How to run a silent auction: 14 steps to secure bids

The silent auction is an incredibly impactful event for nonprofits of all sizes. Donors love the thrill of bidding and actually winning an item, and they also take comfort in knowing that their bidding supports a cause they care about. So, not only does a silent auction engage your supporters, but it can also generate a ton of fundraising revenue — everyone wins! 

But planning a silent auction can be tricky. That’s where we come in. With this step-by-step guide, you can learn how to host a silent auction and make it your most profitable event yet.

What is a silent auction?

A silent auction is a fundraising event in which guests place bids on auction items within a set timeframe. 

Unlike live auctions, where an auctioneer announces each item and facilitates bidding, silent auctions let participants browse all auction items at once and place their bids using paper bid sheets or mobile bidding software. With mobile bidding, guests can bid anytime, anywhere, and they get notifications when they’re outbid, allowing them to adjust their bids as needed.

When the auction concludes, the highest bidder for each item wins.

Why host a silent auction?

Running a silent auction offers many benefits, such as:

• Revenue boosts: Silent auctions encourage fast-paced, competitive bidding, so you’ll likely draw in higher bids by the end of the event, effectively boosting your revenue. With donated silent auction items, you’ll bring in even more funding for your mission by cutting event costs.
• Enhanced donor engagement: When done right, silent auctions provide a fun, meaningful experience for your donors, increasing their engagement now and inspiring them to attend future events. 
• Increased accessibility: If you use mobile bidding software, you’ll make it easy for supporters to place bids anytime, anywhere, making your event more accessible to guests who can’t attend in person. 

Another great thing about silent auctions is that they’re highly versatile. You can host in-person, virtual, or hybrid silent auctions, so it’s easy for you to scale and adapt them to various event formats and guest preferences.  

How to plan your silent auction

1. Determine auction logistics

First, consider your fundraising calendar and resources to lock down the important logistics, like:

• The date of your auction
• Whether your event will be in person, online, or hybrid
• A potential venue, as well as food/beverage and entertainment providers 
• Your target audience for the event

Having all this information in advance provides a clear roadmap, making the planning process as smooth as possible. It also makes it easier for you to secure a venue, especially if you’re eyeing one that’s in high demand. Here’s a pro tip, though: when negotiating contracts with venues and service providers, always remember to ask about nonprofit rates to minimize your expenses!  

2. Choose your auction software

To make it easy and convenient for your attendees to participate in your silent auction, consider investing in streamlined auction software. These tools are essential for running modern, accessible silent auctions that truly engage your attendees. 

The right auction management platform will provide powerful features like:

• Auction item procurement tracking to organize your solicitation team. You can easily manage item details, donor information, restrictions, and starting bids/bid increments. 
• Mobile bidding with outbid notifications, gamification, and in-app checkout to keep guests engaged
• Sponsor management tools to appropriately recognize different levels of sponsors at your event
• AI-powered item recommendations that suggest relevant items to bidders based on their interests and activity
• Simplified check-in and checkout to minimize wait times and deliver a streamlined experience

Bonterra’s auction software has all of these features and more, helping event planners across the country run more successful auctions with less stress.

OneCause makes giving modern, flexible, and seamless to drive deeper engagement and grow your fundraising. Our versatile, all-in-one fundraising event software meets the expectations of today’s donors and supports all event formats: in-person, virtual, or hybrid.

3. Solicit a range of auction items

A crucial aspect of preparing for any auction involves acquiring the auction items for supporters to bid on. To maximize results when soliciting items, extend your efforts by:

• Getting your board involved: Board members have many connections within the community that they can leverage to solicit auction items. Some may even have items of their own to contribute. 
• Reaching out to local businesses: If you’ve partnered with a business before, send them a personalized request letter at least two months before the event. For new business partners, cultivate a relationship with them first. Invite them to other events first to learn more about your nonprofit and its mission. Once they do, you can send them a personalized request letter for auction items.
• Securing corporate sponsorships: Some businesses may want to contribute more than just auction items, so have a plan for presenting larger sponsorship packages when you approach them. Make sure to offer incentives, such as recognizing the sponsors on your auction website and at the event. 

As you collect items, remember to think beyond just physical items and gift cards from local businesses. Feel free to request exciting experiences as well, such as vacation packages, museum tickets, and fitness classes. Be thoughtful as you examine your supporter profiles and determine what items would appeal most to their interests. 

4. Market your auction

You want to attract as many people as possible to your silent auction, so make sure to market it well in advance. Use these tried-and-true methods of spreading the word about your silent auction to boost attendance:

• Create a separate event page for the silent auction. Include all the important information about your auction here, such as the date, venue, and sneak peeks at the possible prizes. 
• Post teasers on social media. Share pictures of select auction items, film behind-the-scenes videos for TikTok and Instagram, and use hashtags to make auction content easier to share. 
• Incorporate physical event flyers: Word-of-mouth marketing, with the help of print materials, is still effective, so give volunteers flyers to share with their friends and family or hang up at their favorite hangout spots. 

For those who can’t attend your auction but still want to support it, consider adding a text-to-give option to your marketing materials. This way, busy donors can easily scan a QR code or text a short keyword to provide direct financial support.

How to run a silent auction on the day-of

5. Organize your auction logistics

You might be wondering: Didn’t I already organize my silent auction when I planned it? Yes — however, there are additional logistics to organize on the day of the event. This is where on-site organization comes in, where you bring all your planning elements together into your silent auction masterpiece.

The three main areas you should consider include:

On-Site Setup

Take a moment before your event to put yourself in your attendees’ shoes. It will be most guests’ first time at the venue and perhaps even their first time bidding at a silent auction. Create the perfect guest experience by taking the time to:

• Arrange silent auction tables along the walls of the space: This will give attendees plenty of space to walk around the venue and peruse the items. The last thing you want is for the space to feel too cramped or uncomfortable.
• Display items in a way that appeals to the shopper in all of us: Give enough space between each item so they aren’t hidden from the bidders’ view. As a best practice, incorporate different levels of display and detailed, easy-to-read signage.
• Ensure your technical equipment is up and ready to go: Test your mobile bidding software to ensure that bidding goes smoothly. Additionally, do a run-through with your emcee and guest speakers and check that they’re audible for all attendees.

If your silent auction is part of a larger event, you must also set up those event elements. For example, if you’re hosting a gala, you’ll have to arrange tables and chairs for attendees to sit in, discuss the flow of food and drink with your caterers, and more.

Auction Item System

Your auction experience is only as good as your items are organized. To ensure a seamless experience for your guests, use a system that makes finding the silent auction items easy and fast. Here are two suggestions:

• Color-code your items based on categories that make sense for your auction. For example, items with blue bows might be sports memorabilia, green bows might be travel packages, and yellow bows might be gift baskets.
• Establish a numerical system with categories. For example, items in the 100s can be gift baskets, 200s are memorabilia, and 300s are consignment items.

Ultimately, the system you end up using should work for your event’s unique needs and make it easy for you to identify and find your auction items.

Volunteers

The number of volunteers you need to run your auction depends on the size of your event, the setup of your venue, and any event fundraising activities you have planned.

Before you open the doors, train volunteers to:

• Greet and register guests
• Monitor and close the silent auction
• Check out and deliver items
• Clean up the venue

Additionally, your event team will need to know when and where to arrive, what to wear, what tasks they’ll perform, and how long they can expect their shift to last.

6. Conduct auction registration

Registration is the first impression your guests have of your event, so make it a great one. Here are a few tips for how to run a silent auction registration table:

• Get ready to welcome: Volunteers should be ready at check-in to greet and register guests, take tickets, and relay important information.
• Make registration fast and easy: Use the right event tools so volunteers can efficiently check guests in.
• Have your handouts organized: Print all lists, charts, and materials, and back everything up on a zip drive, just in case. Better yet, ditch handouts entirely by using mobile bidding tools to display important information.
• Offer multiple registration stations: To avoid long lines and frustrations, have one booth for walk-in guests who have yet to register and another for pre-registered attendees.

To further streamline the process, ask guests to pre-register before the event and encourage them to add their preferred payment method to your event software. Then, with OneCause, your organization can simply scan guests’ QR codes and get them in the door and bidding!

7. Make bidding fun

Create an energy-filled atmosphere and use a variety of communication strategies onsite to drive excitement at your auction. Here are some top strategies you can use: 

• Don’t make your silent auction silent: Have your emcee regularly announce special items and bidding deadlines to ensure that bidding is always the focus of the night.
• Use texting to drive bidding: With mobile bidding software, send automatic outbid notifications and text reminders to guests when bidding is about to close on their favorite items.
• Leverage scoreboards and countdown clocks: Project a countdown clock or update your fundraising progress to encourage healthy competition. Use leaderboards and scoreboards to gamify your auction and get everyone focused on supporting your organization’s mission.
• Assign each bidder an anonymous number: If you’re using charity auction software, this will be done automatically. Auto-assigning bid numbers makes bidding wars more mysterious and can drive up your auction proceeds.

Strike an appropriate balance between allowing attendees to enjoy your event and reminding them about bidding deadlines. If your reminders are too frequent, it may detract from the overall experience. However, you don’t want guests to forget to check their bids and participate in your auction.

8. Check in regularly with guests

As your event continues, be sure to regularly check in with your guests to ensure they’re engaged and eager to bid. This is especially important if your auction is online or hybrid. If engagement levels are low, consider different ways you can re-immerse attendees in the bidding action:

• Play a video that captures the heart of your nonprofit’s mission
• Bring up an individual who has been personally impacted by your cause, and have them share their story
• Share impact statements to encourage giving and make your mission more tangible in the minds of your donors

In addition to the ideas above, for an in-person event, you should have dedicated team members go around to mingle with guests and thank them for their support. It’s not every day that you get to be face-to-face with the donors who make your mission possible. Don’t miss the opportunity to share their impact and your appreciation.

How to conduct a silent auction checkout 

9. Check out winning bidders

Guests who have a positive checkout experience are more likely to return to the same event next year and attend other fundraisers for your organization.

If you use paper bids, the end-of-night process will require more volunteer power to keep checkout running smoothly. To improve your donors’ experience, consider eliminating wait times at checkout with mobile bidding.

A mobile checkout process includes the following steps:

1. Set up a physical check-out booth. Encourage guests to use mobile checkout. Then, have a separate booth for those who wish to pay by cash or check. Make sure you have plenty of volunteers and the right payment processing tools on hand.
2. Make multiple lines for checkout. This speeds up the process for everyone, and your attendees and volunteers will appreciate your forethought.
3. Process their payments. At checkout, make sure to close out payments for each item. With mobile bidding tools, bidders will save their payment information in the software and, at the auction’s end, simply confirm their payment and check out on their mobile devices.

After you’ve processed payments, send each guest to the item pick-up area.

10. Distribute silent auction items

Silent auctions are notorious for unclaimed items after checkout, but they don’t have to be! Take steps to prevent this so you will have less follow-up post-event:

• Record the winners: Once the winners have been determined, note their names and the winning bid amount for each item. If you’re using auction software, this information will automatically be tracked, so you’ll have one less thing to worry about.
• Assemble items for pick-up: When the auction closes and winners are determined, have volunteers move the won items to a designated pick-up area near the checkout booth.
• Arrange a separate area for item pick-up: The pick-up booth should be independent from the checkout booth. This way, your volunteers won’t run around frantically grabbing items while also checking guests out. If done correctly, there will be a flow from checkout to the item pick-up booth.
• Establish dedicated item pick-up times: OneCause  allows you to set item pick-up window times for guests to choose from. This keeps checkout organized and prevents your volunteers from being overwhelmed.

Establish in your auction rules that any items not picked up within a specific time frame will become your nonprofit’s property to avoid any potential complications at checkout.

11. Collect initial feedback from attendees

While your guests are still engaged, take a moment to collect feedback from them before they exit the building or leave the livestream. You can text out a mobile-friendly link to a survey that asks them to:

• Rank their level of engagement
• Describe how satisfied they were with the event
• Offer any recommendations for next year on event theme, venue, auction items, and more

This valuable feedback will help you gauge how to improve your silent auction strategy going forward.

How to follow up after your silent auction 

12. Update supporters on your fundraising goals

After your event wraps up, take time to reflect on your goals and determine whether you met them:

• If you didn’t, assess where there were gaps in your strategy or silent auction experience that you can hone in on.
• If you did, identify ways to improve your strategy to raise even more revenue next time!

Then comes one of the most essential steps of running a silent auction: following up with your supporters. Our Giving Experience Research Study found that 49% of donors were more likely to give again when they felt like their donation had an impact. Implement this best practice by sending an update to your supporters after the event. Tell them how much you raised and how this revenue will supercharge your mission so they can clearly see the impact they’ve made.

13. Express appreciation to attendees

Aside from updating your supporters on their impact, you should also express your appreciation for their support. Communicate three things to your attendees post-event: 

• Send a personalized thank-you note: While you should thank attendees before they leave the auction, you should also follow up with a more personalized thank-you note to every guest, volunteer, and staff member.
• Update your corporate sponsors: Send a follow-up message to your sponsors, including exactly how much was raised and what this money will impact. Showing your appreciation early and often will deepen your relationship and allow you to hopefully enlist their help again in the future!
• Suggest additional engagement opportunities: Providing further opportunities for interaction is the best way to actively deepen attendee relationships and successfully convert them into recurring donors. The only caveat: Avoid making a monetary ask right away. Save your solicitations for later in your relationship-building process.

Thanking donors properly (and promptly) will extend the relationships you made at your silent auction into your larger fundraising efforts.

14. Share content from your silent auction

The days and weeks immediately following an event offer a significant opportunity for additional fundraising and deeper donor engagement. Post-event marketing is an art in itself and, if done right, can smoothly facilitate lasting donor relationships.

After your event is over, continue to:

• Share fun photos and videos from the night on social media.
• Tag your guests and sponsors where appropriate to increase the likelihood of further sharing and engagement.
• Add guest or staff quotes to show the real-time donor engagement and personalize the event’s impact.

You can even create blog posts on your nonprofit’s website that summarize the results and go over all the event highlights. This way, you can showcase the impact of your event and encourage supporters to sign up for the next one to keep your mission moving forward.

Running a successful silent auction with mobile bidding software

Congrats! We’ve walked through the core stages of running a silent auction—from the event and checkout to follow-up. Now, put this step-by-step guide into action and host your best silent auction to date. 

To get insider tips and tricks for your next auction, check out these resources:

• 60+ silent auction items that sell well at fundraisers: Not sure what items to include in your auction? This guide has got you covered. 
• 7 nonprofit marketing strategies to boost donations: Learn how to create a strong marketing plan in just 7 steps!  
• The nonprofit guide to fundraising automation and AI: Discover how nonprofits use software like Bonterra’s ethical, mission-aligned AI to work smarter and raise more.