Valentine's Day is coming up fast, and if you work at a nonprofit, you know what that means: Leveraging the season of love for some great charity auctions! We're not just talking about auctioning off people for dates (although that can be a fun idea too!) - we also like to focus on a variety of creative options when it comes for items for people to bid on.
This Valentine's Day, consider putting experiential items up for auction - things like romantic dinners and travel getaway packages. As an example, take this group of charity auctions to raise money for UCSF Children's Pulmonary Hypertension Family Camp - it includes items to bid on such as a romantic dinner for two in San Francisco or five nights in Paris. They're even auctioning off a one-of-a-kind chance to meet Jesse Williams and tour the set of Grey's Anatomy with him - definitely something cool to think about if you're a nonprofit with celebrities that can help your cause!
Another good example to note is the National Urban Technology Center, which is currently running its 2017 St. Valentine Auction to support its mission "to transform lives through the power of technology by giving youth the capacity for positive behavior and academic success". They've chosen to auction off items like a spa stay and a designer handbag, which remain solid choices for Valentine's Day charity auction items.
You may also want to consider soliciting tickets for various events to auction off. Sports events, concerts and Broadway shows are all very popular, particularly if they're hard-to-get tickets for must-see events. It's quite common to combine show tickets with hotel stays to create one-of-a-kind experiential packages that can then be auctioned off for charity.
If you add a message that emphasizes how a bidder's generosity is doubled (not only are they buying a wonderful gift for a loved one, but they're also contributing to a good cause!), it's a surefire way to attract individuals to your charity auction.
Now that Valentine's Day is so close, take advantage of the goodwill and warm fuzzy feelings to auction off some special gift items that will make both you and your supporters happy. Give online auctions a try and see if you'll be feeling the love this season!
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