Author: Dan Rohn

One of the most athletically demanding sports is basketball. Constant running, sprinting and a level of physicality is required for the top teams, but money is needed no matter what level you’re at. 

Although only one piece of equipment is required to participate in each game – the ball – it doesn’t mean that basketball is a cheap sport for players. A pair of sneakers, even second hand, can cost a few bucks – and if you’re raising funds for a teenage boys team, those sneakers may need changing a couple of times a year with how fast they grow! So let’s not delay, how can you raise those much needed funds? Check out our fundraising ideas for basketball teams.

Host free throw competitions

Every single home game. Without fail. You should be hosting competitions where spectators can come down from the stands and have their chance at a free-throw at the end of each quarter. They buy a ticket for their opportunity to throw before the game, and then you decide whether it’s one lucky winner, five or as many as you can fit in who come down for a throw.

The idea is that if they score the free throw they receive a prize. It could be the match ball. It could be a dollar figure. It might be something like a signed jersey at the end of the game. The best part is that you can make up whatever the prize is in order to maximize your profits from the ticket sales. Just make sure it is relevant to the price of the ticket, you want as many people buying a ticket as possible.

Selling snacks and treats at games

If you’ve been thinking about hosting a bake sale or anything else involving food and drink, host it at your game. Spectators will love having some refreshments during the game plus you already have a captivated audience to sell to. There’s no need to go out and find a suitable time and day to sell cake to people when they’re already there for the game. 

It works both ways, if you think you can get lots of people in attendance for a bake sale why not give them the added attraction of watching a game of basketball while they’re in the vicinity. Think outside the box with these snacks and treats, you want to make as much profit as possible – we’ve done a fair few in our time and we can highlight recommended popcorn for a game snack!

Hosting a car wash

If there’s one thing a bunch of tall athletes can do well, it’s wash a car, especially trucks with high roofs. But even if your team isn’t the tallest bunch hosting a car wash it is still a great idea. It’s a guaranteed way to bring the community together as neighbors flood in to get their cars washed for a great price but it also gives the players a chance to get to know their supporters.

‘Why is it a good idea for the players to get to know their supporters?’ we hear you ask! To help secure player sponsorship of course. We’ll talk a little bit more about this next.

Player sponsorship

If there are particular players in your team who are struggling to get a pair of sneakers that work for them, they need to source sponsorship for their games. They can do this in many different ways by approaching local businesses. But remind them that sponsorship isn’t just about wearing a logo on a jersey. They can have their training kit, jackets, caps sponsored – and their social media.

That’s right, getting sponsored by a local business can involve social media platforms. Perhaps players are already posting trick shots onto their Instagram feeds, why not get the posts sponsored by a local business? You could have a business buy a new pair of sneakers twice a season and in return get a social post for each game played in them. Think outside the box! 

Host a tournament with extras

If your players are struggling to afford getting to basketball tournaments, look into hosting your own. It’s a great opportunity for a wide range of fundraising to take place. While the tournament is carried out, spectators and non-playing athletes can enjoy refreshments (funding), take part in side competitions such as spinning a ball for as long as possible (funds) and taking part in raffles (even more funds!).

Tournaments aren’t just about the games taking place. There’s so much more to enjoy and get involved with in the background. You could sell booths to local vendors for them to sell other refreshments. You might even sell a booth to a local sporting business so they can bring down a few items that visiting teams accidentally left at home (imagine a visiting player forgot a sweat band, they could buy one at the event).

These are just a few fundraising ideas for basketball teams. No matter if the team is in middle school, high school or college – all of these ideas are tried and tested. Done correctly, there will always be profit.

If you’re interested in further fundraising ideas for sports we have other articles including soccer, football, ice hockey and baseball. 

Need help running your Basketball fundraising event?

Don’t forget, if you’re hosting any live fundraising event, check our Givergy as we have a bunch of great features to help run your event and maximize your raise including evening ticketing, silent auctions, prize draws and online donations. 

Run an auction

Either before a specific game or at the actual game itself, gather up a number of great prizes supporters could offer up, and run a mobile bidding auction. These could range from memorabilia of the actual team to local restaurant vouchers and vacations. You could display prizes at the game or simply run the whole thing online, with easy check out options to pay. You could even show a countdown timer at the game on the big screens, adding some excitement and energy to the end of the auction!

Set up a donation drive

If you have a specific cause or reason to raise money, setting up an online donation page for supporters is a great way to achieve your fundraising goal. Very shareable, so easy to create a network effect of online support, you can give details of what the money will be used for, different options to donate, and the option for donors to leave messages. Payments can be collected online too, so it is easy to get the money in the bank!

It’s a common misconception that only Canadians and the Northern States enjoy ice hockey. While it may not be as popular in the heat of Louisianna, there are still plenty of teams out there. This means that there are plenty of people looking for fundraising ideas for ice hockey teams. If you’re one of those people, look no further, we have ideas that will suit you no matter where you are in the US, no matter how warm the temperatures are. Take a look and see what suits you – we look forward to hearing about your fundraising success.

Shootouts with the pros

This one will require a little sweet-talking to your local professional goalie. We suggest speaking to the local pro team and talking about your needs for funds, requesting a special visit at halftime from a professional goalie to see if they’ll take part in a shoot out. You’ll be surprised by the positive response you get. You could have easily asked the team for money – but you didn’t – showing that you understand the spirit of fundraising and that you’re a cause worth supporting. 

On the day of the event, it’s all about selling tickets to your penalty shootout. Now, you might host it at halftime as we mentioned, but it could also be after the game for all the players to take part in also. Publicise the shootout beforehand so that anybody can bring down their skates, buy a ticket for $5 and shoot a few pucks to see if they can score against the pros. The best part about this fundraising idea is that you don’t need to hand out a prize for this competition, the prize is quite literally scoring against the pro. They might even get a couple of photo opportunities – priceless memories. 

Trick shot challenges

If there’s one thing we ice hockey fanatics love it’s a trick shot. Moving the puck across the ice, flipping it with the stick, there are plenty of trick shots that have gone down in history. So why not raise funds with trickshot challenges. There are a few ways to go about doing this but we must admit, both will require some social media knowledge. Getting people to submit their entities via social media is a great way to create buzz around the challenge in your community and it also removes any barriers to attending events (including the cost of hiring the rink for the day).

So, what’s the most important thing for setting up a trick shot challenge? A catchy hashtag. It might be the name of the trickshot or the name of your team followed by the word ‘challenge’ or ‘fundraiser’ – just try to make it something easy to remember. Then, it’s simple. 

People raise awareness by sharing their trickshot recording on social media and they enter it into the competition by donating. It’s then about getting the most amount of votes. Now, you can do this with people simply commenting/liking the post or by getting people to donate in dollars. They can donate to the cause, leaving the name of their favourite trickshot in the comment area and the trickshot which raises the most funds – wins. 

A trick shot challenge doesn’t have to be boring and it certainly doesn’t have to be over in one afternoon. Think outside the box for how to raise as much funding as possible.

Chuck a puck

This one is a favourite even among the professional teams. It’s simple, people buy a puck, write their name on it and then at halftime, chuck it onto the ice. The person who is closest to the centre spot is the winner. It’s a simple game and it’s up to you what the winner wins. We suggest it’s a cash prize as it makes the process simple but be careful not to offer up too much. Charge $5 for a puck or however much the puck costs you to purchase – this way if people decide to keep theirs and not throw it, you won’t lose any money. You can decide how much you profit from the event by deciding how much to offer as prize money.

Quick and easy fundraising ideas

Of course, if you’re looking for more generics ways to raise funds you can always go with the classics. Create a bunch of team merchandise to sell at events, print t-shirts, phone cases, caps, sweatshirts and even stickers with the team’s logo and make a profit on them. You could also host quiz nights, raffles, bake sales, and perhaps even put a few buckets at the cash register of your local sports store. No idea is too small when it comes to fundraising.

No matter what fundraising ideas for ice hockey you choose to go with for your team. You’re guaranteed to make some profit so don’t hesitate and deliberate on what to do for too long. Get motivated, get stuck in and start raising funds today.

If you’re interested in further fundraising ideas for sports we have other articles including soccer, football, basketball and baseball. 

Need help running your ice hockey fundraising event?

Don’t forget, if you’re hosting any live fundraising event, check our Givergy as we have a bunch of great features to help run your event and maximise your raise including evening ticketing, silent auctions, prize draws and online donations. 

Run an auction

Either before a specific game or at the actual game itself, gather up a number of great prizes supporters could offer up, and run a mobile bidding auction. These could range from memorabilia of the actual team to local restaurant vouchers and vacations. You could display prizes at the game or simply run the whole thing online, with easy check out options to pay. You could even show a countdown timer at the game on the big screens, adding some excitement and energy to the end of the auction!

Set up a donation drive

If you have a specific cause or reason to raise money, setting up an online donation page for supporters is a great way to achieve your fundraising goal. Very shareable, so easy to create a network effect of online support, you can give details of what the money will be used for, different options to donate, and the option for donors to leave messages. Payments can be collected online too, so it is easy to get the money in the bank!

Are you part of a sports team in need of funding? Whether you’ve made it to State Finals or are desperate to get to the biggest tournament of the year, fundraising can be an easy way to solve your problems. Although those participating in sport have a big passion for their activity, it doesn’t mean they always have the necessary needs to fund it. Not only are there kits to buy, there are events to take part in, insurances to account for and possibly the biggest unsuspecting add on – gas. Gas prices can make or break a trip in terms of affordability, especially if you live in the Midwest where you’re traveling for hours just to get to a game.

What type of team sport are you looking to raise funds for? We have dedicated idea guides for baseball, football, soccer, ice hockey and basketball.

The last thing you want to do is to pull your child out of sport, or yourself, due to lack of funds. So get fundraising. We’ve created a comprehensive list of fundraising ideas for sports so you can remove the pressure and get back to enjoying sports.

5km run

The majority of sports require some sort of running. Whether that’s running the length of a field for a touchdown or tumbling across a mat. It’s why when it comes to raising money for sports, running is so accessible. There will be supporters lining up to take part meaning you’ve got no worries about your event raising enough money. Offer some sort of prize for completion such as a medal or certificate and you’re done! 

You could even reduce the upfront costs of hosting a 5km run by doing it virtually. Instead of marking out a course and having people marshall it, ask participants to run a 5km on a certain day, in their own time. They can send you Strava results for proof and you can validate and congratulate them by posting a medal to them. Minimal organizational effort, maximum financial gain.

Team rally

This one is perhaps our favorite and is great for getting families involved. Organize a team rally. You can go all-out here, and be wild with this type of event. Ask people to incorporate a dress code, submit team names, make the rally lengths silly activities. Rallies don’t always need to be running around a track. You could have teams go back and forth doing all kinds of things. Three-legged races, cartwheeling, crab walking, running backwards, even walking while bouncing a ball on a tennis racket. Think outside the box with this one, there’s plenty of fun to be had.

If you receive a lot of sign ups for a rally, don’t fret. There’s no need to keep things traditional with a team of four. If you have 100 people in attendance, why not make it four teams of 25? You could even make it a specialized event by holding it on 4th July and making the theme red white and blue. Have fun with this one and make a team rally for the annual event that everyone in your town is looking forward to.

Hosting tournaments

It costs a lot of money to get teams to tournaments, but if your team are struggling to afford attending, why not host your own? Use your current facilities and host nearby teams in a tournament. The entrance fee for teams will be more than enough to see the event make profit, then you could add to it by selling vendor spots to food trucks and small businesses in the local area.

Hosting your own tournament can require a high level of admin, so make sure that those who are on your team’s committee are prepared to put in some extra hours. You’ll need to consider where participants are going to park, how they’ll get to the venue and if the facilities are suitable enough to host a large volume of people.

Bake sales

Is there anything more traditional than a bake sale? We think not. Typically in the US, it is the moms that drop off kids to sports practice. Which is why bake sales are so common – they also tend to be the better bakers at home! Host the bake sale at a location where there’s a lot of people walking by. This might be in a school parking lot, at the mall, or even in your street. We recommend organizing the event on the weekends at a time where people are out and about running errands. They’re more likely to be in a state of hunger and therefore more tempted by some delicious cake.

But where does the cake come from? You can buy them from a store, but like we said, moms tend to make great bakers. By asking the moms of the sports team to get involved you can save a lot in setup costs. It’s far cheaper to get involved in baking cakes than it is to buy them in order to support the team so moms will flock to your aid to support their best sponge. Provide a theme such as team colors or team name and your cakes will sell even faster as passersby quickly recognise it as a way to support the team.

Like the idea of a bake sale? Head over to our how to run a successful cake sale page. 

Getting team sponsorship

If there’s one quick way to get funding for sports teams it’s sponsorship. It can work in a lot of different ways but traditionally it involves printing on team shirts. Find a local business to support you, the majority of companies these days have a dedicated pot of funding to help fund local initiatives so be sure to ask around. When you find someone to sponsor your team by printing their logo on your team shirt, don’t stop there! You can have multiple sponsors.

Your team shirt might have a logo on the front, another on the sleeve, your training kit might be sponsored by someone else. Then there’s your social media. Social platforms are powerful tools and should be treated as such. Your sponsors can pay for a package where it’s simply a logo on a shirt or they can pay extra to be posted on social media a certain number of times a week. It’s completely scalable, one platform is $100 a month, two is $200 or look at it for 3 social posts a week is $30. Think outside the box with your sponsors and don’t limit yourself to just one. 

Sporting competition

It’s one thing to host your own tournament, but why not save yourself the hassle of an entire event and simply run a competition instead. It might be to see who in the local area can run the furthest, lift a weight for a number of reps, do the most push ups, who can hold a plank the longest. The key to this, is making it over a long duration. It’s not a single day event, it’s a month long, maybe even more. This allows people to add to their total as much as they want.

By removing the need to do it all in one day, you remove any pressure on people ‘performing’ – making it more accessible. The easier it is to take part in an event, the more people want to do it. You can run a month-long event for the most number of sit ups and have someone do 100 per day, or 10 each week. The important thing to note is that it’s scalable. People pay an entry fee to take part in the competition and from that, you could provide a cash prize to the winner or person who progresses the most in the set amount of time. 

Hosting a cookout

Is there anything better than a cookout on a hot summer’s day? If your team’s offseason is during the warmer months, a cookout is a great way to get everyone back together. People pay for each ticket which provides them entry. You can have all sorts going on with live bands, inflatables, and even a few games for families to get involved with. By hosting a cookout you provide a chance for the team to reunite, but also to prospective players to come and join in. The ideal pre-season fundraiser for any sports team.

Fundraising for sports with a gala

Sports always involve sweat. Sometimes mud and dirt too. So if there’s one type of fundraising you should host, it’s a gala. The perfect way to end a season is by hosting awards and a gala. The event should be in the evening so that it can easily incorporate a three course meal. It should also be dress coded as smart. Adding a sense of sophistication to the event will signal to people that they need to reach deep into their pockets.

The key with hosting a gala is not to stop when ticket sales are completed and you’ve made profit on the three course meal. Add in other fundraisers to your gala in order to keep people entertained. It could be something simple like a raffle or bingo. Alternatively, you could host something like a silent auction. It’s up to you how much you try and cram into the event, just be sure to leave the awards presentation until last so you don’t end up with people leaving halfway through!

Store bag packing

Local stores are always great at getting involved with sports teams. If they have the capacity it’s certainly worth asking them if your team can do some volunteer bag packing. It’s a great way to raise some extra funds, especially if it’s done in uniform. We’ve discovered over the years that people are more likely to donate to a bag packing cause if it is clear who is asking for donations at the checkout. 

There you have it, nine essential fundraising ideas for sports. There’s plenty in this list to choose from no matter what sport you’re playing. It doesn’t always need to be related to physical activity. We didn’t even get to mention the talent shows, virtual horse races, danceathons and pep rallies. But they’re pretty straight forward so we’re sure you’ll have no problem coming up with ways to incorporate them into your fundraising plans.

There are plenty of ideas to raise funds for your sports fundraising event. The best thing about a sports team fundraiser is you have plenty of players and people within the club to help you promote your event. Even a simple idea of a field day for your team with a car wash for guests can help. All of your team members have family members so you have a great network to promote your event and secure donations. 

If you’re a sports club looking for fundraising ideas, we hope this article has helped. If you need a solution to run your fundraising event, take a look at Live Fundraising, Virtual Gala’s and payment processing. 

Beyond the season there are so many soccer events to look forward to. Most of all the pre-season friendlies and the post-season tournaments. If there’s one thing all soccer players enjoy it’s some time away with the team. However, that costs money and not everyone on the team has equal opportunity to take part. This is why it’s essential to have plenty of fundraising ideas for soccer teams. Typically the same 15 players are essential for each match, so fundraising is a great way to keep your best team on the field. Take a look at ways to raise funds for soccer players and teams.

Using sponsorship as a fundraising idea for soccer

Sponsorship for soccer teams is nothing new. But typically it goes towards training equipment and paying to use of facilities. Not out-of-state tournaments and gas money. Sponsorship doesn’t have to be just one business funding the team and it certainly doesn’t need to be restricted to the logo put on the front of shirts. You can find a kit sponsor, a training kit sponsor, an equipment sponsor and a travel sponsor. All small figures when they’re isolated but add up to a huge number for players across the season.

It means that for each event you’ll have all the equipment necessary to succeed and in each of these areas there’s somewhere for the business to put their logo. It can be on the front of a shirt, on the back of a training jacket, the sleeve of the players base layers, perhaps even on the shorts of the kit. Equipment bags can be branded with logos. Buses and cars can be branded with (removeable) stickers for the occasion. Don’t limit yourself to one sponsor for kit. Think outside the box – caps, sweatshirts, bags, equipment – it can all be branded.

When you’ve sponsored as many pieces of kit as possible. Think about the individual players. You could task a player with finding their own sponsorship or host an evening for sponsorship whereby the players talents are promoted and businesses can bid to sponsor a player. Hosting the evening can provide ample opportunity for sponsorship by inviting local businesses but it can also be a unique way to raise funds through raffles and competitions on the night.

Host your own tournament

If your soccer team is struggling to get to tournaments, why not try hosting your own? Whatever facilities you have to host you can rent for the day and play a 5-a-side tournament. It means that there will be higher number of teams taking part and the games will be shorter. Keeping all players interested in the event (fewer delays between games) and the day will be spread out so that they can enjoy all festivities. That’s right, if you’re going to host a tournament, don’t just focus on the soccer.

Any good tournament has plenty of activities going on. Maybe there is a keepy-uppy challenge in the corner where players can compete to win a prize for kicking the ball into their air – without letting it touching the ground – as many times as possible. Perhaps the challenge is as many headers in a row as possible? Perhaps it’s a balancing game, where you balance the ball on your foot for as long as possible? You could have all three! Not to mention there’s plenty of opportunity to run raffles too.

Go traditional with a car wash

This one is perfect if your team have a weekend without a match. Instead of the week off, why not host a car wash at the same time in the parking lot of the home ground. This way, you know all your players are available at that time and that they can get to the ground. It also means all your regular supporters will already be poised, ready to attend and donate to the fundraiser. All you need are a few buckets of soapy water.

The great thing about hosting a car wash is that it’s the type of event that serves the community. It’s helpful and wholesome. Neighbors of the soccer team can get their car washed for a great price and you can raise essential funds needed during the season.

Bring people together with a bake sale

A bake sale might seem strange, but it’s a great way to make money at games. That’s right, selling cakes at the game. There’s no need to find a separate day when people are around to help sell the cakes and draw in another audience. During the game is the perfect opportunity. 

Spectators can enjoy the cakes and perhaps even the opposition’s players will enjoy a cake or two afterwards! Think about it. There’s already a captivated audience and many of them will be hungry. Take advantage of it and sell cakes at your home games.

These are our favorite fundraising ideas for soccer. We’ve tried and tested them all and can safely say that when done correctly, they work a treat!

If you’re interested in further fundraising ideas for sports we have other articles including ice hockey, football, basketball and baseball. 

Need help running your Soccer fundraising event?

Don’t forget, if you’re hosting any live fundraising event, check our Givergy as we have a bunch of great features to help run your event and maximize your raise including evening ticketing, silent auctions, prize draws and online donations. 

Run an auction

Either before a specific game or at the actual game itself, gather up a number of great prizes supporters could offer up, and run a mobile bidding auction. These could range from memorabilia of the actual team to local restaurant vouchers and vacations. You could display prizes at the game or simply run the whole thing online, with easy check out options to pay. You could even show a countdown timer at the game on the big screens, adding some excitement and energy to the end of the auction!

Set up a donation drive

If you have a specific cause or reason to raise money, setting up an online donation page for supporters is a great way to achieve your fundraising goal. Very shareable, so easy to create a network effect of online support, you can give details of what the money will be used for, different options to donate, and the option for donors to leave messages. Payments can be collected online too, so it is easy to get the money in the bank!

We may not like to admit it, but there is one thing to be incredibly thankful for in recent years, and it’s how versatile the virtual world has become. All efforts that we regularly made in person have been eloquently translated into the online space, including fundraising. Only a couple of years ago many events were held in person with big drives and efforts for attendance. 

Now, we welcome virtual and online events where there are fewer set-up costs and still the same amount of fun to be had. While accessibility to these events has never been higher, it can be difficult knowing how to run a charity auction online, which is why we’re giving you this definitive guide.

Before you do anything, make sure you know your fundraising goals, this will help you plan your auction event and in turn raise funds. This guide will help you run virtual auctions, live events, mobile fundraising or any charity fundraising event. 

Why you might need to run a charity auction online or a live auction

Recent years causing mass lockdowns and restrictions on physical attendance aren’t the only reasons you may need to run a charity auction online. Even though it may seem the most obvious.

If you live in a rural area, where there are a couple of small towns every few hundred miles, gathering a big audience for an event can be extremely difficult and financially strenuous. This is a great reason for hosting online. You don’t need to try and coordinate an event across multiple towns or counties and there’s no need to worry about how your guests will get home with their new purchases.

Similarly, if you can’t target enough people, hosting online gives you an unlimited audience. You can quickly transform your small town’s charity audience into an international one. With the right marketing strategy and resources in place, you could see attendance shoot through the roof without having to pay a penny for a larger venue.

Just like the pandemic hit with little warning, so can other natural disasters such as storms. A fallen tree, a collapsed bridge or a hazardous power line. There are multiple freak accidents that can occur, so at a single moment’s notice you might need to run a charity auction online. In which case, follow these steps.

What you need to do to run a charity auction online:

Your first step is to find a vendor for the live charity fundraising event. Consider that if you’re going to run the auction, the vendor should support you in your location and beyond. If you find a fundraising technology provider that only works in Australia it isn’t going to work for your guests in New York. So, investigate if your vendor can support you in all countries where your attendees live.

You also need to make sure that the vendor will help make the auctions process smoother and not more difficult. This means it needs to be easy to use, for you and those who are bidding. Can you share the link to the auction online? Can you say with confidence that it is easy for everyone to take part in the auction? Bids need to be secure through the site and allow the user to dictate exactly how much they want to bid, not just broad options such as $50 or $100. If the experience is not friendly and safe for the user, they will be less likely to follow through with the transaction.

Find your items to sell at the auction

There are many ways to go about doing this. You could look for items in your own time and sell them at the auction for a profit, there’s the potential to ask for people to donate items from their personal life or alternatively you can ask businesses and wealthy corporations to donate something. 

Just because your charity auction is a fundraiser, does not mean your items to sell at the auction need to be old or dated. You can auction off a holiday to the Bahamas just as much as you can auction an old antique statue.

When finding items to sell at auction, consider how you’re going to get them to your audience. If you’re inviting people from out of state to take part, how will you ship them their items? Even more consideration is needed if it is going overseas. You’ll want to make sure these types of costs are covered (something which, if you select the right vendor, can be arranged when placing bids). And if you get stuck, you can always use us to provide some ‘wow factor’ consignment items.

Select the right number of goods

When looking for items to sell at your online charity auction try and imagine how long the process will take. Too many and the event will go on for too long, potentially losing the attention of those watching and causing them to leave. On the other hand, too few and you won’t make enough money for your selected charity. 

Consider how long it might take to introduce an item, how long it takes everyone interested to log into the bidding portal and then how long the process takes. From there, you can make sure that you find an adequate number of items to auction for the duration of your event.

Take high-quality photos of products and create enticing descriptions

Especially with an online charity auction, this one is essential. Do not run the risk of underselling your auction items by taking poor quality photos and minimal effort descriptions. Although people are bidding on these items, ultimately they need to be sold in order to want to bid. Therefore, it is your job to sell them in the best possible way.

If you do not own a high-quality camera, using your mobile phone can work (depending on its quality also). You don’t need to carry out an expensive photoshoot for this. Just make sure that there is a neutral backdrop – such as an old white bed sheet – and that there aren’t too many shadows going across your photo. 

When it comes to writing a description, be sure you give the facts first. What it is, who and where it was produced/created, how old it is and its function. Then you can add a little spice by saying how you could use it, why someone might need it or where they could put it. You’ll need a bit of both, the facts to inform the bidder but the spice to make it seem appealing to anybody on the fence.

Do your research for market values on your products

There are a couple of ways you can go about this depending on what items you are auctioning. If you’re dealing with antiques and other older items it might be a good idea to go and get them professionally valued. Just in case you have discovered a rare gem that is worth thousands and you intended on starting bids at $50.

If your auction items are obvious in value, make sure your starting bid is lower as this is what will drive bids. Nobody wants to bid on a $500 spa day at the starting price of $500. You need to start bidding slightly less in order to gather interest. 

Remember that you can always put a minimum bid on an item. For example, that spa day won’t sell for less than $500, the important thing is not to tell people what your valuations are because this will make them feel like they’re only getting a deal if it’s less than that, which can restrict bids.

Announce starting bids

Starting bids are important. As we have briefly discussed, when it comes to selling items for a profit the last thing you want to do is undersell. This is why it’s important to do your research beforehand. But how low do you start your bids? Showing the starting bid on the system beforehand can be great at attracting instant attention, but you need to think carefully about how much that starting number is.

We would recommend making your starting bid 10-25% lower than the value of your item. This will help show your bidders that there is a good deal to be had without welcoming any skepticism about the authenticity of an item. It also means that when the bids start to roll in, you don’t need 20 bids in order for the item to reach its value. 

The further away you start from a minimum bid or the value of an item, the longer it will take to reach any form of profit. There needs to be a balance between a deal and losing out, we believe that’s at a 10-25% reduced value starting bid.

Market the auction via social media etc

When it comes to running a charity auction online, one thing you will need to focus on is promoting the event. It can be more difficult than hosting an event in physical space because there isn’t a venue to put posters up on, there isn’t a street where you can spread the word. All you have is the online space. That being said, if you use it well, you might end up with more people in attendance than you could have dreamed of.

Social media posts can be a great tool and is exactly where you should start to promote your online charity auction. Go into online Facebook groups and post information but make sure it’s relevant. If your auction is raising money for a charity related to cancer research, look at groups online that relate to this. It could be survivors, families or current patients. Facebook groups are a great way to spread the news of events as well as ask your personal friends to share the event. This is just another reason why it’s important to select the right mobile bidding provider, so it’s easy to share event details online.

If you’re interested in running a silent auction at a live fundraising event but you’re not entirely sure where to start, then don’t worry, you’re not alone. There are so many ways to raise money and let’s face it, they have become a bit repetitive over the last few years which is why a silent auction is a perfect way for fundraising. It breaks the mold while still getting the job done. 

But where to start? It can get a little confusing and with this type of event, there are many cogs in the wheel, so follow this guide to make sure yours is a success!

Get a trustworthy team together

Depending on the size of the event, you may need to put together a team. The important thing is that you can rely on these people to get the job done so don’t put someone in charge of finances if their mathematical skills aren’t up to scratch. You’ll need people to find worthy donations so make sure they have good connections and are incredibly friendly and likable. You’ll also need people to hunt down a suitably sized venue within budget. 

Consider that depending on the size of your event, you may need catering and entertainment, so find someone with good logistical skills to run the event. You might need security, waiting staff, a host, an admin team to organize ticket sales and bids. Think outside the box.

If you’re starting to think that you have no idea who you should or shouldn’t have in your team. We suggest you move forward a step and discover more about the type of event you’re going to run. This should tell you all the different types of people you need in your team. Then, the hard work on finding them is down to you. You can speak to people you know and ask for favors or if it’s in the budget, hire them through external events companies.

Decide your audience type and investigate their personality

This is potentially the most important step to take. Defining an audience will really help you make your event a success, here’s why: 

If your audience is of retirement age, consider that a donation of a ‘ticket to an amusement park’ isn’t going to be too popular so may not raise as much money as you want. Once you have defined your audience, you’ll be able to pitch for donations that can go for a lot more money. Ask yourself if they’re young, family orientated, perhaps they are wealthy or is this event happening in a relatively poor community? 

Not only can you find suitable donations after defining an audience, but you can also market the silent auction event accordingly. Younger audiences are easier to sell tickets to online whereas an older community will appreciate some sort of flier in the mail. Do your research now and save yourself a lot of hassle in the future. You only get one shot to make the entire night worthwhile, don’t cut any corners on your research.

Seek your donations and make them suitable for the audience

This is where your team becomes really useful. Whether it’s jumping on the phone or walking the streets downtown. This area will take time, so make sure you save plenty of time for it. You don’t want to book a venue, save a date, or invite a single guest until you have donations.

Donations are ultimately going to dictate a lot of your success. You need things that people are going to want to buy. It might be something functional like a hoover. Perhaps something luxurious like a new car. You can even keep it simple with a gift card. Remember, your audience plays a big role in what type of donations you should be seeking but leaving enough time to find them is crucial.

The last thing you want is having barely any donations a couple of days before the event and having to cancel. We suggest giving yourself a couple of months depending on how big and luxurious you intend your silent auction to be.

Great silent auction item ideas for prizes include signed memorabilia, travel packages, unique experiences like driving days or tickets to sport events, plus anything VIP like backstage passes. These always help raise the big bucks! These are the popular auction items that can help start a bidding war! 

Decide on how your event will run: paper or digital

Now, while your audience may dictate this area ever so slightly, it’s important to note that not all young people are tech-savvy or accessible and likewise the elderly aren’t always clueless about the digital world. Assumptions aren’t useful so we urge you not to make them. Again, get to know your audience and decide accordingly.

You may be asking; what are the benefits for paper vs digital? Well, paper is the more traditional method. It involves leaving sheets of paper out for people to write their name, bid, and bid number on before submitting it into a sealed box. At the end of the night, those who are announced as the winners are trusted to come up and honor their bid. It can be exciting, however sometimes it can be difficult trying to find the winners. In addition, a paper auction can be forgotten about and not continually in the minds of your guests.

A digital silent auction is becoming more and more popular. The sign-up process means bidders can submit their credit card details before they make the bid, making the payment collection process far more reliable and less stressful. In addition, a silent auction accessible from guests’ phones, with real-time auction leaderboards displayed around a room, adds real excitement and entertainment. In the virtual world we live in today, running your auction online gives your audience great accessibility. You can host a silent auction in one place, stream it live for announcing the winners but have people from all around the globe bid on your prizes.

It’s up to you whether you run your silent auction traditionally or digitally. Think of your audience, the donations on offer and how easy you want the paperwork to be afterwards.

Find a suitable venue

No matter what venue you think you want to host your silent auction in, make sure it’s within budget with room to spare. Even if you think ‘yes, this is at my max budget’ always leave a little bit of wiggle room for anything that might go wrong last minute that requires some funding.

Your venue might need to be in a particular location depending on where you expect your guests to be traveling from. If they’re all from the city, perhaps a location out in the suburbs isn’t ideal. The further your guests have to travel, the less likely they are to show up. Don’t leave yourself with an empty venue all because you could get bigger and better further out. 

Another thing to consider when locating your venue is the donations that you have secured. If there’s a brand new car on offer, you want to be able to get it into the event hall to showcase it. Likewise, if there is a heavy item, asking your guest to walk down five flights of stairs with it probably won’t encourage people to bid on it. Make sure the venue suits the donations so you can encourage worthy profits.

Consider if you need additional entertainment or food

As we mentioned earlier if you are having a digital auction you will want to introduce some alternative entertainment. Otherwise, people will show up, sit down on their phones for a couple of hours and wait for the results. Why not have some table entertainment such as magicians or characteristics. 

Alternatively, get some catering for a delicious buffet. If you really want to push the boat out, why not offer a three-course meal with table service? There are plenty of ways to offer your guests something more than the opportunity to bid and we suggest you do if you want your event to be more than just a one-off.

Some events have local artists playing songs that can add to the event entertainment. 

Sell tickets and promote your silent auction 

This is where your marketing team comes in. When you’ve decided a date, secured a venue, sourced plenty of big-ticket donations, decided on any additional entertainment, then it’s time to sell tickets and get your invites out. 

Use an online platform for ticket sales, and ideally an all-in-one solution that means guests who purchase tickets will already have their payment details stored for winning bids and donations.

In addition, we recommend sending out specific invites to who you anticipate as your big-spending guests. Create fonts that are decorative, seal them with wax and have them handwritten in calligraphy. These will encourage people to attend but also, bring their credit card with the biggest balance. For any other seats you wish to fill, but don’t have a guestlist for, social media is your best bet.

Put out the word on suitable Facebook groups, get people talking about it in communities and share information for free. If you’re running a larger event from a business account on social media, you may decide to put some budget behind your campaigns to reach more people. Just make sure your finance team has budgeted this in your spending and that you have someone smart who can work the paid ads.

How to make the silent auction run smoothly

When the day arrives you should be able to set up easily. Each member of your team should know what they’re doing to make it a success. These are some of our tips to help make things run smoothly for you and your guests:

• Group your items into categories so that guests can find things they’re interested in to donate on. For example, health and beauty or art.

• Don’t obscure the visibility of any items, have them all dotted around the edge of the room so that they’re easily accessible.

• Make sure each item is clearly labeled with all suitable information. For example, make sure expiry dates are on gift cards or any certifications for artwork.

• Stay in touch with your guests throughout the event to update them on the silent auction. Messaging guests as the event takes place ensures they will continue to bid and stay engaged with your auction items.

• Use a platform to quickly check guests into your event. The last thing you need is a build-up of people standing outside struggling to get in. Make it work for disabled and abled people – a good way to ensure there are no tables near the front door.

Finally: follow up after your auction

When your event is over and all your payments are secured, follow up with your guests. Let them know how much money was raised. Tell them about any exciting news that happened because of the event, for example, the ring that was sold went to a bidder who ended up proposing. Why do this? Because it’ll entice people to look out for any future events you wish to hold. 

Ultimately, this is a charity auction and people will want to know and share in your success!