When a silent auction is done right, it can be a great asset to your fundraising event and bring people back every year. However, it can be easy to fall into silent auction overkill! It may seem crazy to turn down free items that could potentially bring in a profit, but are the items really that compelling?
Once you determine the right amount and caliber of auction items for your attendees, try presenting them in a more exciting way. Instead of placing items on a table, you could have roaming volunteers showcase them like Miami Children’s Hospital Foundation did for its Wine, Women and Shoes event.
Fund a Need’s are becoming a very popular way to raise money at an event without having people bid against each other for an item. We recently had a client who was doing a Fund a Need, but wanted it to be less formal and more fun. We came up with a concept that allowed guests to visualize their donation by creating an interactive piece of art where every time a donation was made, a section of the piece was painted by local artist.
Water Gala recently took a similar approach by giving donors helium-filled balloons that they then released into a net inside the venue. These are both modern day approaches to the old “fill up the goal thermometer” way of showing donations.
If you are interested in brainstorming a creative upgrade for your auction or Fund a Need, please contact info@evntiv.net
