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How to Make Bidding More Fun At Your Nonprofit’s Auction

Whether you’re welcoming new supporters, re-engaging lapsed donors, or stewarding existing constituents, your nonprofit is always looking for creative ways to make involvement more fun. 

A top tip for engaging supporters at any stage in the donor lifecycle is to host an exciting fundraiser, like an auction. While auctions are highly engaging by nature, nonprofit event planners can drive further engagement by enhancing the bidding process for participants.

In this guide, we’ll explore how your nonprofit can do just that! Let’s look at three ways to make bidding more fun at your next auction. 

Procure engaging items

At the very beginning of the auction planning process, you can set your event up for success by choosing engaging items. Attendees will be more invested in the event when they know the high stakes of their bids.

Procure highly sought items, such as:

Experiences: Auction off experiences, such as tickets to a concert or an exclusive wine-tasting. 
Travel: Hotel vouchers, plane tickets, and other travel-related items allow bidders to win a vacation!
Food: Procure restaurant gift cards and tasty treats for your auction. As a bonus, a local restaurant or establishment may receive increased business from your auction and partner with your nonprofit in the future to sponsor upcoming fundraisers.

Be sure to highlight these enticing items when marketing your auction to capture donors’ attention and increase registration. This way, you’ll get attendees excited about bidding before the event even starts! You can also utilize your auction software’s item catalog to display attractive images and descriptions of each item. 

Offer mobile bidding

Mobile bidding, which is typically facilitated by auction planning software, allows attendees to bid on items using their mobile devices. This means that participants can see when they’ve been outbid right from their phones and quickly raise their bid amount to stay in the competition.

Also, the ability to participate from a cell phone makes the bidding process more convenient. According to ClickBid’s mobile bidding guide, event attendees can participate from their phones in four simple steps:

Browse auction items
Select an item
Place a bid
Pay for the item

Depending on the software you choose, you might also be able to display a fundraising thermometer to show the overall progress made toward your goal during the event. This could encourage additional donations to help your nonprofit cross the threshold of its fundraising goal.

Incorporate another fundraiser

Hosting concurrent fundraisers doesn’t just raise more money for your cause, but also ensures every auction attendee gets to participate—even if they didn’t win an item! For example, you might host a product fundraiser alongside your auction so that those who didn’t win an item can still purchase something before the event is over, like a candle or a snack box.

To make the additional fundraiser equally engaging, choose an activity that can take place in the background of your auction. For example, launch a text-to-give campaign or share information about matching gifts. This way, donors can still give from their mobile devices and your nonprofit won’t need any additional volunteers or materials to fundraise.

Incorporating another fundraising activity into your auction makes donating more flexible for participants. They can place bids freely, knowing that they’ll still be able to make an impact during the event regardless of whether or not they win an item.

No matter how you choose to enhance bidding at your next auction, be sure to keep volunteers and staff members in the know by hosting training sessions before the event. This way, they’ll be equipped to answer any questions your donors may have throughout the auction. When attendees can participate easily, they’ll be more engaged and have a better experience at your auction overall!