by Sherry Truhlar
Here are 25 great live auction ideas for your next charity event that have raised more than their stated value. These live auction items sparked bidding wars because they were so desirable and were among the top performing ideas from all the items offered at 50 charity auctions.
These ideas for live auction items can be used as is or easily adapted to your audience. The list of 25 top-selling charity auction items was prepared by charity auctioneer Sherry Truhlar of Red Apple Auctions. Read what she has to say in the article below.
Ideas For Charity Auction Items
What should you sell in your charity auction? Some believe anything and everything should be included. “Turn no donation away,” is their motto.
But the truth is, you can raise the same amount of money with fewer items, if you’re selective about what to include.
And wouldn’t it be nice to work less and raise more? Your volunteers would thank you for it.
Twenty-five of the top-performing live auction items from last year’s charity auctions are listed below. Each item sold over its stated value, and attracted strong bids from its respective audience. This list of auction item ideas was assembled after reviewing the data from over 50 charity auction galas occurring around the United States.
Consider modeling these great live auction item ideas to improve your charity auction’s results.
Top 25 Live Charity Auction Ideas
- One hour private plane flight over the shore or over your house. Take an aerial shot of your home!
- Conduct a song at the annual holiday concert
- A night of Scottish whiskey tasting for six
- Chamber music for your next party
- Reserved parking at the facility and a car detail package
- 11 rare and limited edition wines for a devoted wine lover
- Behind-the-scenes tour and taping of a radio program (in this case, it was NPR’s Tell Me More)
- Dinner for eight in your home with a chef from a cool restaurant
- A luxury box, and throw the first pitch, at a double-A baseball team game
- Ice fishing trip with three experienced fishermen
- Mexican cooking class for eight in your home
- Dinner for four by the school chef
- Behind the scenes tour at the 911 Command Central for your city
- Mother daughter high tea
- Personal tour and free parking at a museum
- Flowers for a year
- One butchered lamb
- Five days / four nights for two couples in Bordeaux chateaus with behind-the-scene tours and VIP wine tastings
- Caddy Shack: Golf-themed party for 75 people
- Become a character in a bestselling author’s book
- Join a leading cardiothoracic surgeon in the research lab to observe an MRI-guided valve replacement procedure on a pig or a heart transplantation on a baboon. Includes lunch with the surgeon, if you feel like eating afterwards.
- Gumbo dinner for twelve
- Fly fishing expedition with an admired teacher
- Santa visit to your home
- A delicious low country boil
Procurement allows you to put your stamp of creativity on the auction gala. Use this list of 25 live auction ideas as a launching pad to procure cool items for your next charity auction.
(c) Red Apple Auctions Co. All Rights Reserved.
About The Author
Fundraising auctioneer Sherry Truhlar has been featured in national publications and television shows for her trend-setting work with nonprofit auctions. This list of 25 items was culled from Sherry’s robust annual Auction Item Guide TM. The Guide lists the top 100 items that sold for over value in auction galas the previous year. It’s one of many free resources helping charity auction committees produce spectacular events. Claim your FREE Auction Item Guide at https://www.RedAppleAuctions.com/.
More Auction Ideas
500 Silent Auction Basket Ideas – If you are looking for some silent auction basket ideas, here are 500 ideas for basket themes and fun names for your auction baskets. Discover gift basket ideas for men, teens, kids, teachers, fun nights and more.
Impact Auction Boosts Fundraising Event Results – Doing an impact auction or “Paddle Raise” at your live auction is a great fundraising idea. The “impact auction” or “paddle raise” is when the auctioneer asks for audience members to raise their paddles to give a donation at the announced dollar amount.Doing this makes a huge impact on your event’s bottom line.
Live Auction Fundraiser – In general, a live auction fundraiser raises at least 30% more money than a silent one. There is no inherent magic in it but normal human tendency to “get on with something” and the professional touch in identifying your worthwhile “cause” that brings forward this huge difference.
Live Auction Ideas: Balloon Rides – If you’re looking for some good live auction item ideas, offering hot air balloon rides is an easy way to raise lots of money. The neat thing about it is that it won’t cost you anything to include several balloon rides in your auction because a company called Fundraising Rides handles everything and you don’t pay for it unless it sells.
