Silent Auction Donation - Need Ideas?

[Leigh0725]

Hello! Okay - the private school that my DH teaches at is having a silent auction. Believe me, I'm trying to sell the whole fundraiser idea. I planted the seed and am hoping they'll agree to it. (BTW - the seed was having a "bazar" of some sort - having a handful of different direct sales consultants set up booths for a fundraiser). Right now, they're wanting to do a silent auction. So, I am opting to donate a gift basket of some sort. This is the first time I have done this and need some help. I'm just not too creative on things and was wondering if gals have any suggestions/tips?

Also, any tips to further sell this "bazar" fundraiser idea would help too. Can you imagine the sales/contacts from this? I'm also trying to shoot for early November since the sell a thon starts then. Keep your fingers crossed!

 

[Jules711]

For a gift basket, I always include a gift certificate. That way you get a new contact and if they don't use it, you aren't out anything. Put a season's best and a few of the smaller items if you want. Or something that you no longer need/want that was used for display. As for the bazaar idea, do you need their actual permission? We do one here for a Cancer Support and get the advertising donated, as well as the location. We usually have about 15 or so consultant, though I hope it grows this year since it's our 3rd here. Last year I organized it and everyone donates their proceeds.

 

[jenniferknapp]

I created a thread about this awhile back, here is the link to it:http://www.chefsuccess.com/showthread.php?t=17810I basically used the dots theme, and there are photos of the two on page 3. And a description throughout...

 

[Leigh0725]

Silent auction itemsThank you so much for the link. This will help tremendously. I'm starting to feel like a car saleman, as I'm really trying to push for the "bazar" idea. I think that having it at the actual school would really help to bring in the sales and contacts. My DH works at a private school in a ritzy area, so I know these parents wouldn't mind spending the money if they knew it would be helping the school out. I honestly think I could pull of 5k in sales with this, not including the amount of contacts I would make. So I'm hoping that this will help me get my foot in the door and plant the seed of PC fundraiser!

 

[Wildfire]

Hi there! It sounds like you have a great idea to help your husband's school raise some funds. A bazaar featuring different direct sales consultants is a fantastic way to not only raise money, but also introduce new products and businesses to the community. As for your gift basket, it's always a good idea to include a variety of your top-selling products and maybe even throw in a few exclusive items that are only available through the silent auction. You could also consider creating a themed basket, such as a "cooking essentials" basket with your top kitchen tools and cookbooks. To further promote the bazaar fundraiser idea, you could create flyers and posters to hang around the school and community, as well as utilize social media to spread the word. Best of luck with your fundraiser and I hope it is a huge success!