Will our members bid on a big trip at our annual dinner?

For your Rotary dinner or Chamber awards night, the room is 100 to 150 local business people. You have sold the same gift certificates and wine baskets for years. A live auction trip to Belize or the Country Music Awards sounds like it needs a ballroom crowd.

Your club’s event is smaller, and the same supporters return each year. You worry that a headline trip needs hundreds of paddles to get a bid. But a live auction trip does not need a crowd. It only needs two people who want to go. Your members are exactly the crowd that travels. Many run small businesses and value a getaway. A Napa wine trip or a regional sporting event can spark a bidding war even in a room of 100.

Live auction travel packages work on consignment. You reserve a trip, like the Country Music Awards or a Belize getaway, and set a reserve. 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. A suggested starting bid is 15-20% above cost, so your club profits from the first bid. One package can sell to multiple winners, doubling or tripling profit.

This week, browse the 140+ trips and experiences at Giveback XP. Pick one that fits your club: a Napa wine trip for the golf outing, or the Country Music Awards for your holiday dinner. Reserve it for free. You will get a one-page PDF display and marketing email to share with your members before the event. Add it to your live auction and let the bidding decide.

Your annual dinner ends with a real trip on the table. Two members outbid each other for a Belize vacation, and the club keeps the profit. You did not risk a dollar. Next year, word spreads and more members show up ready to bid. The night feels bigger, and your fundraiser gains a new tradition.

Other questions about live auctions for Rotary, Lions, civic clubs & chambers of commerce