Setting rules or guidelines for your silent auction can save you a lot of trouble. You’ve got something to fall back on in case of bidding confusion, and you’ll be more prepared to give your guests a smooth experience.
Believe it or not, auction rules don’t have to be restrictive for bidders.
The right rules can simplify the auction process for them, encourage engagement, and maybe even generate a little healthy competition.
When you’re ready to
start planning your next auction, use these tips to set rules that will improve everyone’s experience and help maximize your fundraising potential.
The best place to start when developing effective guidelines for your auction is your organization’s past events. Reflect on these questions as a starting point:
Speak with past organizers if you can, and ask these questions to your volunteers or event staff. The more input you can get, the better. Once you have the answers, start planning ways to address any shortcomings and apply guests’ feedback.
If this is your nonprofit’s very first auction, don’t worry. Look back at other events you’ve hosted, or confer with other event organizers in your area and see if you can take any insight. Another great place to start is good ol’ Google. You can find so much information online for free, like
Handbid's silent auction guide, to help you plan.
One of the most basic yet essential guidelines you need to set for your silent auction is a clear opening and closing time. Communicating when the auction is open for bidding and counting down to its close is an excellent example of a rule that will help guests by giving structure and simplicity to their experience.
Consider the questions attendees tend to ask, or put yourself in their shoes. What would you want to know? Then create rules that answer these questions and provide more clarification.
Rules can also help
engage attendees. For example, setting minimum bid increments can cause less confusion, and the right bid increments can create some friendly competition and drive bidding in your auction.
Fundraising is the main reason you’re hosting an auction, so it’s crucial to put a structured payment process in place that protects your organization and sets expectations for winning bidders.
Here are a few example rules for a payment process that benefit both your organization and your attendees:
Setting rules that communicate what your checkout process is will save you a lot of time and headache from chasing down money for weeks after the event. It will also keep your bidders from waiting in a long line at the end of the night.
It can be daunting to set rules for donors since the items you acquire from them make your entire auction possible. However, you can appreciate your donors and set guidelines for them simultaneously.
Ask your donors to provide descriptions and fair market values (FMV) for each of their donated items. This ensures that you provide your attendees with fair prices and high-quality items. You should also be prepared to communicate with your donors that you and your organization have the final decision on FMV and whether the item is included in the auction. Some items consistently don’t do well in an auction, and you want to avoid an overwhelming amount of items that won’t be valuable or will get zero bids.
Don’t forget to send out timely, personalized
thank you letters to each person or business that donates an item. These relationships are beneficial for your nonprofit, and you want each and every donor to feel comfortable donating items again in the future.
Online auction software can take some pressure off your organizers and improve the attendee experience. Auction software allows you to set the parameters of your auction ahead of time in the platform. Then you don’t even have to worry about setting and explaining those rules to your guests.
Take a look at a few examples of the ways software can simplify your auction rules:
There are many options for auction software, so decide which features are most important to you, keep your budget in mind, and do your research before deciding which platform best suits your needs.
Fundraising auction rules should be simple, free of legal mumbo-jumbo, and easy to understand. The most essential rule is to provide your bidders with a great experience.
After successfully hosting your silent auction, take stock of how the rules impacted the results. Take what worked well, incorporate it into your
strategy for your next fundraiser, and leave the rest.
About the Authors
Jeff Porter
Jeff Porter, Founder & CEO of Handbid, has spent 18 years in the nonprofit industry. In 2004 he founded the Prader-Willi Syndrome Association of Colorado where he still resides as board chair. Jeff learned early on that nonprofits desperately needed better and more affordable fundraising solutions. Leveraging his software background, he built most of the tools his charities used, and in 2011 he launched Handbid at his own fundraising event. The goal was to improve the guest experience, reduce administration and increase revenue. Handbid accomplished all of those goals, effectively doubling revenue in its debut. Nine years later, Handbid's suite of tools has delighted over a half-million guests, generated millions of bids, and helped thousands of charities raise well over $100 million.
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