A fundraising auction for charity is a classic, easy way to make money for your group.
One type of auction involves hosting an event, such as a dinner, where guests pay a set price for a seat. During the dinner, auctioning off goods and services donated by local businesses will raise even more money for your group. Dinner for two at an area restaurant, flowers, pizza delivery, gift cards, or merchandise – anything the group can collect as donations for your auction fundraiser can help increase the proceeds.
Date auctions can also be a great fundraising activity, as they require only that people donate their time, energy, and good humor. Another option is to auction off a person who can perform a specific service, such as cleaning gutters, raking leaves, babysitting, or various other tasks. Consider asking for donations from nearby cafés or restaurants as incentives for those participants offering their time or service to be sold in your fundraising auction.
Or, if you want to steer clear of hosting a fundraising event, you can look to the internet. Due to the proliferation of internet sites that host auctions, online auctions have become popular fundraising tools. Your group can set up an auction through websites like eBay or cMarket that allow donors from all over the world to bid on your items and thereby contribute to your fundraiser. After setting up an account, you can use these online fundraising auctions as many times as you want to in the future.
Of course, if you choose not to use the online auction to raise funds, most of your group’s profits will probably come from local bidders. This means that your group will need to design and implement a publicity campaign in conjunction with the fundraising auction to get the word out and maximize your group's profit potential.
