How children's charities get auction items donated

For letter structure, follow-up cadence and tracking, see how to get silent auction donations and the donation request letter template.

Boards, family businesses and the toy trade

1. Board and committee

The cabin, the travel, the professional service, the corporate connection. Ask individually and name examples — a general request to a board produces general results.

2. Businesses whose customers are families

Soft play, party venues, children's photographers, swim schools, music teachers, family restaurants, children's retailers. Your bidders are their exact market, and the item listing puts them in front of it. Say that in the ask — it is the offer.

3. The toy and children's goods trade

Manufacturers, distributors and independent shops. Approached constantly for toy drives and almost never for anything else, which makes an auction ask both novel and easy for them to fulfil from stock.

4. Corporate partners

Companies already running drives or volunteering with you have an employee engagement motive. An item, sponsorship of an item, or a match on funds raised — ask for the match explicitly. See toy drive plus auction.

5. The wider community

Hotels, experience providers, artists, hospitality. Last, once you know your gaps.

What to offer

The item listing, a post to a supporter base of families, recognition at the event, and a receipt. For family-facing businesses the audience description is the valuable part and is worth naming precisely rather than leaving implied.

What not to offer

Anything involving the children you serve. Not a photograph for their marketing, not a visit, not a named beneficiary for their internal comms. Businesses ask occasionally and the answer is a straightforward no with an alternative — a volunteer day, a tour of the facility, a report on what their donation funded.

Timing

Six to eight weeks for local business, longer for the trade. Keep procurement clear of your toy drive outreach so the same businesses are not fielding two asks from you in a month.

Committee structure: committee and volunteer roles.