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Fundraising Tuesday: Top 5 Charity Auction Items That Your Supporters Will Love

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A guest post by Jason Champion of Winspire

If you’ve ever planned an auction for your nonprofit, you know that the process involves many decisions, from choosing its format to selecting marketing channels to spread the word. But the most important choices you’ll need to make before the event concern the prizes up for grabs.

It’s essential to keep upfront costs relatively low to maximize your event’s return on investment (ROI). However, you also need to seek out high-quality, unique auction items that will catch your supporters’ attention!

In this guide, we’ll discuss the top five charity auction items to add to your catalog for maximum supporter appeal and fundraising potential. These include:

  1. Travel Packages
  2. Gift Baskets
  3. Event Tickets
  4. Signed Celebrity Memorabilia
  5. Fine Food and Beverages

Keep in mind that you’ll need to procure a different number and collection of items depending on what type of auction you host. Winspire’s charity auction items guide suggests offering 12-15 high-value prizes at live auctions, all of which need to be high-value to ensure a positive event ROI. Meanwhile, silent auctions can include 100 items or more at a variety of price points to engage as many supporters as possible. That being said, let’s dive in!

1. Travel Packages

Travel-related items tend to sell well at nonprofit auctions due to their uniqueness and broad appeal. Consider including a mix of travel items to match different participants’ interests, such as:

  • Complete vacation packages for a few distinct locations. For example, you could feature one tropical resort getaway, one international sightseeing trip, and one tour of famous national parks.
  • Flexible airline and/or hotel reservations where the winning bidder can choose their own vacation. Make sure to specify any restrictions on this prize’s use (destinations, travel dates, spending limits, etc.).
  • Road trip supply bundles that include items like a trunk organizer, car emergency kit, cooler, snacks, sunglasses, car games, and gift cards for a popular gas station chain to appeal to local travelers.

While requesting in-kind donations of auction items reduces upfront event costs, travel-based prizes are rarely donated. Fortunately, there are dedicated providers of consignment auction travel packages that your nonprofit can partner with to procure these items conveniently and at the best prices.

2. Gift Baskets

Gift baskets are a silent auction staple! However, you can also include baskets in live auctions if you pair them with a vacation or other experience that brings them up to the proper quality standard.

Here are some tips to make your gift baskets stand out:

  • Design each basket around a theme. One of the easiest ways to acquire a themed basket is to ask one of your nonprofit’s corporate sponsors to donate samples of their products and services. For example, a beauty supply store could provide a gift basket of popular makeup and skincare products along with a certificate for an in-store tutorial.
  • Consider the basket’s appearance. When assembling your baskets, place the most visually appealing items front and center, and make each basket look full to increase its perceived value.
  • Give each basket a catchy and creative title. Put yourself in your supporters’ shoes when coming up with titles—for instance, if you were attending your auction, would you be more inclined to bid on the “Cooking Supplies Basket” or the “Home Chef Starter Kit”?

On the bid sheet for each basket, list all of the items inside so participants can understand its value at a glance. This list can also be helpful to your team to ensure you price the basket correctly.

3. Event Tickets

Some of your auction participants will likely come looking for highly sought-after tickets to events like concerts, musicals, and athletic events. Besides avoiding the hassle of ticketing websites, these supporters will appreciate spending less money on a better event experience.

To provide a better event experience and drive up bids, consider bundling the following elements into one auction item:

  • Two to four tickets for the best seats in the house
  • A piece of event merchandise for each attendee
  • A voucher for food and beverages at the venue
  • A photo opportunity with one of the performers or athletes after the event

The easiest way to solicit these auction items is to contact the event venue or organizer directly. Many venues offer nonprofit discounts on tickets, but you may need to negotiate with them to secure the entire bundle.

4. Signed Celebrity Memorabilia

While some supporters may enjoy an experience based around their favorite performers or athletes, others might prefer a keepsake signed by a celebrity. Although popular, these auction items can be challenging when it comes to validity and pricing. Always double-check that signed memorabilia is legitimate, and compare several estimates before finalizing the price.

Additionally, NXUnite’s nonprofit event planning guide emphasizes the importance of tailoring events to your target audience, which is especially true when choosing signed memorabilia. For example, an older audience might want to bid on a guitar signed by one of the Beatles, while younger supporters may get more excited about one signed by Taylor Swift.

5. Fine Food and Beverages

Good food and drinks bring people together, and they’re great prizes for auction participants who don’t want to add “clutter” to their lives. Your food and beverage auction items could include:

  • An experience such as dining out or attending a cooking class
  • Tangible items like a gourmet coffee sampler or box of fine chocolates
  • Both of the above—for instance, a tour of a vineyard that comes with bottles of wine to take home

For any auction items involving alcohol, verify that the winning bidder is age 21 or older. This ensures that your nonprofit can avoid liability and that the winner can fully enjoy their prize.
If you aren’t sure which auction items your supporters will enjoy most, communicate with them! Send out a survey to your target audience, and invite loyal volunteers to join your auction item procurement team so you can get a firsthand perspective on their interests and narrow your search accordingly.

Jason Champion head shotJason Champion is the Vice President of Business Development at Winspire, a global provider of luxury experiences for charity auctions and fundraisers. He is responsible for the next-stage corporate brand vision as the company’s branding leader, driving performance via product and service innovation, strategic brand planning and positioning, multiplatform content marketing, and communications, creative, digital campaigns, customer success, and business development.

Fundraising Tuesday: Are You Giving Gifts to Donors?

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It’s the season of giving, and nonprofits are giving gifts to me.

TechnoServe, The Global Fund for Women, UNCF, and RESIST all sent me return address labels.

Sage not only sent me mailing labels but also cards and envelopes to mail with them.

The Southern Poverty Law Center and the New Israel Fund sent maps. The Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism sent a  list of Jewish holidays  that can double as a bookmark.

Doctors Without Borders sent a combination flashlight, pen, and screwdriver,.

And I got reports and newsletters from the Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts, the Greater Boston Food Bank, Dignity Matters, and the Somerville Mathematics Fund.

Thanks, you guys! I appreciate the gifts. But…was it really worth it to you?

Pros and Cons of Giving Gifts to Donors

Why do some nonprofits send gifts in the mail to people they hope will send a donation back? There are some good reasons to do it.

  • Getting your mail opened. You can write the ideal appeal letter, and it can all go to waste if the donor never reads it. An envelope that says “Gift enclosed” will pique some donors’ curiosity–especially if it’s a nice thick envelope, promising something inside.
  • Creating good will. Nonprofits hope that the warm glow of receiving a gift will put the recipient in the mood to be generous.
  • Making your nonprofit visible all year long. Every time I slide that bookmark into a book, or turn on that flashlight, or stick one of those labels onto a piece of mail, I will be reminded of the organization.
But there are also some excellent reasons why most nonprofits do not send gifts to donors. Share on X
  1. The cost. Even if you get a good deal on printing, adding a bookmark, a map, or stickers raises the cost of the mailing. That means more donations you have to receive before the appeal merely breaks even.
  2. The relationship. Your nonprofit works so hard to win the trust of your supporters, to make them feel personally noticed, wanted,  important. And then you say, “Here’s an item. How much is it worth to you?” You run the risk of cheapening the relationship and losing their loyalty. (Sending newsletters and impact reports strengthens the relationship!)
  3. The return. Some nonprofits have calculated that the costs of sending gifts to donors are justified by the resulting increase in donations  For most nonprofits, however, the returns are small and few–mostly from older people who feel an obligation to send a few bucks. Is it really worth it?
  4. The alternatives. There are other ways to get people to open your mail, read your letter, and respond.

What could you do instead?

Envelope all graphicInstead of sending a thick envelope that says “Gift Inside,” you could send an envelope with an urgent message about a person in need. It could be an unusual size. It could use color, or a photo. All those are more compelling than a gift, and cheaper, too!

You could find out more about your donors and segment your list. The message on the envelope and in the appeal letter could speak to what that person cares about most.

You could build up to your end-of-year appeal with donor communications all year round. Your communications calendar could include success stories that show the impact of the donor’s gift and make the donor feel like a hero.

You could get them involved in ways that don’t cost them money but strengthen their sense that you are their organization. Volunteering, showing up at rallies, doing policy advocacy…all these activities tie them more closely to your organization and make donating seem like a natural next step.

You could follow up your direct mail appeal with email, phone calls, and text messages. And you could make sure to thank your donors, over and over, in many different ways…because gratitude itself is a gift.

 

TY Thursday: Gratitude–It’s a Gift

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The first step your nonprofit ought to take to show your gratitude to donors is sending out the ideal thank-you letter, within forty-eight hours of receiving the donation. That will already make your donors happy.

The second step is to make a plan to thank the donors throughout the year. Beginning with a welcome packet, and continuing with reports that show the impact of their donations throughout the year, you can make donors glad they gave and eager to hear from you again.

What about sending donors a gift in return? Is it a good idea to include a premium when you ask (or to reward their donation afterward with something tangible)? Or not?

premiums express gratitude

The Gifts I Got For Giving

Judging by my mail, many nonprofits think including a good way to say thank you–sometimes, in advance–is by giving me something I can use.

I’ve received:

  • Return address labels from the Southern Poverty Law Center, Hadassah, Amnesty International, and even from AAA
  • Bumper stickers from the National LGBTQ Task Force, Keshet, and Planned Parenthood
  • A recipe for Iced Hibiscus Tea with Dark Spices from UNRWA
  • Sticky notes from Partners in Health

Women to Women International has plied me with multiple gifts: a notepad, a set of cards and envelopes, and even offered me a handmade friendship bracelet made by a woman in Rwanda (in return for a gift of $20 or more).

Women for Women premiums

It’s worth noting that I’ve only ever given to about half of these good causes! Clearly, for my wife and me, expressing gratitude through premiums is not a useful fundraising tactic.

But are we typical that way?

The Psychology of Getting Paid

There’s a famous psychology experiment in which two sets of participants are asked to do exactly the same tasks. The only difference: Group A are told they’ll be paid a small amount for doing the work. Group B are doing it for free.

After the task is done, the psychologists ask: How interesting did you find the tasks? Do you think they were useful? Would you be willing to do them again?

The answers are extremely relevant to us as fundraisers!

The paid group found the tasks less interesting and less useful than the group who did the work for free. The paid group were also less likely to want to do the work again in the future.

Why did getting paid make a difference? The psychologists believe that Group A told themselves a story about the tasks: “I’m just doing it for the money.”

Group B wasn’t getting paid, so they had to come up with a different explanation. They found something interesting and worthwhile about the tasks–because surely they wouldn’t be doing something that was boring and without purpose!

Do donors look at giving the way these participants looked at their tasks? And if so, which story do you want donors to be telling themselves about your organization?

I gave for the note cards (or bumper sticker, or bracelet). I don’t really support the organization all that much. I might not give again unless they make me a better offer. or

I gave because something about this organization moved me. They’re the kind of group I support, and so I might give again, the next time they ask.

The choice seems clear. But what do the experts say?

Do Premiums Help You Get & Keep Donors?

“Organizations believe that offering thank-you gifts increases charitable donations, but they actually reduce donation amounts,” says George Newman, assistant professor of organizational behavior at the Yale School of Management. (Therefore, Jay Love of Bloomerang recommends you spend your money on staff time to call and say thank you, instead!)

On the other hand, “Premiums can drive significant, incremental fundraising success in donor acquisition, reactivation, and retention programs,” according to Michael Kulpinsky of Innovaire Communications. “Premiums that offer strong mission-based tie-ins worked the best.”

Neesha from Causevox wants you to remember that last point. “Extrinsic fundraising gifts make people feel selfish,” she says, and you want them to feel generous. “Don’t use them as an incentive for first-time givers or to people who are not actively involved. You’ll be encouraging a bad habit.”

Instead, if you do use premiums to show gratitude to donors,  give them “goods that reflect the direct impact of your work.” Like that friendship bracelet from Women to Women I mentioned, or “a personal letter from a child who you sponsored for her education.”

My expert opinion? If you are a smaller nonprofit, there are other ways to express your attitude of gratitude that you should start doing today.

Gratitude Can Be a Gift in Itself

The message on the outside of the bold blue envelope read, “Your Certificate of Appreciation is enclosed.”

Look at what I saw when I opened the envelope.

GBFB gratitude

It’s an actual certificate, like one you might put up on your wall. It’s signed by the President of the Greater Boston Food Bank, Catherine D’Amato. It uses a photo of three smiling faces to make Rona and me feel good about what we gave.

And right under the title, it actually says, “With deep gratitude.”

Even if I don’t hang it on a wall–even if it goes into the recycling bin–this piece of paper makes a greater impression on me than all the return address labels in the world.

And it doesn’t make me feel like I got paid for giving. It makes me feel I was thanked.

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