Silent Auction Ideas

What about services? A car wash and wax. A complete housecleaning. An hour with a "colorizer". A manicure. A catered dinner-of-your-dreams.

I've been involved in a few of these. Last night I saw a good one. (This was for a high school program) You could approach a radio station. This one had comps to an all day rock festival they were sponsering. (Big time acts) You could put that out on its own or decorate a basket with cd's and promotional items from the radio stations or bands.

People will donate time shares, and resort condos etc.
Passes to amusement parks. Call all the pro teams in your area for tickets. Find out who has a (luxury box (could be a corp or private person) Get them to donate the luxury box for an event.

We've had chefs donate a private meal in someones home for their guest.

Celebrity items go over really well too. Autographed balls, photos etc.

If you'd like some more ideas, shout. Who will be attending the event?

What about:

A pass to a gym

Massage, facial, pedicure.

Our orgainzation had a silent auction. One of the prizes was a progressive gourmet dinner for eight. (Our bridge group won) Three women were involved. One served drinks and appetizers, the second the main course, and the third dessert, coffee, and after dinner drinks. The gal who served the main course commandeered two friends whe were dressed as a maid and a butler. Great time!

Basket of cheer (liquor)

Baskets filled with cosmetics and/or other toiletries. (These are things that could be donated by the membership.

Two tickets to a great show.

You need to brainstorm on who you know especially within the organization. Where do they work. What do they do for a living. Who do they know.

Approch your local merchants.

Private people are oftern very happy to lend a hand. They like to show off or get new customers.

Accounting Services
Violin lessons
Swimming lessons
Life guard for a pool party
Baby sitting
Tennis lessons
People with those hard to get season seats for the opera or athletic event.

We've done creative fantasy things like your child can be principal for the day, or a VIP tour of a factory or business or say a behind the scenes tour of whatever-- the museum or TV station.

I could go on and on.

Does anyone have a timeshare week to donate or a cabin on a lake?
Local artist or photographer donate art or pictures.

Thanks, guys!

fealola, I have been brainstorming, and the group I work with is coming up with SQUAT. So, I come here. (Hmmm, does that mean I'm absquatulating?)

Nobody has nothin' like a timeshare.

Local artist is donating art... that's one I have.

I have been approaching local merchants. That's been so-so. One gestured to a large elaborate gift basket in the window and said she could do one of those for us. GREAT! Went to pick it up this weekend, she had forgotten, I said, "Oh, no problem, I'll come back later," she said no no I'll do it now, got some crappy thing and a little box of chocolates and wrapped it up in tissue. There ya go! Hmph.

Go on and on, fealola! EXCELLENT ideas. Everyone else, too!!

fealola, how do you find out about luxury boxes? (Won't be any individuals we know.) How do you find out about the private people?

To reiterate, I'm faced with virtually zero home-grown talent or contacts, so it's almost all cold calling or creative use of untalented people.

Deaf people.

I would suggest contacting the sales department of the area teams or venues - they may be able to pass your info along to their boxholders, or even better, many teams and venues have "house" boxes that they either sell by the event or use for community service opportunities.

Let's see. Luxury boxes. You are near a large city, right? (I think). If you don't know anyone with one, you could approach a large corporation. They usually have luxury boxes. Or call the stadium or team directly. Or somebody that knows a honcho.

Will this be a married with children type crowd? Tutoring is good. Babysitting.

If your community does this sort of thing alot, the merchants can be pretty blase sometimes.

How about going to a breeder for a blue blooded puppy? Dog traing lessons.

Re: Condo's and time share. There might be some sort of resort opening in the area trying to drum up business. You could approach them.

Take that box of chocolates and put it in a basket with something else like like some champagne and a massage, etc. and call it a romantic basket.

You could approach the local media and put in an appeal. How about a day or lunch with a local celebrity.
We've done that.

Yes, it looks like cold calling will be neccesary for you. Drag. But people do like to help if they can! You're going to have to get creative.

A round of golf?

since the event is "at the end of December", perhaps a Valentine's Day getaway package at a local spa, restaurant, or hotel

Part of the bummer part of cold calling is that I can't literally cold call. Cold calling through relay is the kiss of death. So I make personal appearances, which is serious shoe leather.

And email. Email is good. I've been getting somewhere with email. (Happy about the shiatsu sessions, 3 of 'em worth $60/ea.)

There is DEFINITELY donor fatigue in my immediate area. Lots of high school events and such.

Ooh I like valentine's day package idea, zrock! (Brainstorming with you guys is 1,000 times more productive than brainstorming with the committee, I tell ya...)

Yeah! With that box of chocolates!

Or, A Forrest Gump Basket. Box of chocolates, a bunch of Tom Hanks movies CD's, a recipe for shrimp or a gift cerificate to a seafood restaurant or a shrimp cook book!

(fealola's goooooooooooooooooooood...)

I'm also getting over my intrinsic distaste for calling in favors/ making use of my own contacts. I know a woman who is very active in the cultural scene in Chicago -- galleries, plays, restaurants -- and I'm in the process of writing her an email and seeing if she has any contacts/ ideas for me.

That's a great contact! It really doesn't cost a museum anything to give a years membership away.

Here's an idea for a basket especially in December and if you have any married couples with little kids (You may even bid on this one!):

The New Year's Romantic Home Alone Basket

Someone agrees to do an overnight baby sitting at their home on New Years Eve till an agreed upon time the next day. till noon at least!

You make a pretty basket with goodies like some nice champagne and champagne flutes, crackers and cheese or caviar, that box of chocolates etc.

Who knows, might go over well!

Of course try to get your local grocery store or someone to donate the items.

How about associations...restaurants, rotary, etc are all business associations you could contact to see if they can give you a heads up in the right direction or a bit of an heads up at a meeting, etc.

The last one I went to had alot of artists work, sports memorabilia and events, loads of baskets and lots of small local business gift certificates...as well as the catered dinner and dinner date with local celebrity topping off the evening...as a live event.

The one other thing they seemed to have alot of was dolls, it was just odd to have quite a few dolls/doll makers....one or two I could see but, they had like 5 or 6.

Some of the interesting small package lots were from bookstores and were themed...toddler book and toy, calendar for work and home, regional threesome of books history, photographic, fiction...they were different.

Good Luck..and keep up the fine work!

Yes, Quinn is right. You can make big themed baskets out of small donations. Jus make sure you give everyone credit.

Wow, you guys are just great. I've already singled out fealola, but EVERY response here has been really useful.

The event will be ON New Year's Eve, actually, but that's an awesome idea. I'd SO want that!

Associations is a great idea, quinn. I have contacted the Jaycees, they're interested in just donating money outright. Gotta go further, though, chamber of commerce, whatnot.