This is what happens if you have fewer items in your fundraising auction

Planning a fundraising auction or gala can take a lot of work and the idea of soliciting new items can be overwhelming. I get it! What if I told you that you don’t need as many auction items in your auction?

What if I told you having fewer auction items will actually raise you more money?

How?

Well, there are a couple reasons for this.

Supply & Demand.

Simple and straight forward. The fewer auction items available to your attendees mean that the bids will compound on the items that exists rather than being spread over hundreds of items. Not everyone will walk away with an item or spend money in the auction, but that is the magic of it. Those bidders will have more money to spend in your Fund-A-Need. So not only are your auction items raising more money, but you will begin to see more revenue in your Fund-A-Need.

Your mission matters

The second reason is that more and more, people are caring less about getting something in return for their money. When we remove distractions like hundreds of auction items, you can focus on the core of your mission which will lead to a powerful Fund-A-Need. Auctions are still a powerful for building momentum and raising literal thousands of extra dollars at your event, but a Fund-A-Need will capture donations from more of your audience and allow you to develop lasting relationships with them as donors.

CASE STUDY: Campfire MN

I had a first time client this year called Campfire MN (they provide outdoor education opportunities to underprivileged youth in our community). I do not have the official Fund-A- Need totals yet as it was very recent, but am happy to send them once I receive them.

Here is a note from their development person about the live auction,

“And in terms of revenue, our live auction did so much better than last year (6 packages gained $10,400 revenue) whereas this year 3 packages gained $13,000. Our Fund A Need was extremely successful as well! Thank you again.”

We intentionally reduced the number of live auction items to keep momentum high for the Fund-A-Need moment so we could engage more donors. In the live auction, with similar items as they had the year before, I was able to increase the average auction price item from $1733 (with another auctioneer) to $4,333 (with me as the auctioneer). The Fund-A-Need was increased from $28,860 in 2017 (with their previous auctioneer) to $38,550 in 2018 (with me as their auctioneer).

This is not an isolated experience. Time after time, I work with nonprofits who are tired of spending weeks or months soliciting items or paying out the big bucks to consignment shops who are going to take the majority of what they “raised” in the auction.

You can do this too!

How many auction items should you have?

For a Live Auction shoot for 4-6 items. This is enough to build momentum, but won’t be too long to take away from the mission of the evening or lose the interest of the non-bidders in the crowd.

For a Silent Auction try for 1 item per 5-10 guests. I can hear you sighing with relief from here. You. Are. Welcome.

Are you going to try reducing your items this year? Do it! You can thank me later.

11 Ideas for Silent Auction Baskets or Raffle Baskets

Are you struggling to come up with ideas for your raffle or silent auction? The possibilities are endless, but I totally understand how sometimes it can feel like when the time comes your brain just goes blank and you don’t know where to start. This week I worked with a client who did a Basket Raffle who had a great selection of baskets for which the guests could drop their tickets. Below I’ve included several of the baskets they hosted as well as some ideas that were inspired from each of the baskets. After you take a look, make sure to share in the comments some of your favorite ideas or any new creative ideas you or your committee come up with. We’re all here to help nonprofits make a greater impact on our world!

*This post may contain affiliate links. See my affiliate policy for more information.

Netflix & Chill

I know they technically called this one the “Take-Out food and Movies” basket, but I would call it “Netflix and Chill,” because…you know. This basket included some gift cards to local chains. Another option would be Door Dash or Grub Hub gift cards so they could receive delivery from any of their favorite restaurants. Add in a Netflix gift card to apply to their current membership (because lets be honest, we all have one already) and it’s a great option for someone to bid on or win something that they know they will already use!

Family Game Night

This particular package was built around the popcorn maker, but included a few games. Creating a basket around family bonding is a great idea because family unity is a core value for so many gala guests. Add in your favorite games that are easy to engage multigenerational players and some snacks. You don’t need a popcorn maker to make this basket a success. Pick the things that your family loves and you can be sure that others will appreciate it too!

“Get Hygge With it”

Yes, I’m renaming the baskets here. Get over it. I love a good pun and so will your guests. This Hygge, or Cozy Night In, basket was filled with hot cocoa, mugs and included a gift card to Barnes and Noble for some new books. If you want something more tangible than a gift card, pick out whatever Reese’s most recent Book Club choice was for a best seller that would intrigue most any bidder at your event. Facial masks, wine or cozy throw blankets would also be a great addition to this type of basket!

S’mores Basket

This one is pretty self-explanitory. All the s’mores essentials. Instead of a basket, they packaged this bad boy in an actual fire pit which was a great way to display all the goodies and really made this basket stand out. It also may inspire other baskets like “grills night out” or “grills just want to have fun” with a bunch of grilling essentials all packaged in a small tailgating-ready weber grill. Also, if you have an idea for a basket and need someone to create a pun, please reach out because I will be ready with ideas. I am 💯 percent serious.

Lucky Lotto

This item received the most tickets. I can’t guarantee that it would be as profitable as a silent auction item, but for a basket raffle it made bank. This basket was filled with lottery tickets, scratch tickets and other lottery-based items. You could add a giftcard to your local Casino. Most of our local Casinos donate a one-night stay which includes a buffet for 2 to most nonprofits for fundraisers, so you could reach out and get an overnight to make this prize even more compelling!

Margarita Madness

This basket included all the fixing for a Margarita night. Vodka, Margarita Mix, Margarita glasses, salt for the rim, some small batch craft salsa and guacamole mix. The winning bidder just needed to provide some friends and chips for a great time. This is another basket that received a lot of tickets in this basket raffle and the winner had a lot of fun taking home! Some other ideas would be some fixings for tacos or gift cards to a local favorite Mexican restaurant.

Craft Beer Basket

Your town likely has a thriving craft brewery scene. A great basket to offer is a Craft Beer Basket including some of your favorites. In my experience if you approach your favorite local breweries with a pitch for your nonprofit, you will probably get a growler or 6-pack along with some brewery swag to add to your basket. It’s a great chance for them to get exposure and give back to their own community. Sure it’s easy to buy craft beer and add it to the basket, but your local breweries may surprise you, don’t be afraid to ask. See my post on how to get beer, wine and liquor donated for tips on how to get these items for FREE!

CRAP Beer Basket

This one made me audibly laugh out loud. I have never seen this one before, but place it right next to your “Craft Beer Basket” to amuse your guests and get some engagement. This would not be a profitable silent auction item, but worked great as an option in the Basket Raffle. Throw some of your favorite domestic options in this one. I know our craft brew scene is strong, but you may have some bidders who like their classic easily drinkable domestic beers. While this didn’t get the most tickets, it definitely had people talking. Very cheap to assemble but it is something people will remember.

Single Cocktail Basket

This Old Fashioned Whiskey Basket was a hit among the guests. As a craft cocktail lover myself, I can imagine having an entire basket raffle filled only with single cocktail baskets. Think Manhattans, Old Fashioneds, Moscow Mules, Margaritas, etc. Purchase everything you need to assemble the perfect cocktail, including glassware, and add a recipe card so the winner knows exactly what they need to create the perfect cocktail at home. The creator of this basket picked some tasty whiskeys which was definitely a selling point. This would be a great item to pitch to local liquor stores as a donation for some free publicity and community outreach!

Italian Dinner Basket

This basket includes everything you need for a delicious Italian dinner. Pasta, wine, seasoning, sauces and more. Like the Old Fashioned basket above, this item is a great jumping-off point for brainstorming basket ideas. How many meal-inspired baskets could you come up with? Juicy Lucy Basket, Homemade Sushi Basket, Instant Pot Success Basket, etc. The possibilities are endless. This was a fun addition to the basket raffle and inspires so many more ideas. I’d love to hear what you come up with in the comments!

Self-Care Basket

This self-care basket included home facial masks, a luxurious Volcano Candle from Anthropologie, a self-help book by the inspiring Brene Brown and more. You could also include salon or spa giftcards, bath bombs, body lotions and oils, hotel giftcards (which you should 100% be getting donated from local hotels), essential oils, spotify gift cards, babysitting coupons, wine, coffee, a cozy one-size-fits-all robe or anything else that you would consider self-care. Think of what you love to have to pamper yourself and add it in this basket for the most competitive bidding.

What are your ideas?

I would love to hear some of your most creative ideas for baskets for silent auction or raffles. Have you ever done a basket raffle? Give it a try. It gives donors a chance to pick which prizes they want to be drawn for while skipping over the baskets that don’t give them much interest. It also lets the guests who just want to win, stock pile their tickets in the baskets with the fewest tickets so they increase their chances of winning! Thanks to the Fridley Schools Foundation for letting me share your wonderful baskets!

Must Have Live Auction Item #3: Unique Experience

A unique experience is the hardest item to come up with because you often need to think outside of the box and pull your personal connections in for this. There is really no real criteria here other than provide an experience or an item that people cannot access on their own. So, for this post, I will just be listing examples of things I have sold to get your creative juices flowing.

Examples of Unique Experiences

• Character created about winning bidder in a well known author's next book

• Trip to visit and tour Jay Leno's garage (with Jay Leno if the timing was right)

• Principal for a Day

• Trip with a professional sport's team to an out of state game which included accommodations and riding with the team on their plane to and from the game as well as an after party post game.

• Lock in sleepover at a museum with a roof top movie

• Premier parking space for school pickup and drop off

• Batboy (bat-kid) for local professional Baseball team

• Box at a professional sports game hosted by a (well-known) retired player

• Timed shopping spree at a local department store

The possibilities are endless for these types of items. What I would encourage you and your team to do is to plan an entire meeting that is set aside for brainstorming this type of item. Throw out ideas with the freedom of "no idea is a bad idea" and just go with it. Some of the best auction items sound "stupid" in your head before you say it outloud and realize that it could actually happen with the connections in the room. Eventually what will happen is one member will throw out an idea, another member will know someone with the right connections and you will find yourself with a very exclusive an unique idea.