A. Naturally you'll want to contact people or businesses who share your organization's interests, but don't limit your list to only those groups. Be sure to consider other businesses such as banks, picture framers, sporting goods stores, antique shops, or hardware stores. Your employer or even you may be able to donate to your auction. Take appropriate precautions to see that companies don't receive multiple solicitations.B. Contact potential contributors. Get commitments in writing when possible, with name, address, phone and description of each item. If cash is donated, be sure to keep good records, that the donor knows the correct way to make out the check, and that the donor gets a receipt. C. Designate one location for all items to be gathered, and make sure all workers know about this. D. How many items should you try to obtain? As many as possible, but consider the potential number of meeting attendees. If you're expecting a large crowd, you should have many, many items.E. Try to vary the costs. Have high-priced and low-priced items. Have items that appeal to men, some for women, and some for children. Contributors may ask for suggestions for items to donate. Here are some general categories that have proven to be successful:
* Handcrafted wood items (almost anything will sell if it is well made) * Children's toys (particularly unusual or hard to find toys) * Handmade crafts * Sporting goods * Fishing or hunting trips * Furniture (cedar chests, rocking chairs, etc.) * Original or limited edition prints, water colors, or oils * Unusual or "unique" items (i.e. puppy) * Vacation weekends (Hotels, company lodges, etc.) * Tools * Fishing equipment * Antiques
THE BOTTOM LINE: Anything YOU would like enough to offer a serious bid on will be a good silent auction item! Remember that attendees want either to get a good buy, or to find something unusual. They will often pay far more than an item is worth if it is something they can't easily find elsewhere. F. Items on consignment: Ordinarily, this is not your best bet. It's cleaner and the accounting is easier if items are donated outright and free of strings. However, if a sure-fire item is offered, and it has the potential of bringing in the big bucks, it may be worthwhile to consider it.
Publicity
Good publicity is essential -- before, during and after the auction. A. Pre-auction publicity should be geared toward building excitement for the auction. Let people know what they can expect. Mention some of the items which will be available for bid. Be sure to include when, where, and why the auction is taking place.
B. Auction time: Sometimes, it works well to have silent auctions take place within an annual meeting or similar event. If that is the case for your auction, you may want to consider the following possibilities for publicity. Any registration packets should include information about the auction. Meeting registrars should mention the auction to each person registering, and ask them to visit it. Announcements concerning the auction should be made periodically during the meeting or event. This creates a sense of excitement about the auction. C. Afterwards, be sure all donors are thanked privately and publicly. A personal letter should be followed by public acknowledgment via newsletters, etc.
Auction Arrangements
This is an important step, and one that should be well thought out. In most cases, the room arrangements will be made by the sponsoring organizations, and the auction chairman should make the needs known well in advance.
A. The auction space should be in a room with doors that can be locked, or if that's not possible, you should arrange for security. B. The room should be large enough to allow for ample circulation. Often a too-crowded room will deter bidding. C. Tables should be placed around the walls, with ample room for the items without crowding them too much. If space permits, place a few tables in the center of the room, allowing plenty of elbow room. D. The auction room should be near the center of the action. This allows people to drop in before and after meals or inbetween other sessions of your event.
(If applicable, host a cocktail party inside the auction room just prior to closing of the auction. This works well and adds to the excitement.)
Preparing items for bidding
A. Check all items to see that they are clean, whole, and working (if they have working parts). Don't use items that are broken, cracked or obviously used (except in the case of antiques).
B. Prepare bid sheets for each item. Number each bid sheet. Bid sheets should be clean, neat and professional looking. Each sheet should be supported in some way for writing purposes. One way to do this is to staple the sheet to cardboard backing. Have blank sheets on hand for last minute items.
The top of the bid sheet should list the item for bid in large, bold letters, with a short description, if appropriate, and the name of the donor. If donors ask not be named, simply write "Anonymous Donor." The remainder of the sheet would include a series of numbered lines. See our line of silent auction bid sheets.
It's a good idea to have duplicates of each bid sheet on hand.
Most committees have found that names work better than numbers for bids. At the end of the auction, no additional work needs to be done to ascertain who won the item. This can also provide a friendly sense of competition that adds to the fun. However, some believe that it is better if people do not know who their competition is.
C. For intangible items such as hunting trips or vacation packages, provide a picture, brochure, video, etc., and complete information on what is included in the deal. This should be laminated and reinforced so it will stand. (Again, cardboard can be used to create a picture frame stand.)
BE SURE TO PROVIDE PLENTY OF PENS AT EACH TABLE FOR BIDDERS TO USE! DO NOT USE PENCILS.
Bidding Procedures
A. It is best to set rules on bidding procedures, and post these rules with a rule sheet. 1. Establish a minimum bid jump. It is suggested that round dollars be used, or you might get into a situation where bids are upped by pennies. 2. No bids less than previous bids. (This can happen!) 3. Changed, or lined-out bids must be initialed by the bidder. 4. No bids accepted after the end of the auction, period. No excuses and no exceptions. 5. The committee should decide ahead of time concerning minimum bids. These should be used sparingly, and only for high-priced items. B. If the committee has received cash donations and used the cash to purchase items, it is best to have someone from the committee begin the bidding at the cost of the item. If no one overbids, the item can be returned for cash, and the committee won't lose anything. C. Sometimes unusual items will go for a long time without any bids. This is usually because people just don't know where to start the bidding. In this case, the auction committee should begin the bidding with a reasonable bid. The bidding will almost always take off once it's started.
Ending the Auction
The auction can end at a set, pre-announced time. At that time, all bidding is stopped. Workers should be placed strategically around the room, and should immediately start picking up bid sheets. They should watch to see that no one adds a bid.
Another option is to pre-set the ending time, but keep it secret. This option makes the bidding livelier throughout the auction, but it may cause some complaining.
The auction manager should have a list of all auction items by number (be sure to add items brought in at the last minute). The name of the top bidder is listed beside each item, with the amount of the bid. Be sure to check the amount of the last bid, and make sure it is higher than the previous one. If it is not, the highest bidder gets the item. This list is then posted.
Set a time for items to be picked up and paid for. This can be hectic if there are a large number of items. Be sure to be prepared:
A. Have cash on hand for change. B. Have enough workers or volunteers so that this part runs smoothly. C. Allow bidders to pay with charge cards if possible. D. Consider varying pickup times. For example: names beginning with A-G pick up at 7:00 pm, H-0 at 7:15, P-Z at 7:30, etc. E. Another option is to allow x-number of people into the room at one time. Let them pick up their item(s) and pay, and they will then be out of the way. Allow others to come in as people leave. F. Don't get into the delivery business by offering to get the item to the bidder. This is counterproductive and more work than necessary.
OPERATE YOUR AUCTION ON A CASH AND CARRY BASIS. NO PAYMENT, NO ITEM.
What to do with unclaimed items? The bidder may have simply left the event site. Touch base with him/her later and check in to see if the item is wanted. If not, contact the second highest bidder. Or, simply save the item for the next auction.
Important Notes
It's important to have staff or volunteers assigned to oversee the auction process. Be sure everyone knows the auction schedules. All volunteers should be available to help close the auction.
Make your auction festive and fun. There are many ways to do this, and the committee should use its collective imagination. Here are some ideas:
A. Decorate the auction room. Use good signs, banners, etc. For example, use a western theme placing paper boot-prints strategically to point the way to the auction area. B. Have other activities simultaneously. A dinner included within the auction schedule is recommended. C. In order to keep bidding lively throughout the auction, pull certain items from time to time, and announce the highest bidder for that item. Replace the item with a new one. Avoid rushing the bids and confusion by staggering the start and stop time of all your silent auction items.