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How much can a hospital foundation raise with a silent auction?
And how the silent auction sits against the rest of the evening's revenue.
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Short answer: for a gala-attached silent auction, the constraint is usually the room's attention rather than the catalogue. What moves the number most is how the silent auction is sequenced against the live auction and the fund-a-need, and whether bidding opened before the night.
Revenue against the rest of the gala
Working it out against the evening
A gala auction is sized by the room and by where it sits among the night's other asks, not by the catalogue.
- Guests expected, and how many are table hosts who reach further
- The invitation list including declines, who can bid online but not attend
- An average winning bid for your donor base, which development already knows better than any benchmark
- What the live auction and fund-a-need are expected to raise, since all three draw on the same wallets
The fourth input is the one that changes the plan. If the live auction and the appeal are strong, a large silent catalogue competes with them; a small curated one adds.
What moves the number against the rest of the evening
1. Whether bidding opened before the night
A silent auction that opens only when doors open is limited to the people in the room for the hours they are in it. Opening several days ahead adds the supporters who declined the invitation, and brings items into the room with bids on them.
2. Sequencing against the live auction and fund-a-need
Three instruments drawing on the same wallets in the same evening. Where the silent auction sits in that order is a design decision, covered in gala auction planning.
3. A small number of items with no comparable price
At gala price points guests can price-check donated goods on a phone from the table, so a curated catalogue with real anchor items holds attention where a large one of retail items does not. See item ideas that actually sell.
4. Table hosts
A table host who has been briefed reaches nine people the foundation is not speaking to directly. Brief them on two or three specific items rather than on the auction generally.
Setting the goal
Set it against the evening's total rather than in isolation, and decide in advance how the silent auction is reported — inside the gala total or beside it. Either works; reporting it inconsistently across the board deck, the donor acknowledgements and the press release does not.
Goal and budget mechanics: fundraising goals and budget.
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Frequently asked questions
How should the silent auction total be reported?
Decide in advance whether it sits inside the gala total or beside it, and use the same treatment in the board deck, the donor acknowledgements and any external reporting. Either choice works; inconsistency between them does not.
Does opening bidding before the gala actually add revenue?
It adds bidders who are not in the room — supporters who declined the invitation or could not justify a table — and it brings items into the room with bids already on them, which gives an in-person guest something to react to.
Is a bigger catalogue better at a gala?
Not usually. Guests can price-check donated goods on their phones from the table, so a curated catalogue with real anchor items tends to hold attention better than a large one.
Open bidding before the night
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