130,500 causes · $320M raised · 4.7 since 2009
Watershed organization auction item ideas that sell
Water access, and the surprising appeal of testing somebody's own well.
Free for up to 20 items Unlimited bidders No credit card required
For the general list, see our 100+ silent auction item ideas. A watershed group's distinctive items are access to water and access to its own expertise.
On the water
- A guided paddle, a float trip, a fishing trip with a guide
- A macroinvertebrate sampling morning
- A dawn or full moon paddle, a birding float
- A day with the monitoring crew
Scoping and safety: paddle trips and water access.
Water at the winner's own home
- A well water test with interpretation, which sells everywhere there are wells
- A test of the stream or pond on somebody's property
- A rain garden designed and installed
- A rain barrel, or several, with installation
- A septic system check or advice, in partnership with a provider
- A streambank assessment for a riverside landowner
- Native riparian plants with a planting plan
This whole category is the group's best-kept secret. People care about their own water far more than about a basin, these items cost a sample and an afternoon, and each one turns an abstract supporter into somebody managing their own piece of the watershed.
Monitoring and restoration sponsorship
- A season at one named monitoring site
- A set of laboratory analyses
- A monitoring volunteer's training and equipment
- A mile of streambank, or a section of buffer planting
- A rain garden at a named school
- A culvert or barrier survey
- Trees for a riparian planting, by the dozen
Publish what each actually costs. A single water sample analysed at a laboratory is a small and surprising number, and it makes everything else legible.
From the basin's businesses
- Outfitters, marinas, campgrounds, bait and tackle
- Breweries and distilleries, which depend on water and know it
- Riverside restaurants and cabins
- Outdoor retail, waders, dry bags, boots
- Farm and garden suppliers, which reach the upstream constituency
- Photography and art of the river by local artists
Breweries are worth approaching first. Water quality is a direct input to their product, many of them say so in their own marketing, and the connection is obvious to their customers.
What to check or keep out
- Any water trip against insurance, qualification, flow thresholds and waivers
- Private access points, which need the landowner's specific agreement and should not be published
- Any item citing monitoring data — a scientist reads it before it goes out
- Results attributed to a named landowner, business or town in fundraising copy
- Anything framing a sector as the problem, especially agriculture
- Fishing or hunting items where they conflict with the group's own stated positions — decide once, at board level
Frequently asked questions
What is the best-kept secret in this catalogue?
Water at the winner's own home — a well test, a stream test, a rain garden, a streambank assessment. People care about their own water far more than about a basin, and each item turns an abstract supporter into somebody managing their own piece of the watershed.
Which businesses should we approach first?
Breweries and distilleries. Water quality is a direct input to their product, many say so in their own marketing, and the connection is obvious to their customers.
What should sponsorship units be?
A season at one named monitoring site, a set of lab analyses, a volunteer's training, a mile of streambank, a rain garden at a named school. Publish what each costs — a single analysed sample is a small and surprising number.
What needs checking before it goes out?
Anything citing monitoring data, which a scientist reads first. And never attribute a result to a named landowner, business or town in fundraising copy.
Ready to start your auction?
Name it now and set it up later. Free for up to 20 items, unlimited bidders, no credit card.
Free for up to 20 items · Unlimited bidders · No credit card required