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How to Run a Silent Auction


Silent auctions are auctions held without an auctioneer. People place their bids on sheets of paper instead. They're often used by charities to raise money, but they can be difficult to plan and put together. Here's how to get the most out of your items.

Steps

  1. Make a master list of all the items, who donated them, how much they are worth, and who went and asked at that business. If you are going to do this again next year, it is nice to have the same people go to the same businesses each year. Include space on your master list to write who won the item, their phone number, and how much they paid. This way you can make sure they get their items and you know how much money you made.
    • When making a master list, consider using a computerized program. Another volunteer might be willing to input the information. If so, make columns for donor name, address, and phone number, item number, item description, and value.
  2. Put a number on each item. Use small blank stickers or labels available at general stores and office supply businesses. If you have more than a few items and if any of them are similar, it makes keeping track much easier. Put the same number next to the item on your master list.
  3. Print bidding sheets. Write the name of the item, a short description of the item, how much it is worth, and who donated it. (This gives them a bit of advertising as a thank you for donating.) Include a minimum bid (generally 20% of the retail value) and minimum bid increase increments. (One rule of thumb for minimum increase: $1 for items up to $50, $2 for $50-$100, $5 for items over $100). Make sure there is space for the bidder’s name, phone number, and the amount they bid. If you like, Add a "Buy it Now" price to each bid sheet in case someone wants to leave before the end of the auction.
  4. Make a list of supplies you think you’ll need and go shopping. (See “Things You’ll Need” below.)
    • Try to buy supplies at a warehouse store with a generous return policy. If the store requires a membership, keep that in mind when sending someone on a run for last-minute supplies. And make sure that person has a cell phone and that a key person at the event has that number. After they have left for a supplies run, you’ll surely find something else that needs to be picked up.
    • Buy plenty of pens and markers, some whiteout tape, extra bid sheets, and an extra roll of tape to tape your bid sheets down. You don't want people waiting to write down how much money they will give you.
  5. Recruit volunteers. A contact list, especially an email list, is handy for this. You will need: volunteers to help set up; judges to monitor and close tables at the appointed time and make sure minimum bid and minimum increase requirements were met; a “bank” crew to organize bid sheets (especially of multiple winners) and collect money from winning bids; and a clean up crew.
    • Select volunteers willing to be officials. These people will need to know the rules of the silent auction and who to go to for questions they can’t answer. During the event they will wear something—hat, vests, jackets, or sashes—that designates them as officials.
  6. Start setting up early; a day before the event. You’ll need extra time not only to set up but to allow for any mistakes. If you can, set up a day or two before the auction so you don't have to stress about it. Consider designating someone who is willing to go to the store to buy forgotten items.
  7. Lay out all the items and the bid sheets so people can see them. If you have a lot of items you may have to be pretty creative. For example, some things might be better hung on walls or placed on display easels. Don't worry if the bid sheet isn't right next to the item. Just make it close. That's what the numbers are for. (A number sticker should be on each item that matches each bidder sheet for that item.) Have a volunteer making up bid sheets for items without them and certificates for items that need those. (Certificates are for items such as donated services that don’t already have a certificate. You can also use your own certificates for gift certificates with small print that are hard to read.)
  8. Tape the bid sheets down. It's easy for bid sheets to get blown or knocked around.
During the Event
  1. Have judges monitor the tables to make sure bid sheets are staying in place and people are following the minimum bid and minimum increase rules. People will probably have questions about some items, so try to prepare the judges to answer them.
  2. Give people plenty of warning as closing time approaches. Make announcements at least 10 and 5 minutes before. If you have one closing, announce it loudly and clearly. If you have interval closing times, announce loudly and clearly which closing it is. People will want to bid right up to the very end. End at that time. (Choose one person's watch to use and put them in charge of the time since everyone's watch is different.)
  3. When the bidding time ends, have judges quickly pick up all the pens and sheets so no one can be sneaky. Judges need to circle the winning bid and draw a line through the empty spaces of the bid sheets, so no one can add their name after the closing time.
  4. Judges need to check to make sure the winning bids have followed the minimum bid and minimum increase rules. If minimum bid was not met, set that sheet aside. Organizers can decide later how to deal with it. If minimum increase was not met, select the most recent high bidder (above the minimum bid) who did meet the minimum bid. The judges then take the bid sheets to the “bank.”
  5. Have “bank” volunteers sort the sheets by last name alphabetical order. If anyone has won more than one item (a common occurrence), staple those sheets together. That way you only need to have them pay once. If you have just a few items, you can call people's names and have them come get their stuff.
  6. Cordon off the bank area and make everyone wait. They will be anxious to get their stuff. Make them wait. Encourage people who plan to continue bidding to wait to pay until after they are finished bidding.
  7. Call people to the bank when the bankers are ready. Either call bidders up one at a time by name or just have them form a line. If you are using the latter method, the bankers will have to search through the bid sheets for the bidder’s name, so it's important that the bid sheets are alphabetized.
  8. If someone has won one or more items and doesn’t appear on their own, set those bid sheets aside. When you’re just about done with the people in line, have the emcee announce their names in case they are still at the event.
  9. As people pay, have a volunteer collect their items. You could send people to collect their own items, but silent auctions often attract people who want a good deal and might not particularly support the cause for which you are raising money. Most people are very honest, but one bad apple can really spoil the event for others.
After the Event
  1. Deal with the leftover items. After the line of people are gone you will probably have things left over. These people went home, didn't know they won, or whatever. That's why you have their phone number on the bid sheet. If you can’t leave them at the event location, you will probably have to take them home. Make sure you or a volunteer has the bid sheets with the phone numbers.
  2. In the following days, deal with the leftover items however you have planned. For items that met the minimum bid but weren’t picked up, you or a volunteer will need to call the bidder. Sort out all the bid sheets that go to the same person. They may have bought one thing or twenty. Add up their total and call to tell them they have won. Ask if they could please come get their things. You may have to be flexible about arranging a time to meet them. If you have lots left over, divide up the pile so no one has to call 20 people. This part can be a big hassle, so divvy the work to make it easier.
  3. Prepare for derelict bidders. Undoubtedly there will be people who don't want to pay for the things they bid on. Call the next person on the bid sheet and see if they still want it.
  4. Count the money and checks before going to the bank. Bank tellers can make mistakes. Look for checks that are made out improperly. The bank may still accept them, but you should be aware of them. Keep money aside to pay people who bought things for the event but haven’t been reimbursed.
  5. Return any items you borrowed to hold the event.
  6. Give thanks and recognition to those who donated. If you have volunteers on your email contact list, send out an email thank you and let them know how successful the event was. Contact any newspaper columnists or radio disc jockeys who promoted your event to thank them and let them know it was a success. Write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper thanking people who helped.

Tips

  • Consider the weather. Is this an outdoor event? Think about wind, rain, sun (bad for bottles of wine and candles that might melt....) and so on.
  • Use pens for people to bid with, not pencils.
  • Make bidding sheets half-sheet size (4-1/4” x 11”) if you have a lot of items. This reduces bid sheet crowding on the tables. If a bid sheet fills up, you can tape an empty one to the filled one.
  • On bid sheets, names need to be written each time a bid is increased, but phone numbers need to be written only once. An alternative is to have people register at the door and include their phone number and other contact information in that registry.
  • Consider having some volunteers put their names on the bid sheets with a minimum bid. An item looks a bit more attractive if someone else has already decided they want it. Another alternative is simply to allow volunteers to bid on items before the event starts. Some volunteers won’t have time to bid during the event and allowing volunteers to bid early doesn’t preclude attendees from outbidding them.
  • If you have many items, consider closing the tables at intervals, such as every 15 minutes. Doing so helps keep the volunteers from being overwhelmed at table closing time. If you do this, you’ll have to decide which items will be on which tables. Generally, the more expensive and popular items will go on the tables that close at the end, but you want to generate excitement in the beginning, too. Just start putting things on tables and rearrange them as necessary. Having a single person coordinate that makes it much easier, but two or three can work together as well.
  • Consider punching holes in the tops of all the bid sheets and running a string through all the sheets on one side of a table. That way, when you get to the close, you only have to have one volunteer at each end of the string to pull all the sheets at once (and keep people from "sneaking" in a last bid after the close).
  • Consider tech. Silent auction texting can significantly raise revenue. The added speed increases the number of bids which ultimately pushes the price up. Various keypad systems are also available but texting is much cheaper and can normally be run by yourselves with the minimum of fuss.

Things You'll Need

  • Bid sheets (can be made on a home computer)
  • Master list of items
  • Masking tape or packaging tape
  • Transparent tape (for taping bid sheets to the tables)
  • Painter’s tape to hang signs and silent auction items on the walls (painter’s tape is much less likely than masking tape to peel paint from the walls when taking things down)
  • Markers
  • Pens (Lots of these on hand! At least one for every bid sheet). Pick up multipacks at a bargain store.
  • Whiteout tape, not liquid
  • Tables
  • A tent or some of those pop-up shelters, for shade
  • A rain plan. Does everything fit under the tent? What if the wind starts to blow?
  • Colored paper and markers to make signs
  • One or two staplers (to staple together bid sheets of silent auction multiple winners)
  • An information sheet to put at the bank telling people who to make checks out to
  • A lock box and change. (For example, $100 in $1 dollar bills, $40 in $5s, and $50 in $10s). Change for the emcee if he or she will be doing fundraising games.
  • Banquet roll (inexpensive one time-use tablecloth for covering the tables that can be bought at a wholesale store)

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