How do we fill our auction without competing with our grantees?

You run a community foundation or United Way with a professional staff and a broad donor base. Your annual celebration, campaign kickoff, or golf event needs silent auction items. But every local business you approach for a donation is also being asked by the nonprofits you fund. You don't want to compete with your own grantees.

Community foundations and United Ways fund local nonprofits. Those same nonprofits rely on donations from local businesses for their own auctions. When you ask those businesses for auction items, you are bidding against the organizations you exist to support. The conflict is real, and it puts your relationships at risk. Your event needs items that do not touch the same donor pool.

Experiences come with no upfront cost. You only pay for an experience if it sells, keep 100% over the cost, and can sell experiences multiple times if the bidding gets hot. You are not too late: items can be added the same day as your event. The number of packages depends on your audience size. For a corporate table golf event or annual celebration, starting with 5-10 experiences is common.

Call Giveback XP to browse experiences that fit your crowd. Choose from over 140 travel and experience packages, from sporting events like the US Open to regional adventures and international destinations like Italy. Reserve what you like for free. You get marketing materials, a one-page display per experience, and a marketing email to help you promote. Pay nothing until an item sells, and keep all profit above the reserve.

Your silent auction is filled with desirable packages that don't touch local donor relationships. Your grantees keep their own donation streams. Your event raises money without conflict, and your winners get trips they'll remember. The community foundation or United Way does what it does best: fund the community, not compete with it.

Other questions about silent auctions for community foundations & United Ways