How to Easily Get Donations for a Silent Auction Fundraiser
Silent auctions are great money-makers for fundrasiers. There not as difficult to plan as you think. One fo the key steps to a successful silent auction is collecting attractive donations to fuel the auction.
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Instructions
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Think outside the box. Don't stop at asking at stores that sell products. For instance, a dentist may be interested in donating electric toothbrushes, toothpastes and flossers. Put these in a basket with the dentist's business card and you have a great auction item for your event. This is also an attractive new way to market new patients for the dentist. Co-workers or friends may have side-businesses that they are willing to promote through a donation, for example, one free room design from an interior decorator, ½ hour massage from a freelance massage therapist.
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Be sure to get donations with a wide range or value. Give people the opportunity to participate without spending a lot of money or to really splurge on something they normally wouldn't. Get a couple of big "wow" donations. You can get big donations without deep-pocket or putting out money if you get creative. For instance, fundraisingrides.org provides hot air balloon rides to non-profit organization's silent auctions and raffles at a reduced cost and with no up-front investment or commitment. Ours was hot air balloon rides. We get these from fundraisingrides.org.
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Who's who? Get contact information of potential donors from previous events, local mall directories, business lists from the chamber of commerce, and phone books. Also keep all the advertising that your organization receives and contact these people to see if they will donate to your event.
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Give a little, get a little. When asking for donations in person from businesses, it is best to pair it with when you are actually spending money at that business. This isn't required, but it helps. Also, if your organization participates in other fundraising events for example, pizza sales, Entertainment books, school pictures, contact these vendors to see if they will give to your event. They will be likely to do so if they know your group has used their activity as a fundraiser in the past or plans to do so again.
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Find the decision maker. Call ahead to see when a manager will be working, and coordinate your visit with when a decision-maker is there. It may take a few calls or visits to actually make contact and get your donation, be prepared to be pleasantly persistent.
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Confidence and demeanor is key. If you are uncomfortable asking for something it's obvious. Always be pleasant and go in assuming the answer will be "yes." Often times it will be. Be willing to negotiate. If a potential donor says no to your request for products from their store, suggest something smaller like a gift card, or sample-sizes of a product that could be combined in a gift basket.
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No donation is too small. I've often paired donations from multiple businesses to make them look pricier at auction.
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Start early. Many larger corporations receive a large number of donation requests and require written requests 90 to 180 days before the event. Some won't even consider requests received outside their specified time frame. Better to receive a donation and store it for a while than to not get one at all.
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The age of the Internet. Are you uncomfortable approaching people in person and asking for donations? Good news! Many larger corporations will contribute to events and prefer you make your request via email or through an on-line form on their website. Do a little research on their website - Dick Sporting Goods, Southwest Airlines, Panera, and Seventh Generation are just a few examples of businesses that consider on-line requests.
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Time it right. Many businesses have a charitable donation budget that runs with their fiscal year. If you are told that they've spent their giving budget for the year, ask when/if they will be getting more budget any time soon. Then ask again at that time. Or even better, see if you can put in a request now to receive the donation once their budget renews.
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One man's trash is another man's treasure. Remember that gift from Great-aunt Sally that's been sitting in your closet with the still tags on it; you know the one you will never use? As long as Great-aunt Sally won't be at your event to see your "re-gifting," use it as an auction item! Send an email to the members in your organization to ask for this type of donation. You'd be surprised how many duplicate toys, wrong size gifts, unused gift cards, etc., collect dust in people's home. Alone or paired in gift-baskets, these make great donations. Just be sure to word the request in a pleasant way so no one's feelings get hurt and you are only receiving new, unopened items.
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What's in it for them? When soliciting a donation, clearly communicate the benefit to the potential donor. State how many people you expect at your event so they can understand how many possible customers will see their donation. Let them know if you will have an event program handed out to attendees that lists the donors. If possible, let your donor attend the event to talk up their donation/product. If your organization is a 501( c)(3), then donors may be able to deduct the value of their donations on their taxes. Be sure to give the donor your group's Tax-ID number, if so.
Thank you, thank you, thank you. A written (hand or computer -
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Thank you, thank you, thank you. A written (hand or computer-generated) letter of thanks goes a long way. These events would not be profitable fundraisers if it weren't for the donors. Let them know you appreciate their contribution. It's the right thing to do and it may make them more likely to contribute again.
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Tips & Warnings
Set aside enough time before your event. Getting donations is not difficult, but it is time-consuming.
Don't let a few "no' s" squelch your enthusiasm.
- Photo Credit Microsoft clipart
