Auction Power Guide

I don’t know that it requires a "mountain" of people…but certainly, you’ll want help. Having done this myself in the past, I’d suggest a committee with the following positions:

Advertising: Need someone to get the info (date, time, charity, etc.) into the places where people will see it. You’ll want to have this in your school newspaper, PTA newsletter, local newspaper, and chamber of commerce calendar (and get it published as many times as you can in each publication).

Donations: Someone to go around to folks in the community to get the things to be auctioned. This is a tough job, because it involves begging, and a lot of people have trouble with this. It also takes a lot of follow-up, as a common response to the initial inquiry is, "Let me look into it and get back to you." Your school and/or PTA will probably have lists of local companies who have been generous in the past…this is probably a good place to start. But in theory, every local organization should be contacted. Retail stores are good, as are corporations – many times the corporations will have established social services funds, which means they can give you a cash donation. You’ll want to go to them with a plan of how you’d spend their money…often, it can work for them to subsidize the dinner/lunch/appetizers you’re serving at the event, or even the location fee, if you have one. Additionally, many corporations have the ability to donate things like tickets to a local sporting event or concert.

Treasury: Someone needs to keep track of how much money you’re earning, and how much will have to be paid out.

Forms: Someone needs to prepare the auction forms…It’s pretty simple, but it can take a bit of time. For this, you really only need a space for their name, as well as their bid. It’s also likely that you’ll need "promo sheets" for some items. For example, if you have a pair of concert tickets, you really don’t want to leave them out on the table where they could easily be pocketed. Instead, put together a simple sheet that explains the event (including time and date). If possible, pictures of the artist/item are handy, as is a paragraph telling the bidder why they want the item (gotta use your sales tactics here!!).

Set-up: You may need a couple of people to help set up. It’s good to have these folks see the event location in advance, so they know what to expect once they get there. They’ll need to set out each auction item, along with the auction forms & pencils so that the guests can easily submit their bids.

You & your friends could totally pull this off…Feel free to email me if you need any advice!
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It does not take but 3 or 4 people to plan the event. The real need for manpower is in the details.Ticket sales, soliciting auction items, picking up the items, organizing the silent auction table itself, collection of auction proceeds and making sure all items are delivered to the right person.

Make-a-Wish is a solid organization and should be able to provide you with the manpower you need.
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If you want to save time and effort, you could conduct the auction online through http://www.cmarket.com . That way, you don’t have to hold a special event with the expense and planning that involves. Or you could encourage people to donate a portion of the sales of their items on eBay through eBay’s MissionFish program.
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