School Auction Blog

Author: Angela Costas

Does your school hold an auction to raise funds? If not you might want to consider it. Many private schools, and even some public schools, hold dinner/auction nights to raise funds. It’s a fun way for parents to support the school, socialize and even go home with some great prizes.

Schools can have a live auction, silent auction, online auction or any combination of all of them. When there is more than one type of auction going on you are more able to reach out to everyone’s interest and price levels.

A silent auction can provide a way to offer many different auction items. The auction items can be valued anywhere from $20 to $500 or even more. With so many auction items, there can be something for everyone. From sports, to kids, gourmet foods, gift baskets, and many other interests can be included in the silent auctions.

A live auction is a great interactive event, that many attendees will enjoy. The auctioneer interacts with the crowd to make the auction fun and exciting. A professional auctioneer can often drive up the final bid price of the items higher than they would be with a volunteer auctioneer or if the items were on the silent auction table.

Internet based auctions are very popular and many parents are already buying items online on eBay. So why not have one for the school? An online auction can happen during the same dinner/auction night or a week before. You could even have the onine auction instead of an in-person event. If the online auction is stand alone they are often held over a 1-3 week period.

No matter what type of auction or combination of auctions you have, make sure you start planning well in advance. Organize into committees so volunteers can participate in a variety of ways.

Have some really high priced, premium items in the live auction. Big vacation packages, a motorcycle or gourmet dinner party are all good ideas for a live auction. Ticket packages for professional sports teams are also great auction items. Even if it’s not a super high priced item, if it will bring in lots of excitement and bids, put it in a live auction. Also have less fancy items that start at lower prices in the silent auction so everyone has an opportunity to participate.

Auctions can be a fun, great way to raise funds. Consider all of the different auction formats available and how they can fit into your school’s fundraising plans.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/k-12-education-articles/live-silent-and-online-auctions-are-great-school-fundraisers-1239153.html

About the Author:

Angela Costas writes for the Top School Fundraisers blog. The site includes free information about school auctions and other school fundraisers.

Technorati Tags: Ebay, Fundraising, live auction, Online Auction, school auction, School Fundraiser, Silent Auction

In times where financial crisis is a concern of everybody, it is helpful to resort to school auctions for school fund raising needs. Auctions are used as alternative in raising funds to answer for various projects of the students as well as programs for the institution or the university. But since raising money is not as easy as it used to be in the past, school auction projects must be thought of and really planned so that it would make it worthwhile for the buyers.

What are unique ideas that can be productive for a school auction?

Student Art Projects

It is usual for many fundraising auction to be getting donations from known personalities in the community but one nice thing about school auction is that it gives chance for students to make art projects that are uniquely theirs and to have it sold at auction and eventually raise money. Although many people would think this as useless, many people give value to the uniqueness and artistic talents of the students. It provides students the opportunities to enhance and improve on their creativity and to be given credit for it.

Add Excitement

Aside from the usual get together of sorts, the auction can be made into a classy get together. During the said event, you can offer a full meal to the guests and a wine for each table if possible. You can also make the venue more interesting by making an effort to make it pleasant to the eyes of the guests and make the mood festive. This way, more people will be encouraged to join.

Handmade Items

A unique idea would be instead of buying things from the mall, you can think of making some of the auction products specially made for the said event to give a personal touch and make it more memorable for everybody.

Be Creative and Make It Memorable

Use your creativity, think of items that would be most useful for many. Sometimes, the things that are being auctioned need not be expensive so that people will bid on it. There are still people who give worth to sentimental value. You must also offer a variety of items so that many people will be invited to join in.

It is also a great idea to involve the whole community instead of the usual parents and students in the institution. The success of the school auction has greater chances of success if there are more people who will participate and contribute their ideas.

Think of ways to make the event memorable so that they would be reminded of a very momentous event. This would also pave way for the continuous support of the people to this event year after year. You can make the event memorable by starting a tradition that you can truly call it your own. This would spark the interest of the people to keep on coming to the said event.

The idea of a school action is not all about raising funds, but you must also ensure that guests will have fun and take home with them something nice with many good memories attached to it.

Technorati Tags: Art Projects, Auction, Fundraising, school auction

Especially for private schools, there are many ways to gain profits and earn enough funds for different school activities and events. All fundraising programs come with great fun and excitement, but one that is most profitable is a school auction. The success of school auction projects relies on proper planning and organizing. If you see a school auction as one of the most effective possibilities of raising funds, be sure to plan ahead of time to give you sufficient time to make it more successful.

To make your event more upscale and highly innovative, the planning committee must develop wise, creative concepts that can inject excitement into your fundraising auction. Well of course, there are better ways of improving this particular activity each year, and bringing it to the top of your list will not just make it memorable but also a complete sell-out.

There are many things that you should do such as planning, organizing, and running the auction on the day itself. However, there is also a list of important things that you should NOT do for a school auction:

Do not make hasty decisions

Make sure you recruit and gather strong, efficient volunteers that can help you deal with different issues and challenges. Do not underestimate the tasks you have to do. Learn to delegate and involve every participating member, even the less experienced helpers, to make the load much easier and lighter.

Do not forget to send solicitation and invite sponsors as early as possible

They are the most important persons in the school auction and informing them early can help your team gather plenty of donations that will be used for whatever purpose it may serve.

Do not bypass the significance of every individual in your school-students, family, teachers

All of them can provide contributions like making baskets of artworks, donating old stuff, and promoting the fundraising auction to friends and relatives. The marketing part usually depends on them so you have to encourage and challenge each one to engage in the activity.

Do not overprice the value of the items

Once you have gathered all the items for bidding, it is important that you consider the value of each, without overpricing. Make the audience feel comfortable in making a donation, even from the very start of the auction. Do not make it appear that everything on the counter is available to those who are high bidders exclusively. Remember that not everyone in the crowd can afford it. If there are many expensive items, however, do not pile them one on top of each other. The same goes for the lower-priced items. That is why the auctioneer should know how to offer a variety of values throughout the event so everyone gets the chance to take part and enjoy.

Do not overlap two or three fundraising projects in one day

Your school may be after huge profits; nevertheless, this will distract and divide the bidders’ attention compromising the school auction project.

Do not forget those who helped and participated in the school auction

After an exhausting, yet successful activity, it is mandatory that you do not forget to thank the sponsors, donors, and those who willfully offered their dedication to make the day meaningful possible.

Technorati Tags: Auction, Bidding, Donation, Fundraising, Marketing, Private school, school auction

By Deane Brengle

Procurement is perhaps the most important part of planning your charity fundraising auction. The success of your auction depends on the value and demand for items up for bid. Your team in charge of procurement should be looking for items, experiences, and activities that are not easily purchased. These will have greater value and will encourage people to attend the event.

When planning your auction fundraiser consider the make-up of prospective attendees, their likes and interests, and a realistic budget range for bidders. This match up of auction items to your bidders is critical.

Each charity auction fundraiser has its own unique make-up. Here are some of the hot items for a school auction that may work for you:

• Pizza a week for six months
• A day on the farm
• Roller skating party
• Family kayaking for a day (with lesson)
• Paintball for a group
• A group father/son baseball outing
• Family season pass to district sporting events
• Sunset cruise with wine & cheese for a group
• Lunch with the mayor
• Dance lessons for a group
• Job shadowing a local business leader
• Poker night for a group
• Six months of flowers from a local florist
• A chauffer for a day
• Cooking class for a group
• Karaoke party
• Catered lunch for the office
• Sommelier Class
• Appetizers and a keg of beer (wine)
• A father/son charter fishing trip
• Dinner with a local celebrity
• Museum sleepover
• Cigars & a humidor
• Mother/daughter spa day
• Police/Fireman for a day (ride in a vehicle, station tour, wear the gear, and photographs)
• Group walk in your town’s parade
• Half page ad in your local magazine/newspaper
• Beach weekend for the family/or two
• CD/DVD a week for six months
• Mothers only social gathering hosted by a well-liked parent
• Lasik eye surgery
• Tour of a local factory, newspaper, radio/TV station, or sporting arena
• Botox from a local dermatologist
• The latest computer or entertainment system & installation
• Super Bowl party

About the Author: Deane Brengle has been writing about fundraising for nonprofit groups since 1996. You can visit his website and get the latest in fundraising tips, hints, and secrets at The Fund$Raiser Cyberzine.

Technorati Tags: Entertaining, Karaoke, school auction, Super Bowl

Your school is in need of a certain amount of money for projects and special events.  Your focus turns on how to accumulate that specific amount in a particular timeframe. In cases like these, when a school carnival or product sales are not the best means to raise funds, the idea of holding a school auction becomes the main solution to the need.

School auction projects are fun and exciting especially if you have done it for many times and you have already mastered the flow of events.  For newbie’s however, they can be exhausting and complicated in terms of planning, organizing and executing.  These steps are all important to make a school auction profitable and helpful.

Regardless if it is a small or large auction, whether you plan to do it live, silent or online, you must be well aware of the “what’s and how’s” to make it effective and worth your time.  You may want to consider these tips to make it a real hit:

1. Start planning ahead of time.  In fact, the earlier you start, the better you can organize the details and the processes.  Most private schools prefer to begin six months in advance.  But if you want to take advantage of solicitation to gain more donations, you can plan several months in advance.
2. Create a work plan and stay well organized.  This is necessary to make the tasks a lot easier and systematized.  Follow your project calendar and call for meetings if there are additional works to do.
3. Recruit and delegate.  The school cannot do it all alone.  Gather a strong team of volunteers whom you can trust and delegate each of them a role and a responsibility they need to perform.
4. Advertise and gather plenty of donations. Send out solicitations through mail or door-to-door, involve the students by making artworks and ask parents to collect items or secure at least one donation per family.  You may advertise big items earlier so people can plan their bidding the earliest possible.  Good advertisement is also a key to good promotions to lure as many bidders as you can.
5. Make your school auction the focus of your event.  Do not complicate it with other school activities such as carnival and game shows on the same day to get your bidders’ full attention.
6. Hire a professional auctioneer.  Especially on a live auction, a properly trained auctioneer can greatly contribute in making the event fun, lively, and moving up.  He knows how to build anticipation, stimulate bidding wars, and when it is time to close bidding. He is one of the tools in making your school auction project a real standout.  If possible, you can invite a local celebrity as the master of the ceremonies.
7. Offer special recognition to corporate sponsors.  Make table signs, ad placement in the auction catalog, online recognition through the school’s website, and/or acknowledgment during the on-going event.

When all things are said and done, you will realize that fundraising auctions profited from not just the money earned, but most importantly, the teamwork established by all who were involved.

photo credit: runneralan2004

Technorati Tags: Auction, Auction catalog, Bidding, Business, Fundraising, school auction