What is a Charity Auction? 

A charity auction is a fundraising event in which attendees bid to win auction items and packages. The highest bidder wins the item and the fundraising organization receives the proceeds. Mast Auctioneers is here to make your charity auction a highly engaging experience that will surely bring success to your fundraising efforts. 

How to plan a Charity Auction 

1. Figure out your budget.
2. Decide when and where your auction will take place. As you look at venues take into consideration how many people you will expect to show.
3. Book an auctioneer. Mast Auctioneers has an award-winning team of auctioneers, ringmen, and auction professionals to provide you with superior service. Contact us today!
4. Set a fundraising goal. 
5. Begin the procurement process with your team. (Read more about this below!)
6. Start marketing your auction. 
7. Think about the details of your event including food, auction item display, the checkout process, item distribution, etc. 
8. Host your auction and watch the excitement and energy that Mast Auctioneers brings to your event!
9. Follow up with auction attendees to thank them. 

How to Procure Auction Items

1. Form a team

Procuring auction items is a huge task – don’t try to take it on by yourself! Form a procurement committee to share the workload of soliciting and tracking items. 

2. Get started early

Getting high-quality items takes some time. Brainstorm a list of items, along with potential donors for each item. Personally reach out to them several months in advance. 

3. Take your audience into consideration

Take some time to think about who will be attending your auction. What is the average age? How much are they comfortably able to bid on auction items? Do you know what their past engagement at an auction looks like? 

4. Create a wishlist

After taking a deep dive into your audience, brainstorm a list of items that you would like to auction off. Shoot for some items that seem out-of-reach! Share your vision and tasks to keep track of your item progress with your team. 

How to Market a Charity Auction

You’ve worked hard to plan your charity auction, but now you need to get the word out to get people to come! 

1. Share on your social media – A LOT! As soon as you are sure of the where and when, share save-the-dates so that people can mark their calendar. Share featured items that will be auctioned off to get your followers interested in attending. 
2. Lay out your auction goal on your organization’s blog. Describe what the auction events will look like, things to look forward to, and the goals that you have for your auction. 
3. Send out invitations through email and snail-mail. 

There’s a lot on the line with charity auctions. Organizations depend on auctions to generate large portions of their annual budgets. If they don’t go well, they have a chance of missing their annual budget. 

We have auctioneers specifically trained in the nonprofit space. Our founder, Joseph Mast, has raised over $100M+ for charitable organizations. 

We would love the chance to partner with you to achieve your fiscal and organizational goals.

Contact us today and let’s get started!