How much can a service dog organization raise with a silent auction?

Short answer: whether the raiser community was activated, and whether the social following was ever asked.

Working it out from raisers and followers

Two audiences most organizations here would envy, and one of them is almost never asked.

• Puppy raisers, current and former, plus their families
• Your social following, which in this sector is usually far larger than the donor list
• Veterinary practices, pet businesses and their clients
• The cost of one training stage, and of a full placement

The second input is the one to test. People who follow one dog's progress will bid on that dog's training stage, and most organizations post those photographs constantly without ever asking that audience for anything.

What moves it

The raiser community

The most committed audience in the sector, and one that promotes rather than only bids: the puppy raiser community.

The social following

Far larger than the donor list in most of these organizations, and almost never asked for anything. People who follow one dog's progress will bid on that dog's training stage.

A published placement cost

The full figure surprises people, and surprise converts. Publish it and divide it into stages a bidder at any level can fund.

Whether dogs were in the room safely

Worth doing and only if it can be staffed properly. An online auction with no dogs raises more than an event where the training team spent the night saying no.

Setting the goal

Name a stage or a whole placement, publish the cost, and report in the same unit — stages funded, dogs supported through the raiser year. Photograph the dogs and the training, and people only with consent.

Goal and budget mechanics: fundraising goals and budget.

General information, not legal or clinical advice for your organization. Access rules, recipient privacy and the language your own community prefers differ — your training leadership and the people you serve decide how any of this applies.