130,500 causes · $320M raised · 4.7 since 2009
How much can a food bank raise with a silent auction?
Real numbers from hunger-relief organizations, and what moves them.
Free for up to 20 items Unlimited bidders No credit card required
Short answer: whether the auction is attached to an event people were already coming to, and whether it names an operational purchase rather than the general fund.
Revenue across hunger-relief organizations
Working it out against the equipment
Size it against a purchase rather than a target, because that is what a food bank auction realistically funds.
- Your donor and volunteer list, which is larger than most food banks' active donor count
- Congregations, schools and businesses that run drives for you
- An average winning bid for a community audience giving to a visible local cause
- The cost of the van, freezer or route you are funding
If the arithmetic does not reach the equipment cost, fund a phase and say so. A goal cleared is worth more next year than a goal missed.
What decides a food bank's result
1. An event people were already attending
A dinner event brings an audience with a reason to be in the room. A standalone auction has to build that from the donor list alone.
2. A named operational purchase
The van, the freezer, the fuel. Publish the cost. "Support our work" asks for something abstract from a donor who already thinks they help by giving tins.
3. Whether your supply chain was asked
Growers, distributors and grocers already give you goods and are rarely asked for auction items. See getting items donated.
4. Distance from your holiday appeal
November and December already carry a drive, a match and an appeal into the same households. An auction in that window is a fourth ask.
Setting the goal
Work from the purchase: what does the equipment cost, what is already committed, what is the auction covering. Then say plainly where a surplus goes and report that you did it — a donor who funded a van will notice whether the van arrived.
Goal and budget mechanics: fundraising goals and budget. Stating impact: meal-equivalence framing.
More guides for Food Banks
How to state it using your own numbers Empty Bowls and dinner events
When the food is the draw Item ideas that actually sell
And why donated food is not auction stock Getting items donated
A supply chain that already gives you things Corporate food drive pairing
Turning a logistics exercise into fundraising
Frequently asked questions
What should a food bank's auction goal be?
The cost of a named operational purchase — the van, the freezer, the route fuel — minus what is already committed. It asks for something concrete and it describes what an auction realistically covers.
Does attaching the auction to an event help?
It gives you an audience with a reason to be in the room, which a standalone auction has to build from the donor list alone.
When should we not run an auction?
In your holiday window, if it already carries a drive, a match campaign and an appeal. All of those land on the same households and an auction becomes the fourth ask.
Name what you're buying and open bidding
Set the real cost as your goal. Free for up to 20 items, unlimited bidders, no credit card.
Free for up to 20 items · Unlimited bidders · No credit card required