How to Host a Silent Auction
Silent auctions are a great way to raise money for an organization or charity. At a silent auction, people bid on items by writing down their name and bid amount. The person with the highest bid at the end of the allotted time wins the item. Silent auctions are also a useful advertising and promotion tool for local businesses that donate prizes and services to be bid on at the auction.
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Things You'll Need
- Auction items
- Word-processing program
- Printer
- Display stands
- Tables
- Pens
Instructions
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Choose a date and time for the auction. Silent auctions are typically done during another event such as a banquet or dance. Select or appoint an auction committee. Assign roles for each committee member: gathering auction items, numbering and sorting items, creating spreadsheets and documents for presentation, collecting money and distributing the auction items after the auction ends, and overseeing the event.
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Visit local businesses and people you know to ask for auction items. These can be physical items, such as a piece of jewelry or a television, or services, such as a month of free lawn care or a massage. Collect auction items.
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Design fliers to display in front of each auction item or in place of the auction item (in the case of services or gift certificates). Assign each auction item a number so it can be tracked in a spreadsheet or database.
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Create a bidding sheet with a description of the item, the item number, the starting bid, minimum bid increases and lines for bidders to write their name and bid amount. Display all the items on tables. Place the bidding sheets in front of the items. Be sure to include a pen with each sheet.
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At the event, make an announcement when the silent auction opens (typically at the start of the event); make additional announcements 15, 10 and five minutes before bidding ends. Collect all the bid sheets; notify and collect payment from the winners.
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References
- Photo Credit Thinkstock Images/Comstock/Getty Images
