130,500 causes · $320M raised · 4.7 since 2009
How museums get auction items donated
Half your catalogue comes from colleagues rather than donors.
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For letter structure, follow-up cadence and tracking, see how to get silent auction donations and the donation request letter template.
The internal ask comes first, and it is not a donation ask
Curator tours, store visits, conservation sessions and after-hours access are procured from colleagues, not from donors, and treating it as a donation request is why museums end up with two of them instead of a dozen.
Do it in one meeting with heads of department. Bring a list of what you would like to offer, ask what is possible, and agree three things per item: who delivers it, how long it takes, and when in the year it can happen. Get it in writing. An access item sold and then not deliverable because a curator was never asked is the worst outcome available in a museum catalogue and it is entirely avoidable.
Offer something back. Curators are rarely told what their tour raised, and a note afterwards saying what the session funded makes the second year's ask a formality.
Then the external list
Trustees
The travel, the second home, the professional service, the introduction to a gallery. Ask individually with named examples.
Artists and galleries
Artists in your exhibition programme, regional artists, and partner galleries. Agree value and credit up front, and be clear about what the artist receives in return — a listing, a link, and a named credit at the event is the normal package.
Members
The most under-asked group. A membership list contains professionals, business owners and people with holiday homes, and museums typically ask them only to renew. One well-written message to higher tiers with named examples produces items.
Corporate partners and local business
Sponsors, near-sponsors, hotels and restaurants near the museum. Last, once you know your gaps.
Timing
Twelve weeks for trustee and travel items. The internal meeting should happen before external solicitation begins, because knowing which access items you have changes what you need to ask outsiders for.
Committee structure: committee and volunteer roles.
More guides for Museums
Revenue benchmarks from platform data Gala and members' night
Two rooms, two catalogues What a museum may auction
The collection line, drawn clearly Item ideas that actually sell
What a museum audience bids on Curator-led experiences
Your most distinctive asset Valuing art and objects
Appraisal, provenance and what to state
Frequently asked questions
Where do the most distinctive museum items come from?
Colleagues, not donors. Curator tours, store visits and after-hours access are procured internally, and treating it as a donation ask is why museums offer two of them instead of a dozen.
How do we agree internal items?
One meeting with heads of department, three things settled per item — who delivers it, how long it takes, when in the year it can happen — and all of it in writing.
Should we ask members for items?
Yes, and most museums never do. A membership list contains professionals, business owners and people with holiday homes, and they are usually asked only to renew.
What do artists get in return?
A listing, a link and a named credit at the event, with the stated value and the credit agreed in writing before the item goes up.
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