100+ Irresistible Silent Auction Item Ideas to Maximize Bids

Your donors’ passion for your mission is undeniable, but at an event like a silent auction, it’s not always enough to inspire a bidding frenzy. To effectively rally your audience around your goals and encourage them to bid, you need a line-up of appealing items.

But how do you know what items are guaranteed to push you past the fundraising finish line? 

Whether you’re targeting your auction to animal lovers or Generation Z, there are a few tried and true auction items that are sure to land with any audience. Explore our favorite ideas from top to bottom or jump to the categories that interest you most. We’ll also cover item procurement best practices to save you time and take your auction offerings to the next level.

Here are a few of our favorite auction item ideas:

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Classic Silent Auction Item Ideas

When you think of a classic charity auction, you probably imagine one or more of these top picks! The following auction items are popular ideas for organizations of all sizes because they cater to everyone.

Gift Baskets

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By bundling standalone items together rather than offering them individually, you generate much more interest and competition. Plus, themed baskets are extremely flexible! Brainstorm the basket ideas that will be most appealing for your audience—from sweet treats to beach essentials. Check out our top auction basket ideas below.

A gift basket is a classic silent auction item idea that everyone will love.

Memorabilia

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Signed memorabilia is another classic auction item idea for live, silent, and virtual events. Working with a consignment service can give you access to these types of main attraction items.

Signed footballs, movie posters, guitars, celebrity photos, and first edition books are all great ideas. Think about your donors’ interests and your community, and select memorabilia that they’d go crazy for!

Event Tickets

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Tickets to hot events are another silent auction idea that everyone loves. Think sports games, Broadway shows, concerts, and more. Rather than burdening your nonprofit with the cost—which can quickly add up—reach out to local venues for donated ticket packages or work with a consignment service to offer coveted event experiences.

Wine

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Procure donated bottles of fine vintages, and offer them as standalone items, bundled as a package, or through a wine wall. This event lets guests buy a “pull” ticket, which they then use to randomly select one bottle from your display.

Wine is an appealing silent auction item idea that can pull in sizable bids. 

Artwork

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As one of our favorite silent auction item ideas, artwork can quickly inspire the biggest bids of the night. Consider asking a local painter to donate a one-of-a-kind piece of art that you can auction off as the centerpiece of your auction. Chances are you’ll have several art lovers who will fight to win (and pay much more than market value)!

Fitness Package

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Fitness packages reliably attract attention at silent auctions. You might include paid yoga classes, a gym membership, home workout equipment, or gift cards to a local sporting goods store. Think about how your target donor likes to stay active and cater to them with exercise classes or experiences they’ll love.

A fitness package is a flexible silent auction item because you can choose from a variety of different activities like yoga classes, gym memberships, and more. 

Want a bigger selection of classic silent auction item ideas to choose from? Here are 5 more items everyone will love:

  • Gift cards
  • Movie night package
  • Family game night bundle
  • Floral subscription
  • Family photoshoot

Pro Tip for Increasing Bids for Your Classic Silent Auction Items!

Did you know that 60% of donors consider ease of giving the most important factor when it comes to attending an event? Giving your donors the ability to bid directly from their smartphones will boost results for any type of auction – live, silent, or virtual. Plus, you’ll get to ditch the logistic challenges and errors of paper bid sheets.

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Show-stopping Silent Auction Ideas

Whenever possible, we recommend anchoring your auction item catalog with one or two showstoppers or “main attraction” items. These are high-cost items or packages that will be the big-ticket draws for your event, helping you earn a ton to push your fundraising progress forward.

For many of these silent auction item ideas, working with corporate partners or a consignment service might be your best bet. Here are a few of our favorites.

Travel Packages

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Luxury vacations and unique travel packages make excellent auction items for live, silent, and online auctions. Work with a partner to source the perfect travel package for your target bidders.

Make sure to consider how much your target audience can easily afford on travel. For instance, an international getaway might not be the right fit, but a domestic flight to wine country could be more appealing.

OneCause offers risk-free travel items through partnerships in the industry. Check out some of the items below!

If you’re looking for a family-friendly silent auction item that will bring in bids, consider auctioning off travel packages.

Celebrity Meetups

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Another go-to silent auction item idea is celebrity meetups. If your organization counts a number of celebrities (even notable local figures) among your supporters, reach out to organize a charity meetup. You can also rely on consignment services to arrange meet-ups with stars whom you might not have direct access to.

Fine Dining Package

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Do your donors love to wine and dine? Curate a special fine dining package for your next silent auction. Reach out to the top restaurants in town to solicit donations of reservations and four- or five-course meals, plus a chauffeur for the night. Or, for a more affordable, DIY-style package, offer gourmet ingredients, a bottle of wine, and specialty baked goods or delivered desserts in a luxury auction basket.

Fine dining is a great silent auction item idea that will appeal to any food lover. 

Pro Golf Lessons

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Golf pointers from a pro could be the perfect showstopper for your charity auction if your target bidders are big golf enthusiasts. Solicit time from a local professional golfer or coach to spend a morning or afternoon with your winner on the course. For many organizations, golf-related fundraising ideas can be extremely popular. Some nonprofits regularly host complete golf tournaments that conclude with a gala and live auction.

Box Seats

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Who wouldn’t love an exclusive seat and an amazing evening at their favorite local venue? Reach out to sports arenas, theaters, symphonies, or even opera houses in your area to solicit a donated box seat reservation for an upcoming event. You might even choose to bundle the box seat tickets with a reservation at a nearby restaurant and transportation for the evening.

Backstage Passes

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Similar to box seats, backstage passes are a show-stopping offer for your music or performing arts fans. Research events in your area over the coming months to find the perfect opportunity, then reach out to the venue or artist’s management to discuss your auction and cause.

A creative silent auction item idea is a free backstage pass.

Looking for more great ideas? Here are 10 more show-stopping opportunities to put on your radar:

  • Dinner with a private chef
  • Luxury car rental
  • Private concert
  • Spa retreat
  • Custom jewelry
  • Super Bowl tickets
  • Helicopter tour
  • Home renovation
  • Music studio experience
  • Bed and breakfast experience

Pro Tip for Procuring Your Show-stopping Silent Auction Items!

Effectively promoting your showstopper items will go a very long way to boost interest for your silent auction. Explore our roundup of nonprofit marketing tips to establish multiple touchpoints with supporters and get them excited about your offerings.

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Tech-focused Charity Auction Ideas

From smartphones and tablets to the newest video game consoles, there are plenty of tech-focused silent auction item ideas that will absolutely “wow” your crowd. Technology is a great choice for the busy donor who’s always doing work and needs updated devices, or the lowkey supporter who loves to hang at home and tap into their favorite shows, blogs, or apps. Take a look at our favorite technology-focused items to boost bids.

Streaming Services

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Think about your supporters’ interests and what types of streaming shows, movies, and music they’d like. Be sure to consider which subscriptions they likely already have, as well. For instance, many people watch Netflix on a regular basis but might not have splurged on other services like Max yet.

Smart devices

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A fancy new laptop, tablet, smartphone, video game console, or even a smart appliance could be a big crowd-pleaser for your silent auction audience. Many of your supporters might already be considering purchasing the newest smartphone, for example, but if they can buy it through an organization they care about, it’s a win-win!

If you’re hosting a school auction, be sure to look into devices kids will love like an Amazon Fire Kids Tablet or the Nintendo Switch. This is an easy way for parents to knock out birthday or holiday gifts early and give back to their students’ school!

The latest smart device is a silent auction item idea that is guaranteed to inspire giving. 

Online Classes

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For your silent auction, a subscription to an online learning platform can be a great way to entice a digital-savvy audience. Services like The Great Courses Plus and Masterclass offer classes spanning a wide range of topics, from history to cooking to yoga to painting.

Workout tech

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One of our favorite silent auction item ideas is workout tech, which can include everything from new treadmills and ellipticals to an indoor rower. This is a popular choice among fitness fanatics and might even intrigue supporters who have always thought about starting a new fitness journey but weren’t sure how or where to begin.

Workout tech can be an appealing silent auction item idea to anyone who enjoys exercising at home. 

Amazon Prime

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With an annual Amazon Prime membership, your supporters can forget about wandering around malls aimlessly and get exactly what they want sent right to their doors in record time! Plus, Amazon Prime members also get exclusive benefits, like access to Amazon Prime’s streaming service, making this a great gift that is bound to inspire bids.

Kitchen Appliances

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Offer top-of-the-line kitchen appliances like stand mixers, immersion blenders, Dutch ovens, herb garden kits, and more. Think of charity auction items that your audience of home chefs would have fun using but might not yet have purchased for themselves. You might even create a Home Gourmet basket to bundle your appliance, gourmet ingredients, and an online cooking class.

Blenders, air fryers, and coffee makers are engaging silent auction item ideas. 

The list goes on and on! Here are 10 more tech-focused ideas to keep in mind:

  • Home theater system
  • Kindle or Nook
  • High-quality camcorder (like GoPro)
  • Online coding bootcamp course
  • Fitness watch
  • Robot vacuum cleaner
  • Noise-canceling headphones
  • E-reader bundle
  • Home voice assistant like Alexa
  • Smart pet gadgets, like automatic feeders

Pro Tip for Procuring Your Tech-focused Silent Auction Item Ideas!

Technology devices can quickly add up in costs, but your nonprofit doesn’t have to finance this on your own! In advance of your silent auction, identify local businesses with similar values and missions and come up with a proposal for a corporate partnership. Check out our guide to writing a corporate partnership letter to maximize support!

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Silent Auction Basket Ideas

Themed auction baskets are a classic pick for all kinds of events, like live and silent auctions, virtual fundraising events, raffles, and penny socials, to name a few.

Instead of offering a number of lower-value items separately, creating a package increases their overall value and their appeal to bidders. Baskets can include physical items and more intangible prizes like gift cards, online subscriptions, or gift certificates for services. Here are our favorite silent auction basket ideas to ramp up giving!

Local Goods Sampler

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Empower supporters to give back to your organization and show support for local businesses all at once! Items like food, coffee, beer or wine, ceramics, candles, and certificates for the services of local artisans could all be great silent auction item ideas for your basket.

Plus, corporate philanthropy reflects positively on small local businesses, who will be eager to get involved and donate items! Working with your organization gives them a positive association with your mission and gets their products in front of new audiences.

Beach Party Basket

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Put together a beach-themed basket full of classic silent auction items, including towels, sunglasses, sunscreen, an umbrella, and snacks. You can even add paperback books or a set of wireless earbuds with a gift card for audiobooks to take your beach basket to the next level.

Sweet Treats Basket

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This silent auction item idea is another easy crowd-pleaser. Gather a variety of local baked goods – cakes, cookies, donuts, cupcakes, you name it! – or even include ingredients and recipes for bidders to create their own sweet treats! Be sure to include gluten-free and low-sugar options, too.

A gift basket with delicious treats and pastries is a silent auction item idea that will excite bidders. 

Backyard Camping Basket

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Create a basket for your adventurous and outdoorsy bidders. Gather camping goods like a tent, lanterns, a backyard fire ring, and (of course) crackers, chocolate, and marshmallows for s’mores.

Lottery Ticket Basket

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Purchase an assortment of scratch-off lottery tickets that span a range of values. Lottery tickets are fun impulse purchases for many, so let donors boost their chances of winning while also supporting your causes! Just be sure not to overspend and run the risk of pricing your basket too high to attract the impulse bids that this item needs to succeed.

Tip: Raffle tickets make great add-on purchases for auction events!

A lottery ticket basket is another great silent auction gift basket that is bound to inspire bids. 

#1 Fan Basket

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Do you have a number of die-hard sports fans in your auction’s guest list? Attract their attention with a basket of awesome sports-themed silent auction items and official merchandise of a local football, basketball, or soccer team. Do a little research into your donor base and which sport is the fan favorite (or offer a package for each local team).

Auction baskets are inherently flexible, so you can unite items together under a variety of themes to create universal appeal. Here are 5 more of our favorite ideas:

  • Rainy day basket: board games, movies, and snacks
  • Gardening basket: gloves, pots, seeds, succulents, and other tools
  • Spoiled dog basket: bones, treats, balls, and toys
  • Sing it out basket: karaoke machine, microphone stand, and stage light
  • Auto detailing basket: glass cleaner, car wax, air fresheners, and gift cards to your local car detailer

Pro Tip for Procuring Silent Auction Items for Your Baskets!

You have endless themes to choose from, but it’s important to put together baskets that relate to your supporters’ interests! Check out even more basket ideas here for extra help brainstorming.

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Kid-friendly Silent Auction Item Ideas

If your organization caters to kids and their parents, you should definitely focus on charity auction item ideas that are suited for families! A mix of items for the kids themselves and items that the whole family can enjoy will ensure your kid-friendly auction items span a wider range of interests, helping you generate more revenue with your event. Here are a few of our favorites.

Book Readings

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Are there any children’s book authors in your community? A special reading for your winner’s kids and their friends could be the perfect way to entice bids from parents! This can be an extremely popular auction item for schools and education-based nonprofits.

Research the local literary scene or ask a librarian for suggestions. Then, reach out to the author to see if they’ll donate an afternoon for a good cause. You might even bundle the book reading experience with a copy of the book and other add-ons, like a pizza party or other prizes that relate to the story.

Consider books readings as a silent auction item idea if your auction is catered towards families and children. 

Sign-Up Parties

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Sign-up parties, like grown-up nights out or themed birthday parties for kids, are unique experiences and social gatherings that your organization can offer to donors either as auction items or as simple add-on purchases. As an auction item, you can offer guests the chance to win the whole party package and invite their friends. Learn more and explore a few ideas with our guide to sign-up parties.

Hot Air Balloon Ride

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Assuming you’re not afraid of heights, a leisurely ride in a hot air balloon can be an exciting experience to offer the families at your silent auction. Chances are there’s a ballooning club or organization in your area or state. Do some research and reach out to see if anyone would be interested in donating a ride to your lucky winners. Just be sure to schedule your ride during the warmer months!

Have your supporters take flight with a hot air balloon ride—one of the most exciting and thrilling silent auction item ideas!

Childcare Services

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Childcare can be a lifesaver for many families, whether for a few hours after school every day or just once in a while. Reach out to local daycare centers or professional nannies to solicit donations of a certain number of hours of childcare services. For schools, you might even organize an evening for kids to hang out at the school while parents get a night out.  This can be a hefty expense for many families, so childcare can be an effective silent auction item for many organizations!

Best Cupcakes in Town

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This themed charity auction package lets your winners and their kids put all of your town’s bakeries to the test. Solicit gift certificates from a number of businesses that sell kid favorites, like cupcakes, so they can officially determine which is the best in town. Pizza restaurants are another popular twist on this idea, so feel free to get creative!

Family Photoshoot

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Competition for professional photography services can get fierce, especially around the holidays! Reach out to a local photography studio or freelance photographer to solicit their services for a private family photoshoot. Parents will jump at the chance to get their New Years card arrangements squared away while also supporting your organization.

If you’re seeking a silent auction item idea that will inspire parents to bid, consider auctioning off a family photoshoot with a professional photographer. 

Parents are always looking for ways to keep their kids entertained, educated, and engaged. If your audience includes kids or families, think about adding these additional 10 items to your auction:

  • Indoor bounce house
  • Visit from fire truck or police squad
  • New bicycle and helmet
  • Be the Principal for a Day
  • Birthday visit from a princess or superhero
  • Disney World vacation package
  • Amusement park tickets
  • LEGO building set
  • Sports camp tuition
  • Dance class

Pro Tip for Finding Kid-friendly Silent Auction Items!

Live, silent, and online auctions can be very effective fundraising events for schools. For even more ideas for making your procured items stand out to parents and kids, explore our complete list of the best school auction ideas.

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Unique Silent Auction Item Ideas

Sometimes you might need to go the extra mile to ensure your charity auction item catalog has something for everyone. A wide range of classic and unique items and packages will be your best bet. Explore our favorite ideas, and then get creative to think of others that your particular community and donor base will love.

Community Market

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Farmer’s markets and craft fairs are more popular than ever. Tap into that interest with a unique community market twist for your silent or virtual auction. You could approach this idea a number of ways—such as with baskets of local goods or single items—but the main idea is to ask crafty supporters and local artisans to donate their handcrafted goods for your auction.

Donor Garden

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As a symbolic gesture of support for your mission, a donor garden can be a touching auction item idea to incorporate into your event. This idea is similar to recognition plaques, engraved bricks, and memorial benches you might already have at your nonprofit’s central location. Let your donors bid on their place of honor in your garden and offer buy-it-now options for donors to purchase a plant, with their name engraved nearby.

If your nonprofit’s headquarters has a garden area, consider auctioning off a plant and plaque in your garden as a silent auction item idea. 

Bar Crawls and Winery Tours

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Bar crawls and winery tours are popular silent auction item ideas because they’re fun! Organize a bar crawl in your town during a warm season, working with the bars to set a flat price for each participant at each stop. You could treat this as a sign-up party or as an experience for the winner to invite their friends to. Alternately, if your donors might prefer wine, arrange a personal tour with the vintner.

Oil Changes for a Year

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For the more pragmatic attendees at your silent auction, you can’t beat the value of free automotive products or services for a year! Work with a local oil change shop or mechanic to arrange a deal, and be sure to offer them sponsor recognition during your event. A local repair shop can really strengthen their image and reputation in the area by partnering with a popular organization.

Luau Package

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Give one bidder the chance to host the ultimate summertime luau in their backyard with a complete Hawaiian-themed party package. Decorations, catered food, and drinks should all be included. For some donors, this package will be irresistible! Or, get creative to come up with other backyard party themes your supporters will love. Work with local restaurants to arrange the catering.

Holiday Decorating

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This silent auction item idea is cost-effective and easy to pull off. Many of your donors probably groan at the thought of putting up their outdoor holiday decorations and lights yet again, so offer your services for a fee! The winner gets a complete day off they would’ve otherwise spent wrangling lights on their roof. Elaborate Halloween displays might be a popular choice, as well.

Take the stress of holiday decorating away by offering a professional service to do it for your donors as an innovative silent auction item idea. 

Nothing makes your donors say ‘Wow!’ quite like an out-of-the-box silent auction item. To keep your donors engaged with the auction and keep the bids rolling in, check out these 5 additional unique auction item and experience ideas:

  • Custom pet portrait
  • Limo ride to a 5-course dinner
  • Personal yoga sessions at your home
  • One week of chauffeur services
  • Chocolate-making workshop

Pro Tip for Bringing Attention to Your Unique Charity Auction Items!

A successful charity auction doesn’t just require an interesting mix of items. It also requires a strong team of well-connected supporters, or ambassadors, on board to get the word out about your event and exciting line-up of unique items! Check out our guide to using ambassadors to bring more visibility to your event and even peer-to-peer fundraise to raise extra funds ahead of time!

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Mid-range Charity Auction Item Ideas

One common item procurement pitfall is acquiring too many items of just one price range. While one expensive show-stopper is a great way to attract attention for your event, make sure the rest of your auction items are feasible for a variety of different donor types so everyone has a chance to bid! Here are a few ideas:

Memberships

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Annual memberships to other organizations or institutions in your area can be an effective and easy way to offer mid-range auction items. Top-tier memberships to zoos, aquariums, museums, national parks, or symphonies can all be strong choices. Or, if your organization offers annual memberships with perks, offer a discounted rate to bidders.

City Tours

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A personalized city tour is a unique auction experience that donors could start a bidding war! Reach out to local public figures in your community like the mayor, city council members, or other community leaders (or your own executive director!) and gauge their interest in offering a personal walking tour of the city.

Cooking Class

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A high-end, hands-on cooking class with a professional chef could be a great silent auction item for your next event. Contact culinary schools or notable local restaurants to discuss your event and explore your options. A full-day learning experience or a fun class and dinner event might be very appealing for the gourmets in your audience.

Allow the winning donor of this exciting silent auction item idea to attend a private cooking class with their friends. 

Spa Day Package

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Curate a spa-themed package for your donors who need a bit of pampering. Depending on the total value you’re aiming for, you could create a basket-style arrangement of at-home beauty and relaxation products. On the higher end, you could offer a certificate for a complete experience at a day spa or rejuvenation retreat. Beauty products and experiences span a wide range of prices, so they’re very adaptable to fit anywhere in your auction catalog.

Theme Park Tickets

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This is another fairly easy mid-range auction item idea. Tickets and packages for theme parks can be notoriously costly, especially for families with multiple children. Offering your auction guests a pre-set package of theme park tickets lets them support your cause while also planning their next vacation or excursion. This idea can be easily adapted with add-ons based on the total value you’d like to reach.

Theme park tickets are a great silent auction item idea for your adventurous donors or families. 

Grill Package

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For the grill enthusiasts participating in your charity auction, gather an assortment of top-of-the-line outdoor grilling equipment. A high-end gas grill, propane, accessories, and a picnic table should complete this mid-range auction package.

In a silent auction, variety is key! This includes the types, price, and audience of your silent auction items. Here are 10 more mid-range charity auction items ideas to keep in mind:

  • Tickets to a comedy show
  • Tee time at a luxury golf course
  • Private wine tasting
  • Catered tailgate party
  • Brewery tour
  • Home movie night package
  • Coffee enthusiast package
  • Outdoor picnic set
  • Garden kit
  • Personalized stationery

Pro Tip for Pricing Your Mid-range Silent Auction Item Ideas!

To truly maximize the revenue that your charity auction generates, make sure to effectively price each item. If you’ve never hosted an auction before, this process requires a little research. Use our guide to pricing silent auction items to get started.

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Simple Silent Auction Item Ideas

Every auction needs several easy, relatively low-cost items to offer bidders. This ensures you have a complete range of offerings to entice every guest, and it makes procurement a little easier for your team.

These are a few of our favorite easy item ideas for any kind of auction—whether live, silent, or online. Use these as a starting point to brainstorm even more that will be perfect for your unique audience.

Merchandise

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Branded merchandise is a win-win for practically any type of organization. Create t-shirts, mugs, and tote bags branded with your logo, then offer them in your next auction. A small package of branded products can make an easy auction basket idea, or you could offer individual items as buy-it-now options.

Sponsored Gift Cards

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Solicit corporate sponsors’ financial support to offer gift cards as a silent auction item idea. These easy additions can be offered in a raffle or packaged in a Local Businesses Basket for your guests to bid on. Plus, gift cards are just as easy to offer in an online auction as they are in-person.

This silent auction item idea is a great choice for donors of all ages. 

Easy Perks

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For this silent auction item idea, think of free perks that you can offer to winners. Great examples are the best parking space in your school’s parking lot or a personal tour of your facilities for the winning donor. For your most dedicated supporters, free perks like these can be highly motivating because they’re practical and typically inexpensive.

Pet Services

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Here’s another free auction item that can generate attention from bidders. Offer your own services as a dog-walker or pet-sitter! With the increasing popularity of dog walking apps, donors who regularly use them would appreciate the opportunity to support your cause while still getting their dog out for some exercise. Coordinate with a volunteer and offer their services for a set amount of time or number of walks.

Pet lovers will be ecstatic if you offer dog walking or sitting services as a silent auction item.

Name Dedication

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For organizations with physical offices, buildings, or green space, a donor name dedication is a classic and easy way to generate revenue at an auction. A simple example might be displaying a donor’s name on a bench or naming a garden area after them. For large nonprofits, this is a common tactic to raise funds during a major expansion or capital campaign. Plaques and engraved bricks are typical examples, as well.

A Day in the Life

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Here’s an auction item that won’t cost a penny. Offer the chance for a lucky winner (or their child) to shadow you or a team member for a day to learn all about your work. Zookeepers, park administrators, school coaches, nonprofit directors, and more are all great candidates. For dedicated supporters, the opportunity to dive deeper into your mission will be a can’t-miss auction item.

We understand you’re busy powering your mission. That’s why it’s important to keep it simple with these easy auction items! Let’s dive into 5 more ideas:

  • Behind-the-scenes tour of your organization
  • 20 hours of manual labor from a local company
  • Gift certificate for a session with local photographer
  • Health & beauty subscription
  • Meal delivery kit subscription

Pro Tip for Maximizing Bids for Your Simple Silent Auction Items!

Use charity auction software and mobile bidding tools that give you plenty of customization options. The ability to easily create new buy-it-now items can be a game-changer to help drive pre-bidding engagement and revenue before your auction even starts.

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How to Procure Your Silent Auction Items

Auction item procurement is the process of identifying items you want for your event, soliciting and acquiring them from donors, and building a catalog of offerings.

Procuring the most ideal items for your audience requires time and strategy. After all, your charity auction items will be the stars of the event! Here are a few pro tips to ensure your auction item procurement efforts are successful:

Use these tips to procure items for your silent auction.

1. Form a team.

Auction item procurement can be a major undertaking, regardless of the size of your event. Don’t try to handle it all on your own. Instead, form a procurement committee of several staff members and volunteers. Sharing the workload of soliciting and tracking items helps you better focus your efforts to build out a diverse range of items and packages.

2. Get started early.

Effective item procurement takes time! You’ll need to brainstorm a list of items, identify potential donors for each one, and personally reach out to discuss your event with them. Start several months in advance of your auction whenever possible. For instance, we recommend that when planning a school auction for the spring, you should begin the procurement process during the summer before.

3. Review your donor data.

Use your existing donor data to learn more about which items will be most appealing for your auction’s audience. Look at donors’ past engagement habits to determine metrics like average gift amount and event attendance. How old are your average donors? How much can they comfortably afford to bid on auction items?

Targeting your procurement strategy with hard data is always a smarter move than relying solely on assumptions about what donors will like.

4. Create an item wishlist.

After reviewing your donor data, work with your committee members to brainstorm a list of items you’d love to offer at your silent auction.

A concrete list of item ideas, even some that initially seem out-of-reach, will be invaluable for focusing your procurement efforts. With a shared vision and an easy way to keep track of your progress, your team will save time and stay on the same page.

5. Use donation request letters.

As you identify potential donors for your auction items, like businesses, individuals, and other organizations in your area, use letter templates to save time. Check out our guide to silent auction donation request letters for examples, templates, and more tips.

Once you begin the procurement process, make sure you’ve got a standardized method in place for keeping track of your items! As you go, record your secured items or packages in your centralized auction software, as well. This will save you time and a logistical headache later once it’s time to compile your complete auction item catalog.

For more procurement tips and examples, explore our master list of silent auction strategies.

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Wrapping Up

This collection of effective charity auction item ideas should get your procurement team off to a strong start!

Refer to this list to use our ideas, or use them as a creative springboard to come up with more of your own. The most important tip to remember is that the auction items you offer should be targeted to your audience’s preferences. Thinking about what your donors will really love to bid on will boost bids and engagement, resulting in a more successful auction event overall!

To learn more and keep honing your charity auction skills, explore a few more resources: