Schools need funding to pay teachers, upgrade facilities, and buy educational resources and technology. After all, if there's anything worth investing in, it's children's education. But, as a busy PTA/PTO member or school administrator, you know exceeding your fundraising goals is easier said than done. Enter school auctions.
Fundraising auctions are popular fundraising events for a wide range of schools and nonprofits, from global NPOs to local humane societies. So, how can you create an event that parents and students will both enjoy? This guide will cover the following to help your school's next auction shine:
As you explore this guide, remember to adapt your school auction to your audience. For example, while a Disney bundle may be a hot-ticket item at an elementary school auction, you might get a lukewarm response at a high school event. Now, let's dive in!
A school auction is a fundraising event organized by a school’s administrators or PTA to raise funds for educational or extracurricular activities and equipment not covered by the school's standard budget.
During the event, items or services are awarded to the highest bidder. Items may include local experiences like amusement park tickets and unique school-related opportunities like Principal for a Day.
Many schools use auction software to register participants, track bids, and process payments. This software can also be used to run online and hybrid auctions and expand the reach of fundraisers.
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Common types of school fundraising auctions include:
Each type of school auction comes with its own advantages and drawbacks. Choose the best option for you based on your school’s preferences, the nature of your items, and your event’s goals.
Take your school auction to the next level, make the most of your resources, and avoid potential pitfalls with these tips:
Planning an auction involves a lot of logistics, so organizers typically divide responsibilities among a few people. Creating a school auction team will help your fundraiser run smoothly.
Your school auction’s team might include these positions:
Your team should work together to reinforce the auction rules and ensure a fair and fun bidding process. By filling these roles, your school can assemble a comprehensive team ready to take on all the critical elements of a successful fundraising auction.
Setting up an attractive item display is an art rather than an exact science. Like retail, consider your auction area to be like a store and implement retailing best practices: lighting, layout, and display. Ask yourself, do I want my auction area to look like an Apple Store or a Marshalls?
As you design your auction area, keep these tips in mind:
One solution is to give guests a way to bid that doesn't involve hovering around items. Mobile bidding with an online catalog is a great way to reduce crowding! Guests can explore your items and place bids on their phones.
Eliminating bid sheets can also help you maintain better control over the bidding process, eliminate human error, and prevent any ornery guests from stealing bid sheets (yes, this actually happens).
Have you ever been motivated to complete a chore by turning it into a competition? Maybe you've raced against a sibling to clean your bedroom faster, or you've raced against the clock to see how fast you could wrap up a work task.
The idea here is that games are motivating.
Incentivize guests to bid by gamifying your auction. Gamification involves adding badges, awards, and other elements to inject healthy competition into your event and motivate guests to outbid their peers.
Spark engagement at your school's auction with these gamification features:
Invest in an auction software solution that prioritizes user engagement to add gamification elements to your event. While it can be easy to focus on back-end features (after all, that's what you'll be engaging with), a positive user experience is what ultimately increases your auction revenue.
Your auction supports your students, and they can also be one of your best resources for making your school auction a success!
Here are a few ways students can help out with your event:
Getting your students involved can drum up excitement leading up to your school auction. From there, you'll already have momentum leading into an event filled with items that both your students and their parents will be excited to win.
Many companies develop philanthropy programs as a way to give back to their communities. Chances are, local businesses would love to work with your school and help you pull off the best fundraising auction.
Encourage them to get involved by requesting contributions like:
If companies have other ideas for getting involved, hear them out! Being open to their creative ideas will help kickstart relationships with them. In any case, make sure they get plenty of benefits from supporting your auction. Let them know that you’ll promote their business through various channels, such as event signage, social media mentions, and announcements at the auction.
Your attendees, volunteers, and sponsors will be the reason for your event’s success. Expressing gratitude is more than just a courteous gesture. It’s a strategic action that reinforces people’s decisions to give, enhances their connections to your school, and inspires future support. The simple act of appreciation not only makes them feel valued but also encourages positive word-of-mouth promotion throughout your community.
You might reserve a one-on-one phone call for your largest contributors. For every guest, show authentic appreciation with a personal thank-you email. Better yet, pair your letter with a thoughtful eCard.
Digital greeting cards transform a traditional thank-you letter into a memorable keepsake. Compared to traditional greeting cards, thank-you eCards are much more cost-effective and timely. Here’s how it works:
Putting thought into your appreciation ensures that all guests and sponsors will feel valued and be more likely to participate in your next school fundraiser.
For your school's auction, you'll want to procure items that appeal to both students and their parents, making it a true family affair. However, you also want to keep costs low. After all, the goal is to raise (significantly) more money than you spend.
Procuring the right items requires insight into what your bidders will be interested in. Then, get creative with how you can package that as an auction item.
To kick off your brainstorming, here are fun, low-cost school auction item ideas:
Have students show some class spirit with class baskets. This is typical in elementary school auctions, rather than junior high or high-school events.
Essentially, each classroom creates a themed basket with items contributed by students. Even for small schools, class baskets are a quick and easy way to increase the number (and variety) of items up for auction.
There are two main ways you can assemble a class basket for your school auction:
Regardless of how the basket gets assembled, a cool theme is bound to create something unique that bidders will be excited to win. So encourage the classes to get creative!
While the cost may be low, primary school students and their families place a high value on unique school experiences.
Experiences give the winning bidder a unique (and sometimes exclusive) opportunity to do something fun. Here are a few ideas that can end up being a hit with the right group of elementary-aged students:
Pricing items like these can be a bit tricky. Since they don't have a market value, you'll need to estimate how much your students and their families will be willing to spend, while also keeping bidding increments low enough to encourage bidding. One thing you can do is browse other nearby schools’ online auctions to see what items like these have gone for in the past.
While your first impulse is likely to focus on your students, don't forget to get your teachers involved, too! Hold a staff meeting to discuss your school auction with teachers and encourage them to bring their hobbies, interests, and expertise to the table. Then, you can auction off one-on-one teacher experiences in which winners can learn from your school's best and brightest!
Teacher experiences will vary based on what your teachers have to offer, as well as your students' age group and interests. Here are a few teacher experiences to inspire you about what you can offer:
With teacher experiences, you'll also have a slight boost to your marketing as teachers promote their own opportunities. Some might treat it more casually, while others may engage in lighthearted competition with other teachers to see whose activity will go for the highest bid.
We've mentioned that most of your school auction's guests will be members of your community looking to support a local school. Leverage these community connections to partner with local businesses and gain a variety of auction prizes, such as:
Think about your community's resources as you consider what activities to turn into auction prizes. For example, schools located in cities will likely have access to several restaurants, classes, and day trip experiences while schools in the countryside can make the most of nature-focused experiences.
Nostalgia is a powerful motivator, and high schools and universities can make the most of memorabilia auction prizes that remind alumni of their school days. Branded merchandise and memorabilia can consist of both rare items and items from your merch store, such as:
One way you can make your memorabilia even more meaningful is to get it signed. If your school has any famous alumni or star athletes, call in a favor to make a few of your school auction items a little more special. If you do get a signature, we always recommend you obtain a Certificate of Authenticity (COA). Some reputable providers will authenticate signatures from well-known athletes or celebrities. For those who are lesser-known, try to get a video of the person signing it.
If you have any talented artists in your school or community, auction off their finest work! Of course, you’ll need to get their permission first. Not only will this raise funds, but it’ll also showcase your community’s creative talents.
There are a few approaches you can take with this school auction item:
This school auction item idea provides an opportunity for artists, both budding and established, to come together in support of education. Not to mention, this will also add a unique and artistic dimension to your school fundraiser.
Auction items draw guests to your event, but you'll need school auction equipment to manage in-person, hybrid, or online auctions. Auction technology has become the new norm, and the right school auction software can help you earn more revenue by engaging your guests whether they're attending in person or from home!
When putting your event together, consider whether you'll need:
If you're nervous about whether your audience will be able to adapt to your tools, don't be! User-friendly platforms are made with guests like yours in mind to create the best experience possible.
When assessing school auction software, look for a solution that prioritizes your guests' engagement.
Handbid's silent auction software and mobile bidding tools are focused on creating an intuitive and engaging user experience. Guests are drawn into your auction, earning you more bids and creating a more fun and memorable event overall.
Hundreds of schools, both big and small, have used our school auction software to run successful events. With Handbid, schools have access to:
If your school wants to host an even higher-end event, fully customize your school’s auction with Handbid+. With this solution, you can create custom auction experiences that look like part of your website. Here’s a rundown of the solution:
Our all-in-one software can simplify your event planning, so you can focus on marketing your school auction and procuring the best items. Our software even helped The Voila Foundation raise seven times more than its previous fundraising auction! To learn more about how we empower organizations, reach out to the Handbid team today.
School auctions are popular, dynamic fundraisers that empower your school to connect with students and earn much-needed funds. Use these events as an opportunity to not only raise money, but to get creative and improve your students' learning experiences.
Planning a school auction requires you to commit your time and resources. Ensure you have the right resources and information to drive your team's planning decisions. In the meantime, learn more about auctions and find the right software with these additional resources:
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