Wonderful comments. I feel more confident about some of my plans. Critter, I believe I will do the wave thing. I really like the way you think!
I'm grateful for all the comments shared. I have now gotten all the info necessary to move on.
Thank you so much.
I'm in the middle of doing our Raffle Baskets..our Gala Fundraiser is next week (Feb 8th). We don't do a silent auction, just a Chinese Auction (or Tricky Tray). We have 2 types of Raffles ..Regular and Grand Prize. The Regular are usually a min of $50 in Gift Certificates and the Grand Prizes are $150. We group them by some sort of theme. We've put together Nail Salons, Hair Salons, and Lunches. Or G/C to varous stores in one shopping center. I think this is the hardest part..grouping everything together. Good luck
With respect to the number of silent items, we've used the "more is better" theory. That said, my best advice about managing your silent auction items is to split the items into 2 or 3 groups and close the bidding on each group at progressively later times (we used 20 minutes apart, 3 waves). That way, you give your guests the chance to continue bidding if they lost on items in the first group, so everyone has a chance to part with their money for your good cause. Plus, you can build anticipation as each group is about to close. We put items of all values in each group so the early birds might get a bargain, but those who have little to spend can still bid even later in the evening.
For raffle items, maybe keep the number fewer than the # of silent items. (I think we earn more $ on silent items.) If you have lots of smaller items, consider grouping them to make a more attractive silent item rather than putting them in your raffle. Our raffle items give guests a chance to win something without necessarily spending a ton of money. So, it can also be nice to include a valuable item in the raffle. In any event, keep the announcement of winners very quick. As the name is announced, write it on a poster near the raffle area, and then again on each raffle item description card. Your guests will perk up when they hear their name and hopefully go claim their prize.
It's got answers, best practices, forms, flyers and more.... It'll save you time and effort and will make you more dollars -- with just one idea or two -- than you pay for it.
