff to auction. However, the best thing to do is to solicit donations for the fundraiser. Start the gathering process at least a fortnight early. Have volunteers visit donors to gather the stuff. Send out emails and follow-up with gentle reminders. Tell sponsors that this is a great opportunity for them to gain positive reviews for the business. If you can arrange for press coverage, it is an added incentive for the businesses to participate whole-heartedly.
To get people interested, place the items at a vantage point where they can be viewed. Take special care to prominently display the valued stuff. Keep the items visible in a high-traffic area. Describe them so as to tickle the fancy of people and catch their attention. There is some marketing involved her, but then a lot of fundraising activities are so dependent on marketing. Tempt people and prime them to get ready for participating through intelligent display of items. Make intelligent use of lighting techniques to display premium items to the best advantage.
The descriptions that you write should be easy to read from a distance. Mention if there is anything unique about the item, donor’s name, item description, and its retail value. For smaller items that you get, bunch them together so that you get a basket that people can bid for. Such baskets are very attractive. Incense, perfumes, candles, soaps, toiletries etc can be clubbed to create an enticing basket that some one or the other will want to take home.
