The category, defined.
Every successful school auction starts with a full item table, and a full table starts with great donation requests. The ask is simpler than most volunteers fear: people give when you tell them exactly what you need, why it matters, and how easy it is to say yes. This page gives you the who, the scripts, and a donation form that keeps clean records — so you can fill your auction fast and thank donors properly afterward.
Use the templates below as-is or adapt them. Then collect everything in one place, list each item with its donor and fair-market value, and you'll have both a stocked auction and the records your PTA treasurer needs at year-end.
Donation requests that fill your table.
Who to ask
- Families — gift cards, services (photography, tutoring, baking), and themed baskets.
- Local businesses — gift certificates and products in exchange for visibility on the item listing.
- Classrooms — signature projects and teacher experiences that cost nothing and raise the most.
- Larger companies — many have community-giving or donation-request forms online.
Family donation email (copy & adapt)
Subject: Help fill our auction — donate an item or basket
Hi [Name], our [School] auction is [dates], and we're raising money for [specific goal]. Could you donate an item, a service, or a themed basket? Popular ideas: a gift card, a homemade treat, a family experience, or a basket built around a hobby. Every donation goes straight to [goal] — and we'll credit you in the auction. Reply here or add your item at [link]. Thank you! — [Your name], [School] Auction Team
Business donation letter (copy & adapt)
Dear [Business], [School] is hosting an online auction [dates] to raise funds for [specific goal]. We'd be grateful for a donated gift certificate or product. In return, your business will be featured on the item listing and shared with our community of families. Donations are simple to arrange — just reply or contact [name] at [email/phone]. Thank you for supporting our students. Sincerely, [Name], [School] Auction Committee
What your donation form should capture
- Donor name and contact (for acknowledgment and public credit)
- Item name and short description
- Fair-market value (for starting bids and records)
- Any restrictions or expiration dates
- Whether the donor wants public recognition
A note on tax acknowledgments: deductibility rules vary, and generally only the amount a winner pays above an item's fair-market value may be deductible. Keep item values on record and confirm acknowledgment wording with your treasurer or accountant — this isn't tax advice.
What we fixed.
Every painful step of a silent auction, rebuilt for how organizers actually run them.
Setup tonight. Live tomorrow. Done in 30 minutes.
Add items, set dates, share the link in the parent group chat. The setup that used to take a committee a month now takes one volunteer one evening.
Parents tap the link and bid. No app. No account.
Parents, grandparents, and aunt-of-the-room-mom can all bid from any phone in two taps. The most reliable bidder UX in the category, especially for the non-tech demographic.
Treasurer-ready CSV the moment the auction closes.
Every line item, every winner, every payment, every fair-market-value — exportable in one click. Winners auto-invoiced through your school's own Stripe or PayPal account.
Built for what actually raises money.
Not a kitchen-sink feature list. The capabilities that separate auctions that work from auctions that flop.
A donation form that feeds the auction
Collect donor, item, and fair-market value in one place, then list each item with its donor credited. No re-keying from a paper form into a spreadsheet into the auction.
Donor & sponsor recognition built in
Credit every donor publicly on the item listing, and showcase sponsors with the premium donor & sponsor management upgrade — the recognition that makes businesses say yes and come back next year.
Fair-market values on record
Store each item's value alongside the winning bid, so your treasurer can produce clean acknowledgments and year-end records without reconstructing them by hand.
In-kind and cash gifts together
Take item donations and outright cash/sponsorship in the same auction, with online collection through your school's Stripe or PayPal.
Easy to share the ask
One auction link doubles as the place donors add items. Forward the family email or business letter with the link and let donations come to you.
Free to start
Begin collecting on the free base auction; upgrade to the Most Popular package (about $170) when you want branding, expanded donor management, and text alerts.