Planning a Silent Auction Charity

Use these simple tips to plan a fabulous silent auction for your favorite charity.

Food and Drink Options For your Charity Event:

The most economical way to serve delicious food and drinks at your event is to find local restaurants and catering businesses who will donate meals for free. If you do not know where to ask around, simply begin by using these tips:

1. Make a list of your favorite restaurants and caterers in the area.

If the food is good and they are not overly pricey, it's worth pitching them to provide dinner at your event.

2. Create a little pitch detailing why this is a great opportunity.

Not only will it help support a charity, it will give the business good exposure to a variety of new people and it is something they can issue a press release about to the local paper.

Also, offer to include information on the restaurants in your silent auction's program with a 10% off coupon to encourage guests to try the restaurant.

3. Contact the businesses on your list with your proposal.

If one is willing to donate one or two dishes in lieu of the whole meal, that is perfectly fine. All you'll need is partial participation from two or three restaurants to secure a lovely meal.

4. For alcohol, visit local liquor stores.

Ask for $50 or $100 increments of free alcohol until you have enough for your event. Give them the same pitch as you gave the restaurants; everyone can use publicity.

Securing Great Silent Auction Items

In order to host a successful charity event and raise a good amount of money, the most important items you'll need are the auction items. Obtain the auction items by donation from local businesses looking for press.

1. Offer Free Press.

Along with a positive write-up in your silent auction, offer to send a press release about your charity auction to the local newspaper, news channels, and blogs that cover your neighborhood.

So many businesses are hungry for new ways to market themselves when business is slow--you'll be pleasantly surprised at how many will be willing to donate an item for free press.

2. Start with People You Know.

Begin building your silent auction item list by contacting local business owners you know or are friends with. Does your best friend own a sporting goods shop? Perhaps your cousin has a popular clothing boutique?

It's easier to start by asking people you know. Once you are comfortable asking for donation items, expand to other local business owners whose services you've used and enjoyed.

3. Make sure to provide a wide range of items that appeal to a broad base of people.

Gender-specific items are okay (like jewelry or sports season tickets), but try to avoid accumulating too many silent auction items that only appeal to a small demographic.

Good bets include: weekend getaways to a local resort, gift certificates for upscale restaurants, memorabilia, art, housecleaning services, airline tickets or mileage, personal assistant services, and gift certificates to stores.

Timing is Everything

For the night of the event, try to engage the services of an event coordinator for free, promising the same type of press that other businesses participating in your silent auction will receive.

If this isn't possible, make sure to create a very detailed master list of the day that includes everything:

• From setup to tear down; who does what, when.

• Vendor arrival and departure times and a map of what goes where.

• Schedule the night in 15-minute increments to ensure that your silent auction runs smoothly. Be sure to factor in enough time for cocktails, dinner, and silent auction bidding.