What do we auction besides jerseys and game tickets?
For athlete and team foundations running silent auctions, travel and live-event experiences give your bidders something new.
Athlete and team foundations like yours put on galas and golf classics where the crowd expects premium auction items. After seasons of signed jerseys and suite nights, the same sports memorabilia draws thinner bids. You need something fresh for a room that lives and breathes sports.
Your athlete and team foundation's gala or golf classic brings a crowd that lives in the sports world. Guests already have access to signed gear and suite passes through their own networks. When the same jerseys and game tickets appear on the auction table each year, bids get thinner. The items stop feeling special to people who see them all the time.
Travel experiences for silent auctions give you something different to put on the table. You browse packages like Kentucky Derby weekends, the US Open, Country Music Awards trips, or getaways to Italy and France. You only pay for an experience if it sells, keep 100% over the cost, and can sell it multiple times if bidding gets hot. You are not too late: items can be added the same day as your event. Reserve for free, set starting bids 15-20% above cost, and profit from the first sale. Donors have up to two years to travel for non-event trips. Event-based packages are for that year's event, and the travel team handles the booking.
This week, pick a few experiences that match what your foundation's supporters enjoy. Giveback XP lists over 140 options, from bucket-list sporting events to top international destinations. Browse and reserve at no cost. You'll receive a one-page display sheet with photos and details for each, ready for your silent auction table. No payment until an item sells. If it does, the foundation keeps every dollar above cost. Even if a package sells once, a runner-up bidder can buy the same experience, doubling your profit.
Your silent auction now holds items your sports crowd hasn't seen a hundred times. A trip to Italy or seats at the CMAs draw bids all evening. The room stays engaged, and your foundation raises more without relying on another signed ball.
Other questions about silent auctions for athlete & team foundations
add silent auction to charity golf tournament
An auction converts the generosity already in the room into a second revenue line. Premium packages matched to this crowd routinely sell 30 to 50 percent above cost, and adding them costs nothing upfront.
do travel packages sell at golf tournament fundraiser
Golf crowds are the easiest travel bidders there are. Put the packages at registration and the 19th hole, run mobile bidding through the round, and let golf-adjacent trips carry the day.