Top 10 Auction Items for your Gala and Charity Event.
Top 10 Auction Items for your Gala and Charity Event.
Picking the best auction items for your event is arguably the most important part of a charity event. If your attendees do not find interest in any of the auction items, you will not hit your fundraising goals.
Most think to add as many items as possible to reach their goal but sometimes this is not true, yes you want a variety of items and enough so everyone who wants to bid and take home an item can. But if you add too many it can get over-saturated and lose the idea of supply and demand. It can take away from the charity and why you are raising the money. Your attendees are there because they want to donate, remember that.
Auction items need to be picked carefully based on different aspects,
The charity you are representing.
This is very important to consider when picking items. Your items don’t necessarily always have to include the charity or link back to them, but they need to make sense as to why they are there. If it was an event hosted by the Cubs you wouldn’t have football memorabilia in your auction, it doesn’t make sense.
Demographics of your donors.
Reviewing who your donors are helps you get a start on what items to source for your auction. For example, if you have an abundance of women registered for your event you will most likely not want to get items that would normally be targeted to a male audience. Having a mix of items that are versatile is always good, or items that can be enjoyed by both women and men is a safe way to source items and know that they will receive bids. Keep in mind the age of the donors as well, are they older or younger?
Budget, not only yours but your donor’s budget.
When picking items just because your organization can afford to purchase them or was able to source a high-end item from a sponsor it does not matter much unless your donors are going to bid on it. You want to spend your funds wisely when organizing a fundraising event so the optimal amount of money raised can be donated.
Event theme.
If you choose to have a themed event it helps with finding auction items. If you are having a tropical-themed event, consider giving away items that relate to that theme based on your budget. It could be a basket full of beach bag essentials, a trip to a tropical area, or a pool pass for the summer at a local pool.
After taking those aspects into account you can then continue to pick your auction items. Remember not every auction item needs to be a large ticket item, as long as your items are curated correctly your attendees will bid.
Auction items that are affordable that will bring in high bids.
Gift baskets | Gift baskets are an easy way to create a custom item. Gift baskets can be items for an at-home spa night, a basket full of items you need to make the perfect charcuterie board, or a cocktail-making basket filled with all necessary items to create a cocktail of your choice. The options are endless when it comes to creating a gift basket. |
Tickets to local events | Concerts, sporting events, or comedy shows. These are popular items that can easily be sponsored too if you reach out to the organization planning the event! |
Gift certificates | This is great because it is not too specific, you give them the certificate and they plan how they want to use it. A gift certificate to a restaurant allows the purchaser to then decide when they will go to the restaurant and so on, it allows more flexibility than giving away a reservation for a planned night. |
Wine tasting | There are always bound to be wine lovers in your group of attendees. Adding a wine tasting rather than a bottle of wine is more exciting to the bidder. Try contacting your local winery to receive this as a donation! |
Subscription packages | Subscription packages are something someone can bid on that they won’t just receive one item or experience but a whole year of monthly gifts. There are subscription packages for everything, beauty, animal, and sports lovers. |
High-price auction items that will get your attendees bids.
Travel Packages | Travel packages always add excitement to an auction. Many like the idea of a trip being pre-planned for them and all they have to do is attend and enjoy. Especially when the package is created perfectly with many unique perks that set it apart from any typical vacation. |
Workout equipment | This may seem like something no one would want to bid on, but you would be surprised. If you are able to get your hands on a popular piece of workout equipment that many cant will definitely create an interest. A peloton, for example, is typically on backorder and the delivery time is 6-8 weeks. Many are not interested in a wait time like that even though they want the item so having it there already for immediate purchase can bring in a lot of bids. |
Sports Memorabilia | Going off being able to attain something that many cant, like sports memorabilia will add a lot of appeal. People are often big sports fans but are not interested in searching the internet for memorabilia but would love to own something that means a lot to one of their favorite players or teams. |
At-home chef services | Who wouldn’t love to host a dinner party and not have to worry about cooking or take a night off from cooking for their family. The key is having fun and different experiences people don’t think of regularly on their own. |
Outdoor excursion | Boat rental, ski outings, many love to stay active! Adding outdoor experiences can appeal to many, these can be fully customized based on where you are located. |
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