Nonprofits often turn to events to mix up their fundraising activities, engage supporters, and spread awareness of their mission. Auctions are among the most popular fundraising events because in addition to these benefits, they have the potential to bring in significant revenue for your organization.

In many cases, silent auctions are lucrative fundraisers for nonprofits. Their broad appeal attracts a wide range of participants, they can be paired with a variety of other events to increase the total revenue your organization brings in, and they tend to have a high return on investment (ROI).

When your nonprofit hosts a silent auction, the items are the star of the show. After all, you’ll only hit your fundraising goal by motivating supporters to bid on your high-value prizes! To encourage competitive bidding, showcasing your items in an appealing way is essential, and one way to do this is through well-designed bid sheets. Although bid sheets are primarily a tool to track which auction participants are vying for which items, they can also grab supporters’ attention and provide them with key information to help them decide if and how much to bid on a particular prize.

Raffles are some of the most engaging and fun fundraisers out there. The chance of winning an appealing grand prize combined with the ability to support a good cause often attracts a wide audience, allowing your nonprofit to bring in significant fundraising revenue. Plus, they’re fairly simple to organize and can be paired with many other events and campaigns.

If your nonprofit is hosting an auction fundraising event, it’s important to consider how to get participants excited about bidding on your most valuable auction items. Designing a charity auction catalog will help you do just that!

Many nonprofits find a live auction to be one of the most lucrative fundraising events they run. Participants have the opportunity to meet other passionate supporters and get caught up in a fun, competitive atmosphere as bidding wars ensue. This entertainment value combined with the opportunity to purchase one-of-a-kind items creates a positive attendee experience while bringing in revenue to fund your organization’s mission.

Gift baskets are a staple of silent auctions. It’s generally easier to procure smaller, lower-value auction items than big-ticket ones, and bundling several of the smaller donations you receive into one basket gives the items a higher starting value. Plus, well-designed baskets are more unique than physical items or gift certificates alone.

A silent auction is a classic nonprofit fundraiser and with good reason. Nearly any organization can hold a silent auction either in-person or virtually, and they pair well with many fundraising events from galas to golf tournaments. As participants bid on their favorite items, they foster a fun, competitive environment while raising funds for your nonprofit.

If your nonprofit is planning a charity auction, the most involved part of the process will likely be procuring items. You’ll need to approach businesses and providers that are willing to support your mission and offer products or services that your supporters will be excited to bid on, all in time to build out and release your auction catalog prior to the event date. Although finding the best auction items is your team’s top priority, how you solicit item donations is just as important in ensuring you secure those items. Businesses will be impressed by a professional approach, and your organization is looking to maximize the value you gain from items while minimizing risk in procuring them.

Consignment travel packages can be extremely lucrative for your nonprofit, providing the ability to sell incredible trips multiple times, at no risk to you or your organization. Doing so benefits your event in three ways: Increase revenue: Double, triple, or quadruple your profit on a single package. It's a win-win: Making Bidders happy means making your nonprofit happy. Capture secondary bidders: Why have one winner when you can have multiple? Having more than one of the same auction items means there is no second place. Doubling up enables your auctioneer to capture additional revenue from more people. It's easier to pull off than you might think! There are unlimited ways to sell multiple no-risk consignment travel packages at any point of your event timeline—before, during, and after—that doesn't take any extra procurement on your part and costs nothing if items do not sell. Read on for the strategies our nonprofit clients have used to double, triple, even quadruple their revenue on a single package to raise a lot more for their cause.

Virtual event fundraising for Nonprofits has slowly become the new normal. As we venture into this new world, our Virtual Team compiled their favorite tips & tricks to share with you all!