Question about doing a Silent/Live Auction for my girl's school!!

[ilovejack02]

I just skimmed the responses so I am not sure if this was mentioned but a huge money maker at our silent auction is a reserved parking space for 1 year. The PTO paints the space (we did interlocking puzzle pieces this year) and the $$ raised is pure profit. It went for over $300 this year.

Or first in carpool is a good one too, it usually goes for a pretty penny at our school .

 

[Muushka]

I dealt with the live/silent auction on the business side. For all those who have done these auctions, did you have an auction computer program involved? Credit card linked to the computers? Receipts? I only worked with 1 non-profit and it was quite involved (technically speaking) with input of all items, value of items, bidding increments, winning bid....blah blah blah. But it was a great money maker! Just something to consider.

 

[lovehoney]

We have a live and silent auction.

For the live -
Dinner for 20
Vacation packages, hunting, deep sea fishing, Disney!!!
Concert package to see a popular tween star, with gift card and limo
Puppy - these usually go really well - especially for hunting dogs.
Sports packages - suites or great seats to professional teams

We have a paddles up during the live auction where you can bid on items (laptops, smartboards, etc) for the classrooms.

 

[IMALOVNDISNEY]

Hey there girl. How are you? There is alot to do!!!! I have been doing live/silent auctions now for DD's schools for the past 12 years. And we always start almost a year in advance with solicitations. My opinion is live makes more $$. There is an auctioneer here in the state that does school fundraisers. And he donates his services. Here's a few more ideas that I haven't seen posted yet.
Have parents donate a party for an entire class. Pizza, Ice Cream, movie breakfast. These go for huge $$ because the class parents can all chip in together to win this. These parties have never sold for less then $4-500.00.

dinner with the principle

dinner with the Mayor

a ride to school on a fire truck big $$$

front row seats for all events: k graduation, plays, etc. we did the same for Church events because my DD went to Catholic school. First Holy Communion, Christmas Mass, Easter Mass etc.

Weekend get-a-ways. Try to a put hotel, rest gc, and entertainment together. Bigger package means bigger $.

Send me a PM or call me.(do you still have my #). I can try and help you with instate places I know will donate.

 

[IMALOVNDISNEY]

Stay away from doing a raffle. The state of Ct is very strick about permits and way to many rules with these. Not worth the headache. Can you say thank you Moghen Sun and Foxwoods for this!!!

 

[v.t.]

You could also do an art gallery. Kids do artwork (either individually or in groups) and the parents buy the artwork. Limo rides to lunch is popular at our school.
If you are having a silent auction and people are doing the last minute shuffle at the cut off point, let them continue to bid. But this must be posted early that if there are competing bidders the time limit will be extended.

 

[4fosterkids]

such great ideas. Thanks for sharing!
I've helped with school and other auctions over the last few years. They are alot of work, but really fun too.
If anybody has lists of suggested donors (corporate or other), I'd love to get some new ideas of business's to ask. I feel like we kind of ask the same places over and over.
Please feel free to pm it, if it can't be posted here

 

[JustCallMeMommy]

Artwork by local artists is popular here. There is one who will sometimes donate a "blank canvas" to be filled after the auction in collaboration with the winner.

Since it is a school auction, you could have each class do a canvas. Each child could contribute to a group painting and sign the back. I saw this with a preschool class, and the parents really bid high to get that painting for their child.

Another idea - a front of the line pass could be auctioned that let's the winner skip to the front of the pick-up or drop-off line (logistics have to be worked out - our school does this one and the security guard or teacher at the corner stops the line for the winning parent), or a prime parking spot could be reserved for the winner.

 

[ENSOCK]

What went over great for our last 2 auctions:
the first place in the carpool line

a picture of all the kids in kindergarden with the girls dressed in the cheerleader outfits and the boys dressed in the football uniforms. they listed each child's name and across the top was listed graduating class of 2022. (whatever year that class will graduate) this brought $2500.00

also the pre-k class had a small table made. The top was tiles that each child in the class put their name and handprint. That was a hit.

Good luck!

 

[aprilgail2]

We have a chinese auction every year at my daughters school--most years I am the one running it. Make sure to send away letters to companies and be sure to send to American Girl they send a american girl doll ot organizations but only once every 3 years. Also Disney will send 4- 1 day hopper passes...but you have to do these at least 3 months in advance of the auction. Restaurants like Applebees we usually get from the local restuarant, not corporate. Regal movie theaters sends aform you fill out and they give free movie tix. Local radio stations always give us concert tickets, CD/DVD baskets etc...
We do have a budget to work with so we buy some things--when we go to Walmart or Target we always get a manager, give him a letter and see if they will either give it for free or give us a nice discount and they always do one or the other! Right after Christmas we start asking parents if they have anything new and unused they got but might not want to donate it. I have many friends that are teachers (not at the school that is doing the auction!) and they are always giving me bags of things they got from students with things like bath and body works items, candles and mugs to put in the auction!

 

[Promomx2]

We contact the local fire department and police department and they volunteered "a day with a fireman" and "a day with a policeman". Also the teachers volunteered to have lunch with kids and lunch with the music teacher was very popular.

 

[nursetink]

Here are some things I have seen over the past few years at our school action. A school uniform and a cheerleading costume for an American Girl doll, teachers donate days like dinner and a movie with Mrs. ?, each class creates some type of art project i.e.. photobook with each child's photo and their definition of a friend, social membership to one of the local country clubs, trips.

 

[kritter]

Thanks, for all of the WONDERFUL ideas::

Today, my girlfriend and I spent the entire day going all around town. We were able to get 43 donations/ads for our programs. We also got the prinicpal to agree to principal for a day, and a reserved parking spot, and got the Superintendent to agree to put a student's birthday on the sign outside of the BOE and their picture for the winning student's birthday along with an email going to every student in the entire school district and a phone call announcing the student's birthday!!

Please, keep the ideas coming!!

 

[PaulaSue]

Great Ideas!

 

[aprilgail2]

We also had different levels of prizes...we had level A, B C and D- level A's were one sheet for 2.00 Level B's were one sheet for 3.00 then level C were the single roll of tickets and those were 15 tickets for 10.00 and the highest level was 7 tickets for 10.00. Also we had a 50/50. Another thing was 3 lottery ticket trees and we sold those for 15 tickets for 10.00. We also did a mystery box...threw a few gift certificates and 75.00 in there and sold those tickets 15 for 10.00.
For the number of each prizes we had:
150 level A
150 level B
80 level C
and
50 level D prizes

 

[TLuvsD]

Get the teachers to group by grade level and do lunch with the teachers. If you have 3 first grade teachers, you would have 3 winners for first grade. This brings in crazy amounts of money. The teachers can take the students to lunch/breakfast (late start days), or bring lunch into the school.
If you have any kind of promotion/graduation, live auction reserve seats. Almost $1200 for the high school last year.
A ride to school with a police office, stopping for orange juice and donuts brought in a lot of money. For high school, things like job shadowing a trauma doctor, D.A., college prof are very popular.
Group small items together to make a basket. Use gift bags and colored tissue with scrapbook paper/brochures on the front for tickets (ie the Disneyland tickets would be in an envelope, stapled to the gift bag. Front of the bag was a scrapbook sheet of the park. Baseball tickets had the team logo. Movie tickets in a plastic popcorn box from Target, stuffed with tissue with rolled up yellow and white tissue popcorn on the top. Colorful presentation can increase bids.

 

[kritter]

Thanks, again for all who have shared these WONDERFUL ideas!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Please, keep them coming. I love them all and have been adding to our list each and every day..............................................

Just emailed our Resident Tropper about a ride in a police car, and emailed a local women who gives swimming lessons about donating swim lessons!! And we just emailed the local Karate Studio too!!

 

[kritter]

Those of you who have done the Reserved Parking Space, where did you get the sign to mark it reserved??TIA!!

 

[kritter]

Hey there girl. How are you? There is alot to do!!!! I have been doing live/silent auctions now for DD's schools for the past 12 years. And we always start almost a year in advance with solicitations. My opinion is live makes more $$. There is an auctioneer here in the state that does school fundraisers. And he donates his services. Here's a few more ideas that I haven't seen posted yet.
Have parents donate a party for an entire class. Pizza, Ice Cream, movie breakfast. These go for huge $$ because the class parents can all chip in together to win this. These parties have never sold for less then $4-500.00.

dinner with the principle

dinner with the Mayor

a ride to school on a fire truck big $$$

front row seats for all events: k graduation, plays, etc. we did the same for Church events because my DD went to Catholic school. First Holy Communion, Christmas Mass, Easter Mass etc.

Weekend get-a-ways. Try to a put hotel, rest gc, and entertainment together. Bigger package means bigger $.

Send me a PM or call me.(do you still have my #). I can try and help you with instate places I know will donate.

I am good how about you?? I can not find your phone number. You can email or PM it to me...Thanks,,

 

[kritter]

Does anyone know where I send the letter to American Girl to see if they would be willing to donate something?? TIA!!