Silent auctions are auctions held without auctioneer. People make their bids on sheets of paper. They are often used to raise funds but can be difficult to organize. Here's how to get the most out of it.
Steps
Step 1. Make a master book with the value of each item and who you bought it
If you repeat this the following year, you can invite the same people again. Also consider some space to add their phone number and how much they paid for it. This way you can be sure that people have their items and you will know how much you have accomplished.
When you style the list, do it on the computer. Or ask someone to enter the entries. Make a column with the donor's name, address and phone number, item serial number, description and value
Step 2. Assign a number to each object
Use small white stickers or common labels found everywhere. If you have any more similar items, it will help you to take them into account more easily. Assign the same number on the master book as well.
Step 3. Print the offer sheets
Write the name of the item, a brief description, what it's worth. Include a minimum bid (usually 20% of the total value) and a minimum to raise. (A raise rule is a minimum of one euro for items up to 50, 2 for those between 50 and 100, 5 euros for those over 100). Make sure there is space for the name, telephone number of the bidder and for the amount of course. If you want you can also add the item "Buy Now" with a fixed price in case someone wants to spend with the certainty of winning the item.
Step 4. Make a list of what you will need and proceed with the purchase
(See "Things You'll Need".)
- Try to buy what you need in a department store with a return policy. If the store requires membership, remember this when sending someone to buy the latest stuff. And check that the person has a cell phone. Once it's out for shopping, something else will surely come to mind.
- Buy plenty of pens and markers, some discolors, extra sheets, and rolls of masking tape to attach the offer sheets. People can't wait to write how much money they are willing to give you.
Step 5. Recruit volunteers
A contact list such as your e-mail address book will be useful for you. You will need volunteers to set up, to closely monitor the tables, to collect and organize the bidding sheets (especially if there are multiple winners) and of course to clean up once everything is done.
Select the volunteers who will acquire a position. They are the ones who must know the rules of a silent auction, who will be able to answer questions in case of doubt of the participants. During these events, they usually wear something - hats, vests or whatever - that sets them apart from other volunteers
Step 6. The set-up must start earlier, one day before the event
You will need time not only to fix but also to correct any problems. If you can, leave two days before the auction so you don't have to stress. Consider appointing someone to run last-second errands.
Step 7. Arrange the offer sheets for people to see
If you have a lot of items you have to be quite creative. For example, some things can look good hanging on the walls or on displays. Don't worry if the sheet isn't exactly next to it. That's what the numbers are for. (A sticker on each item must match the number on the sheet.) Ask a volunteer to check the offering sheets and mark which ones do not have the number.
Step 8. Attach the sheets
It is easy for them to move with air and movement.
Method 1 of 2: During the Auction
Step 1. Put judges at the tables to make sure the bidding sheets stay on the tables and people follow the rules for raising
They will likely have questions about some items and the monitors need to be able to give the answers.
Step 2. Give people lots of input as closing time approaches
Make announcements 10 and 5 minutes in advance. If you have a microphone, announce the closing in a loud and clear voice. If you have closing intervals, announce them every time. People who want can make the last offer at the end. Close. (Choose a person's watch and just rely on that as each watch will be different.)
Step 3. When the bidding time ends, have all the pens and papers quickly collected so that no one can cheat
The judges will have to circle the winning bid and draw a line in the remaining empty spaces so that no one can add their name once the auction has closed.
Step 4. Judges should check to make sure bids have followed the minimum raise rules
If any criteria have not been met, the sheet should be put aside. The organizers can decide later how to behave. If there is no minimum raise, the last bidder with the highest bid (above the minimum threshold) who has successfully raised is chosen. The judges will take the papers and deliver them to the collector.
Step 5. Whoever is in the "economic" part will have to arrange the sheets in alphabetical order according to whoever won
If someone has won multiple auctions (this often happens), the corresponding sheets go together. In this way the person will only have to pay once all together. If you have few items, you can call people directly to do the paperwork individually.
Step 6. Isolate the collection area and have everyone wait past the cords
They will be eager to have their purchases. Make them wait. Encourage people who want to pay right away to wait until they finish participating in the auctions.
Step 7. Call people to collect when the volunteers in charge are ready
You can call one at a time or have them line up. In this case, whoever is at the cashier will have to look for each name among the sheets so it is important that they are in alphabetical order.
Step 8. If someone has won more than one auction and doesn't show up, put their papers aside
When you are done with who is in line, make an announcement from whoever directed the operations in case people are still present in the room.
Step 9. As soon as people pay, ask someone to bring them the purchased item
They may even pick it up on their own, but silent auctions often attract people who are looking for a good deal without actually being interested in the good cause. Most are honest but some dishonest ones could still happen.
Method 2 of 2: After the Auction
Step 1. Inventory management
Once all the participants have left, you will probably have some items left. They can be of people they didn't know they had won or whatever. That's why you need their phone number. If you are unable to deliver items after the auction, you will need to deliver them home. Ask some volunteers to call.
Step 2. In the following days, you will be able to do what you intended to do with the remaining items
For those who, despite having satisfied the minimum bid, were not taken, the winner must be called. Arrange all the papers from the same person. They may have bought an item like twenty. Make the total and call to inform. Ask if they can come and get their items. You have to be flexible when doing this, they may have schedules and commitments. If you have a lot of leftover, divide it into piles so that no one has to call 20 people. This part can be really challenging so dividing up the work can make it easier.
Step 3. Be prepared for bogus bystanders
They are the ones who will not want to shell out. Call the person who made the offer before them to see if they are still interested in the item.
Step 4. Count the cash out before taking it to the bank
Bank clerks can be wrong. Look for any poorly written checks. The bank may accept them but you need to know that they are there. Keep cash separate to pay for refunds for event shoppers.
Step 5. Return everything that was loaned to you
Step 6. Thank those who bought or sold
If you have volunteers send an email to them too to inform them of the success of the event. Contact the journalists of the press and the air who have promoted the event for you and let them know the outcome. Write a letter to the editor of the local newspaper thanking those who helped. If the winning auction was worth more than the item, the person who won it would want a receipt for the tax deduction that you can send along with a thank you note. Also if your organization has a tax section, you can ask if by chance you need to calculate taxes on the auction amount. That's why you need complete documentation of the object, description and value.
Advice
- Make holes in the offering sheets and pass through a thread. This way, when you are near the end, the volunteers will only have to pull the sheets away (and avoid that the others "peek" in the last offer at the close).
- Think about the time. Does your event take place outside? Wind, rain, sun (bad for wine bottles and candles….) Etc.
- Use pens, not pencils for those who write offers.
- Consider the technology. A silent auction with text messages can drive up your takings. Speed increases the number of bids and therefore raises the price. There are various typing systems available but SMS is more convenient and usually done without much thought.
- If you have a lot of items, close the tables at 15 minute intervals for example. By doing so, the volunteers will not be engulfed. You will have to decide which objects will stand on which tables. Usually the more popular and expensive ones will go to tables that close later but you can also create some excitement in the beginning. Start putting things on the tables and rearrange everything if necessary. One person coordinating everything will make the auction easier but two or three can still work together.
- On the offer sheets, the names must be written every time the offer goes up, but the phone is enough once. Alternatively, have people register first and include their phone number as well as other information on the register.
- Make small sheets if you have a lot of items. This way you won't fill the tables with paper. If a sheet is full of offers, you can stick an empty one on top of the previous one.
- Think about having volunteers place a minimum bid on each sheet. An object looks more attractive if someone has decided they want it. An alternative is to simply let the volunteers bid for something before the event begins. Some will not have time to do so during the auction and in this way will prevent others from canceling their bid because it is very low.
