You have a lot of wonderful items gathered for your silent auction – that’s great! But that’s just the first step to creating a successful, exciting silent auction. Bids don’t automatically appear with your items. You need to add a little spice to your silent auction! Let’s take a look at a few insights that we at AmFund have gathered over our many years of experience with silent auctions.
· Keep things exciting. The Deliberate Close: Perform a short welcome announcement about the silent auction and the closing time (we recommend no more than 90 minutes for the duration of the silent auction).
Make an announcement at 30 minutes left, 15 minutes left and 7 minutes left. These announcements will build the suspense as your guests scramble to make their bids in time.
· We live in a digital age – utilize it! Everyone has a cell phone. Take advantage of this technology and text your guests to let them know that they have been outbid! This is the most efficient way to personally communicate with your guests. Your guests will remain informed so that they can put in another bid.
· Try out a “Super Seven Silent Auction.” This method can bring in a lot of money, and fast! This kind of auction works especially well in place of a cash call. Here’s how it works: your auctioneer reveals to the audience that there is a new table of 7 very exciting items for them to bid on. But here’s the catch: they only have 7 minutes to bid on them. This is where the fun begins! Your guests will get into a bidding frenzy over these surprise items. These are exciting prizes such as bucket list trips and experiences, high end jewelry and other items with instant appeal. Best of all, this is a quick and easy way to potentially add thousands of dollars to your bottom line.
Silent auctions can bring in a lot of money for your nonprofit organization with the right features in place. The bottom line: don’t expect the items to bring in bids solely based on the quality of your items. Add some spice to your silent auction to ensure a successful event! For more insight on some other exciting features that can be added to your next silent auction, contact us at AmFund. Please remember, like you, AmFund is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to raising money for your organization and your important cause.