I received this email from Jessica.
She wrote:
“I follow your blog and I recently had an idea I wanted your thoughts on. We always do a Silent Auction at our Benefit Event and sometimes get bids of $100 on a $20 gift card. So my thought was to create bid sheets for items that our non-profit needs. For example, we could have one that says Pizza Night for Youth – $50, or sponsor a Foster Child’s Birthday – $25. Have you seen anything like this before? Do you have any suggestions?”
The short answer is “Yes, I have seen this before – a lot!”
At school auctions, these direct item sales tend to be for branded school merchandise or teacher needs for a specific classroom.
At nonprofit auctions, direct sales are often set up as a creative gift tree or a wish wall. Needs might include bedding, computer equipment, or a counseling session, depending on the mission of the nonprofit.
In the video, you’ll see examples of set-up and ideas that might work for your benefit auction, too.
