Boys & Girls Club auction item ideas that actually sell

For the general list, see our 100+ silent auction item ideas. A Club catalogue is mostly ordinary; what carries it is the sponsorship tier and the specificity of the goal.

Sponsorship

• A member-year, or a term
• A month of transport, or a term of meals
• A staff position for a month
• A sports season, an arts cycle, a technology programme
• A summer programme place
• Naming a room, a court, a programme or a space

Structure and terms: programme sponsorship.

The Club itself, outside programme hours

• The gym for an evening — a corporate league night, a family birthday, a tournament
• The kitchen for a cookery class or a supper club
• The whole facility for a private event, where policy allows
• A tour with the executive director, outside programme hours
• A staff-led session for a company's team — leadership, sports, cooking

The gym is the item most Clubs never think to list. It is a real venue, it sits empty every evening and weekend, and a corporate league night is a straightforward sale to exactly the businesses on your board.

Every one of these is scheduled when no members are present, and the item description should say so plainly rather than managing it quietly.

From the board and corporate partners

• Professional services from board members
• Experiences: a suite, a boat, a cabin, a golf foursome
• Corporate goods and branded gear people actually want
• A day with a local employer for someone's own teenager — job shadowing, which sells well to parents

Ordinary lots

Restaurants, retail, experiences, wellness. Keep a genuine low tier — a Club audience includes member families and staff, and a catalogue that starts high tells them the evening was designed for somebody else.

What must not be in the catalogue

• Any member's name, photograph, artwork or story without consent that specifically covers this public use
• Anything that would put a winner in contact with members
• Access to the building during programme hours
• Anything implying priority in enrolment or fee assistance
• Any indication of which families receive assistance, including a count in a small community

Member artwork is the one that catches Clubs out. It is charming, it is offered readily, and it identifies a child and their family unless the consent is explicit and the piece is unnamed.

General information, not legal advice for your Club. Affiliate obligations, brand standards and youth protection requirements come from your national organization and your own policies — your executive director and national contact decide how any of this applies.