School Auction Blog

How to Raise Money with a School Auction

admin — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 12:09:59 +0000

Fundraising is always something big for a school, especially when clubs and societies are looking for funding. A fundraising auction is an excellent way to do just that: make money.

Now school auction projects don’t sound like big-money events, but it all depends on how it’s done. If you know what you’re doing, it sure isn’t impossible for you to rake in $10,000 to $20,000 in one fell swoop. Your child’s club will never have problems with funding as long as you know how to raise money with a school auction:

Planning: Making or Breaking the Auction

Treat a school auction like it’s a business and it’ll be like one. How you plan carefully can turn a school auction into a mere one-time yard sale or an annual money-making event of for your school.

Elements of the planning stage include mining your group for resources and items to auction off, matching items to the audience, acquiring software and hardware for the event. And you have to begin planning for all these factors nearly a year in advance for the auction: treat it like a major event, with all the courtesies and formalities that come with it and you’re going to get one.

Finding the Items to Sell

Creativity is the name of the game here. Although you’ve got the option of asking parents to donate items to set up for auction, you may want to think up alternative options that match the resources available to you.

For example: if you’ve got a parent who owns a luxury yacht, why not auction up a romantic boat ride for two? Or if you’ve got a donator who specializes in furniture making, why not have an auction for a top-notch, hand-built dresser made of fine wood?

Check the people around you, and you’ll be surprised at the options you’ll have to offer in school auction projects.

Matching Items to the Audience

It will be impossible to sell a $10,000 item in a crowd that has only a few hundred dollars in their pockets. Thus, it is essential that your school auction committee be able to assess the financial capabilities of the attending participants.

Carefully study the population of participants that will be attending the auction and divide them into categories: low, mid and high. Make sure low-spenders will be guided to the affordable section of the auctions, while those with more clink in their pockets would be guided to the higher-cost section of the auctions. Do this, and you won’t worry about having the wrong audience for the right auction.

The Art of Auctioneering

Any good auction has to have skilled auctioneers manning it. You don’t want an auctioneer who can’t speak to save his life, and you don’t want an auctioneer who doesn’t have a clue about auctions. You’ll need an auctioneer who knows how to rouse the interest of the crowd; to timely kick in humor and wit in order to keep the crowd entertained, and to inject a certain environment of desire and competitiveness within them.

Plan ahead, be creative, do the proper matching and find a good auctioneer to man the helm. Do it properly, and your fundraising auction will rake in the dollars like no tomorrow.

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How to Raise Money with a School Auction

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2009 Springfield High School Senior Auction

admin — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 02:12:07 +0000

2009 SHS Village People-YMCA

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2009 Springfield High School Senior Auction

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We need group fundraising ideas!!!?

admin — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 10:29:08 +0000

I am in a group called Washington Junior Holstein Association. We are raising money to go to Convention in Wisconsin where we will participate in Quiz bowl, Dairy Jepardy, Speach, and Scrapbook contests. We have already done a Soup and Pie Social and an Auction.

We still need about $10,000 to send all team members to competion. Any ideas?

WOW! What a cool opportunity!

I’ve been heavily involved with nonprofit fund raising for years….so here are some ideas I have that could be relatively low in cost for your cause…

1) Consider a mail campaign – depending on how many mailing addresses you have, you never know how many people might respond to your cause and just write you a check! This works amazingly well for several organizations that are short on time AND resources.

2) Consider running an online auction – this is an AWESOME way to get to the people whose mailing addresses you don’t have (ie you’ve got their EMAILS)…your email base can feel like they’re using their expendable income on great stuff AND its going to their community at the same time!
I’ve included a link of one of the online auction companies that I’ve worked with…cMarket. They also have another website, BiddingforGood.com, that opens your auction up to all their members so that people who you don’t even know can donate to your cause and bid on your items!

3) Instead of having a garage sale at your home, try having a "garage" sale on eBay! Think of it as a virtual way to get rid of some stuff AND make a little more money…(make sure you include the cost of shipping those items online or else you’ll end up losing money!).

4) Have a fundraising event – give people in your community something to look forward to, and host a gala….you can sell tickets, have an auction, raffle prizes, etc that will give your church something to look forward to AND a perfect opportunity to donate to something they care about.

5) One last tid bit – consider selling sponsorships for your event…this can help off set some of your cost INCREDIBLY. You’d be surprised how many local businesses want to be a part of your cause-minded event! You can ask for anywhere around $500 per sponsor, and if you put your auction online, you can ask for even more than that because they’ll be getting just that much more exposure through your website and event emails!

Best of luck with all of this!

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Bradfield “Rock the School House” Auction 2009

admin — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 21:34:08 +0000

Every year, Bradfield Elementary hosts a fundraiser designed to raise money for the school and give parents a chance to party! This year’s event was held at the House of Blues in Downtown Dallas. The theme was “Rock the School House” and parents were encouraged to dress as their favorite rock stars. Disco cover band “Le Freak” brought down the house. In this clip, some of the ladies are brought up on stage to get their groove on and sing “She a Brick House”.

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Bradfield “Rock the School House” Auction 2009

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School Fundraising? (for a tiny boarding school)?

admin — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 07:21:08 +0000

I go to a tiny all girls boarding school in the middle of no where. this coming year im going to be president of the 11s class. a big part of what i do, is help raise money for my class to pay for our banquet(we pick a theme and we buy cups, plates, decorations and stuff like that) and to pay for our class trip. i was wondering if anyone had any ideas on how to raise money? we have parents weekends where parents of the students come up for a weekend and check out the school and stuff. usually the classes sell snacks and stuff or auction of baskets. also the seniors have a senior auction and he can buy a senior for a day and he can dress they up and make them do stuff for you lol if rlly funny and the go for a lot. anyway i am really hoping for any idea that you guys might have. i kinda want to move away from asking parents for money be i feel that we do that alot. i hope to here your ideas!! thanks

you could do t-shirts or go around to local resturants and ask to speak to a manager and tell him you are doing a discount card to help raise money and if he would like to get on the back of it for a small fee. then turn around and sell the cards that offer savings at local resturants and local places. i sell both of these item plus more if you need anything

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Soundview Elementary School Lynnwood, Washington

admin — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 00:52:05 +0000

Ben Lee, Education Director, Soundview School, Building the Future Dinner Auction March 7, 2009 at the Everett Comcast Events Center in Everett, Washington.

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Soundview Elementary School Lynnwood, Washington

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Does anyone know where I can find original Broadway memorabilia in Australia? Preferably Sydney?

admin — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 15:28:06 +0000

I am organizing a fundraising event for a performing arts group and the theme is a night on broadway. I am looking for shops and or private collectors who have broadway memorabilia to ask for donations or reduced cost merchandise for a fundraising auction. I have tried to contact stores in the USA but am not getting any response. I have researched for Australian shops which may sell these kinds of things but no luck so far. If anyone has any information regading where I can get original broadway memorabilia like photos, posters, playbills, programmes, signed posters etc I would be extremely grateful.

try ebay

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I need an unusual theme for a auction/fundraiser. any ideas?

admin — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 15:28:05 +0000

i am the head of an auction/fundraiser for a private high school. i kinda want a unusual theme and im not really sure what to do. i have a band and a caterer. its a silent and live auction. then a party after. please help!

I don’t know if any of these ideas are unique, but here are ideas of themes I’ve seen at other auctions:

*Hawaiian (leis, grass skirts, beach stuff, etc)
*Mexican (sombreros, ponchos, etc)
*50′s night (poodle skirts, vinyl records, classic cars, etc)
*Caribbean (mostly pirate stuff and shipwrecks)
*Sci-Fi (outer space stuff, high tech lighting, etc)

I know I’ve seen others, but that’s all I can remember right now. For other ideas, you could pick any country to revolve around, such as China or India. Or any historical traditional type theme, such as ancient Greek or Rome, even pioneers or the California Gold Rush. Stuff like that.

Once you’ve picked your theme, you basically decorate the place entirely with theme related items. The auction workers should dress their part (make the theme dress optional for regular attendees, or you won’t get as much participation). Have your band play at least a couple of theme related songs, if appropriate. Some themes are easier to plan a meal around, than others, so if you’re having a dinner keep that in mind. Basically, just have fun with it.

~Kyanna

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Skyline High School Date Auction

admin — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 02:27:06 +0000

An Auction at Skyline High School for your date!
( u should totally buy Danny Vanity!!)

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Skyline High School Date Auction

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i am doing some fundraising for my sons football club and wondered if anyone could offer any help?

admin — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 16:32:06 +0000

i really need help in trying to find companies who are willing to donate a item for a auction of promise or prizes that could be use in a raffle or bingo.
i also need to find companies who would like to sponsor our football teams kits and maybe even donate money to buy new equipment for the club.
so if you can help in any way please contact me.thank you

Just start knocking on doors and making phone calls. One tip is to focus on locally owned businesses. Very often in large chain stores or multibranch companies the manager has little control over the money or over donations and trying to get anything out of them is a hassle.

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