Silent Auction Tips

“If your auction is tied to an event, be sure to create colorful signs that can be posted throughout other locations of the building, directing attendees to the silent auction area. Post signs that describe the type of payment accepted and when payment must be made. If the organization can store the items until payment is made, this should be noted so that bidders who came unprepared can be part of the auction and pay later. If attendees forget their checkbooks, make it clear whether other arrangements for payment are possible.

Publicizing the Auction

• In addition to publicizing the auction to donors, you also will want to publicize it to those you hope will become bidders.
• If your auction is part of a larger event, be sure that any posters advertising the event include a line about the silent auction.
• If the organization has a newsletter, put an ad in the newsletter the month before the auction takes place.
• Whenever possible, remind people of the possibilities of finding a “bargain.” If your auction takes place close to Father’s Day or December holidays, note that the silent auction is a great place to find gifts. Look at the calendar and see if you can tap into the potential for graduations, seasonal holidays, or other events important to your community.
• For organizations routinely using the same building where the auction will take place, post signs a month before the event to catch the interest of potential shoppers. Advance notice allows attendees to prepare to purchase and bring checkbooks and credit cards.
• If time allows, create a large poster thanking the donors who have given to the auction. Familiar business names will spark interest among attendees and other donors may want to “get in on the action” when they see competitors names displayed publicly.

Running the Auction

After the auction table layout is complete and all items are labeled and displayed, you are ready to begin your auction. It is best to always have the auction table manned. Attendees may have questions that will affect whether or not they will place a bid, and some items may require attention for security reasons. Create extra labels and bid sheets and have them ready—invariably, last-minute donations are made and flexibility is key to accepting donations graciously, rather then refusing a donor’s gift because it arrived “too late.”

Monitor all bid sheets to see that items are receiving bids. If a few items are not getting much attention, or if comments are made that indicate the start price is too high, cut the start bid price to a level that generates attention. Remember that the item is a donation—any amount that you receive for it is more than you will have if the item goes without bids at the auction’s end.

Auction staff can walk through the event and invite attendees to visit auction tables. If the event has a schedule with a host of ceremonies, be sure the host advertises the auction by listing some of the gifts and donors or announcing the timeframe of the auction. Issue reminders 30 minutes before and five minutes prior to the auction’s end. Many bidders prefer to wait until the last minute to scoop previous bids or see how many items they can afford to purchase. There is usually more activity in the last few minutes of the auction than at any other time.

When the auction is over, announce the official end of the auction and remove all bid sheets from the table so that bidding stops directly at the conclusion. Evaluate the highest bids on each bid sheet and put the name of the winner and the winning bid directly on the item label. Payment can be collected directly at the auction table or the organization can decide how and when they will collect payment. If payment will be collected at another time, plans should be made to safely store the auction items as they await pick-up.

More information on silent auctions