130,500 causes · $320M raised · 4.7 since 2009
How much can a political committee raise with a silent auction?
Your ceiling is not the audience. It is who may give, and how much each has left.
Free for up to 20 items Unlimited bidders No credit card required
Short answer: the eligible supporter list, times whatever headroom each still has under the applicable limit.
Working it out from headroom, not list size
A supporter who has already given the maximum cannot bid at all, which inverts the usual targeting.
- Supporters who are eligible sources under this jurisdiction and office
- How much headroom each still has under the applicable limit
- Small-dollar supporters, who by definition have the most room
- The campaign cost you are funding: a canvass weekend, a mail piece, a field organiser's week
Check the second input before the first. A committee that sizes against its whole list will include people it cannot lawfully accept money from.
What moves it
Remaining headroom, not list size
A committee's maxed-out donors cannot bid at all. The reachable money sits with supporters who have given little or nothing, which inverts the usual targeting.
Small-dollar reach
An online auction with accessible lots is a small-dollar instrument, and small donors have the most headroom by definition.
Whether eligibility was checked before bidding
A prohibited or over-limit purchase has to be refunded, which is worse than never taking it: auction items as contributions.
Candidate access items
The distinctive lots, and the ones that carry the highest bids — within the line around the office.
Setting the goal
Name a campaign cost: a canvass weekend, a mail piece to one precinct, a week of a field organiser, yard signs for a district. Campaign budgets are concrete, supporters like knowing what money buys, and it gives the auction a story that is not simply "we need money".
Goal and budget mechanics: fundraising goals and budget.
General information, not legal advice, and campaign finance law differs by jurisdiction and by office. Contribution limits, prohibited sources, disclosure and reporting are enforced with real penalties — your committee's own counsel or compliance professional decides how any of this applies before you run anything.
More guides for Political Fundraisers
What every page must say Auction items as contributions
Limits, sources and in-kind Reporting proceeds
What you must collect at bid time Tax treatment
Nobody deducts anything Other legal requirements
Disclaimers, venues and volunteers Item ideas that actually sell
And what an office cannot offer Getting items donated
Every donation is a reportable contribution
Frequently asked questions
What is the real ceiling?
Remaining headroom rather than list size. Maxed-out donors cannot bid at all, so the reachable money sits with supporters who have given little — which inverts the usual targeting.
Why does small-dollar reach matter?
An online auction with accessible lots is a small-dollar instrument, and small donors have the most headroom by definition.
What should the goal be?
A named campaign cost — a canvass weekend, a mail piece to one precinct, a week of a field organiser. Concrete, and it gives the auction a story beyond "we need money".
Fund the campaign and open bidding
Name what it pays for. Free for up to 20 items, no credit card.
Free for up to 20 items · Unlimited bidders · No credit card required