Gamification techniques have long been an effective means of promoting fundraising. It’s a great idea to implement such a strategy when planning your silent auction. For example, a virtual auction software is designed to notify participants when they have outbid and provide a countdown clock to motivate users to take their next step before they lose the item. By purchasing in-demand items such as airline tickets, exclusive experiences and unique gift baskets, you can set up your silent auction for a great success.
In a silent auction, items are shown to the participants and each item has a bid sheet. Participants tacitly place their offers on the offer sheet using an offer number on their favorite item. As more and more non-profit events are canceled, silent online auctions are becoming more and more popular, offering non-profit organizations the opportunity Silent Auction Ideas to collect donations in different ways. Articles that follow a topic and open your world to a new and exciting adventure will attract the attention of your donors and make them bid. You or your volunteers can communicate with the participants when they enter to feel the pulse of the room and get them excited about the offers.
Data shows that silent mobile bidding auctions generate 25% to 35% more revenue than a similar paper event because donors stay engaged as the event is literally in the palm of your hand at all times. To set up an online event page, you need to enlist the help of auction software. When choosing a provider, consider the cost of the platform, features and IT training and support options, as well as the number of supported bidders when organizing an online auction. Traditionally, donors who can participate in a silent auction are limited to those who are close to their event. Since the silent auction software allows you to place bids on your mobile phone, it is easy for anyone to participate in your fundraiser.
All profits earned by participants in the live auction and their bids go to a charitable cause, either to a sponsored program or to the non-profit organization that organizes the auction. They are simply pieces of paper that are placed next to each auction item and contain lines for bidding. To bid, participants must write their bidder number and the bid amount in the first blank line.
By reducing the quantity and emphasizing the quality, you get a list of silent auction items that sell well. In addition, by combining related donated items into thematic auction baskets, you will make everything on offer much more desirable for your bidders. The average return on an auction item is from 50 to 65 percent of its market value. This means, for example, that for a pair of tickets worth $ 100, you can reasonably expect that the participants of the charity auction will pay from $ 50 to $ 65. Live auction items tend to generate higher bids, while the more relaxed and spontaneous nature of silent live auctions brings values closer to the 50 percent mark. But live charity auctions bring a lot of money, although they may not be suitable for all occasions.
This kind of creative silent auction items can trigger a bidding war that can easily triple the suggested retail price. It is easy to arrange them at an auction sending company and they will provide all the promotional materials and descriptions. Organizing a silent paper auction can be more complicated and less lucrative than organizing a silent auction with a mobile bidding format. However, bid sheets are still quite a viable option, and many organizations still choose to follow the historical path and use them during their silent auctions. Unlike live auctions, silent auctions put little pressure on donors and appeal to their desire to get something for their donation. This event also helps to expand your donor base and reach smaller donors who want to donate but can’t donate large amounts.
If you use silent auction software or mobile bidding, you may also need to explain how it works. Silent auctions collect donations for your non-profit organization, while giving you the opportunity to get in touch with supporters and sponsors of local businesses. A well-conducted silent auction requires a dedicated team and months of planning, but the right tools can help simplify the process and ensure the smooth running of the event.
Mobile bidding is an updated process that allows non-profit organizations to raise more money in silent auctions. Through mobile bidding, guests can check the auction items and bid from their mobile phones. You can bid manually or even set a maximum bid amount for the software to bid on your behalf.
Places that can accommodate several hundred participants are, in fact, large halls. We often see the silent auction tables pushed against the cascading walls around two or three corners of the room, with guest tables in the middle. This is not an ideal setup, because the guests of your bidder will have to travel the entire distance of the room to see all the items offered. Your fundraiser will do better if you set a section in an area of the room that holds everything together. Also pay attention to the traffic flow, move the tables away from the wall and let people browse and bid from both sides of the table, which increases efficiency. Make sure that there is also enough space between the tables so that people can comfortably pass by while others go through the items offered on the screen.