How hospital foundations 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.

Two conversations first

Compliance, on vendors. Decide in advance whether and on what terms a company that sells to the hospital may donate. Getting this settled before you solicit avoids the worst version, which is declining an offer a supplier has already made publicly.

Your system's policy, on staff. Whether employees may be solicited, whether departments may donate staff time, and whether employees may bid on items connected to their own area. Most systems have a position; find it.

Board, auxiliary, physicians, community

1. Board and committee members

The strongest items in most hospital catalogues come from here — the second home, the travel, the chef, the club access. Ask individually and name examples, because board members do not volunteer a villa in response to a general request.

2. The auxiliary

A separate volunteer organization with its own membership, its own network and often its own funds. It can supply items, volunteers and promotion, and it is often the group least involved in the gala. See working with the auxiliary.

3. Physicians and staff, within policy

Physicians hold relationships with local businesses and with grateful patients that development does not. Where policy allows, a physician introducing the foundation is a different conversation from the foundation approaching cold — and it stays on the right side of the line. See staff and physician engagement.

4. Community businesses and gala sponsors

Restaurants, retailers, galleries, hotels. Sponsors and near-sponsors are the best of these: a business that declined a sponsorship tier on cost will often donate an item, which gives them the association at a level they can approve.

5. Vendors, if compliance has cleared it

Last, and only within whatever terms were agreed at the start.

What to offer

The item listing, recognition in gala materials, and an acknowledgement from the correct entity. Be precise about which entity — the foundation and the hospital are usually different organizations and a business will file the acknowledgement it receives.

Timing

Long lead times here. Board and travel items often need eight to twelve weeks because they involve a family calendar, and the compliance conversations should close before solicitation begins rather than running alongside it.

General information, not legal or compliance advice for your organization. Patient privacy and healthcare compliance rules are fact-specific — take anything here to your own privacy officer and counsel before you act on it.

Committee structure: committee and volunteer roles.