4. Obtain tangible gifts for both your silent auction and your live auction whenever possible

Many businesses, especially restaurants, will offer to provide you with gift certificates instead of actual gifts. Focus on local businesses that can donate tangible items. You should not turn away businesses that can only provide gift certificates, but they should not be the focus of your campaign. Tangible gifts create a very exciting auction night environment. Just imagine an auction with no actual gifts, but rather just a bunch of gift certificates lying around on a silent auction table. Secondly, a gift certificate is only going to bring in the amount on the certificate, or unfortunately, sometimes not even that. A tangible gift is much more likely to bring in a value that exceeds its real value. 

5. Know what to put in your "Auction Packet"

The auction packet is given to guests when they arrive. Some of the items you should include in your packet are:

• The auction program

• Addendum to auction Catalog

• Organization fact sheets

• Auction rules

• Payment options

• Advertising

• Silent auction table closing times

• Drink coupons

• Raffle tickets

• Flyers for other upcoming events

• Auction paddles

6. Close down the silent auction tables properly

Closing down the silent auction can be a bit tricky. There may still be several bidders bidding on the same item right up until the closing time. To prevent a situation that is perceived as unfair, it is important that the table be closed at exactly the time advertised. It is a good idea to announce the closing of table at prescribed intervals before, such as 15 minutes, 5 minutes, etc. This helps to get interested bidders to enter their "best and final" offer before the time for bidding expires. It is also helpful to close different sections of the silent auction at different times, to allow your volunteers time to pick up all the bid sheets quickly. 

7. Take advantage of other opportunities to make money at your auction

Admission fees, the sale of beer, wine and cocktails, raffles, door prizes and the sale of advertising in your program are a few of the ways you can augment your auction revenue.