What does a charity auction travel package cost the nonprofit up front?

Nothing. You reserve the packages you want at no charge and pay only for the ones that sell after the event. You keep 100 percent of the amount above the cost of the experience.

What happens if a travel package does not sell at our gala?

You owe nothing for that experience. There is no fee, no penalty, and no charge for having listed it.

How Charity Auction Travel Packages Work, and What Sells

Q: How long does the winning bidder have to take the trip?

Up to two years for trips that are not tied to a specific event. Event-based packages, like the Kentucky Derby, the U.S. Open, or the CMAs, are for that year's event. State this on the display card before bidding starts.

Most galas run short on big-ticket items. A donated weekend at a board member's lake house only goes so far. Charity auction travel packages fill that gap. A travel company supplies the trip. Your nonprofit sells it. If it sells, you keep the money above the cost. If it does not sell, you owe nothing.

This article explains how that arrangement works, what it costs, and which trips tend to sell in a live auction.

What a consignment travel package is

A consignment package is a trip that a supplier places in your auction without charging you up front. You do not buy inventory. You do not hold a block of hotel rooms. You list the trip, your donors bid on it, and you settle up after the event.

At Giveback XP, the terms work like this. You browse more than 140 experiences and reserve the ones you want at no charge. You receive marketing material for each one. After the event, you pay only for the packages that sold, and you keep 100 percent of the amount above the cost of the experience. Then you send over the winners' details and the travel team books the trip for your donors.

That is the whole model. There is no fee to reserve and no penalty for an item that does not sell.

What happens if a package does not sell

You owe nothing for that experience. Zero.

This is the reason nonprofits call these no-risk auction items. The downside of a slow room lands on the supplier, not on your budget. You can read more on the terms at no-risk auction items.

Where to start the bidding

Start the minimum bid 15 to 20 percent above the supplier's cost. That way your organization has profit in the item from the first bid. Every bid after that is more money for your mission.

Do not start the bidding below cost to make the item look cheap. If the hammer falls at the opening bid, you still have to pay the supplier.

You can sell the same package more than once

If the bidding is hot, you do not have to pick one winner. You can sell the same package multiple times. Each sale is a separate booking, and each one adds the same margin. This is one of the simplest ways to raise more from a single item, and it costs nothing extra to set up. Tell your auctioneer before the event that multiples are allowed.

How many packages to put in the auction

It depends on the number of people in the audience and your crowd. Giveback XP will help you fine tune the right number for your event. A common approach is to put one or two trips in the live auction and the rest in the silent auction or online catalog.

What you get for marketing

Each reserved experience comes with a one-page PDF display. It has the trip details and photos, and video when the supplier has it. You also receive a marketing email once your experiences are selected. It covers helpful hints and what to do before and after the event. Use the PDF on the display table, in the printed program, and in your online catalog.

How long a donor has to travel

For trips that are not tied to a specific event, the donor has up to two years to travel. Event-based packages, like the Kentucky Derby, the U.S. Open, or the CMAs, are for that year's event. Tell your donors this before bidding so nobody is surprised.

What sells at a gala

Trips sell when the room can picture itself there. Here is how the current catalog breaks down.

Wine country and food trips do well with couples. Examples include Napa Valley Golf & Grapes Getaway for 2, Best of Sonoma Valley: Wine Country Escape, Willamette Valley: Oregon Wine Country Getaway for 4, and Tuscan Countryside & Cuisine.

International getaways are in the catalog too. Cortona Hilltop Stay, Admire the Amalfi Coast, Ireland Emerald Escape, and Iceland Countryside are all in the catalog.

Sports and event tickets are a different kind of item. Super Bowl LXI with VIP Tailgate, Kentucky Derby - First Turn, F1 Experience - Monaco, and U.S. Open Tennis Tournament (300-Level) are event-based, so they travel in that year.

Family trips work for school auctions and parish events. Branson Family Fun, San Diego Zoo Family Adventure, Family Fun at Fenway or Wrigley, and Costa Rica Dreams - Family Vacation fit that crowd.

Regional getaways give you a lower opening bid for the silent auction. Red River Gorge Weekend Retreat, Hideaway and Hike in Hocking Hills, and Hilton Head Seaside to Savannah Escape are examples.

The best mix is usually one headline trip for the live auction, plus a spread of mid-range charity vacation packages for the silent auction. The full list of charity auction travel packages is on the nonprofit packages page.

Is it too late to add a trip

No. Giveback XP can help last minute and even on the day of your event. If your gala is next week and your live auction has a hole in it, that is still enough time.

Who takes care of your donors after the event

The travel team does. Once you send the winners' details, they handle the booking and the follow-up with your donor. Giveback XP will send more than 3,000 donors on experiences in 2026. Your development staff does not become a travel agent.

Quick summary

Reserve for free. Pay only for what sells. Keep everything above cost. Start the bidding 15 to 20 percent above cost. Sell multiples when the bidding is hot. Non-event trips have a two-year travel window. Marketing material is included. It is not too late.