Wildlife rehabilitation silent auction item ideas that sell

For the general list, see our 100+ silent auction item ideas. A rehabilitator's catalogue is shaped by a permit rather than by a policy, which makes one section of this page a list of things to check rather than to consider.

Sponsorship, which carries the catalogue

• Sponsoring one animal's care from intake through to release
• A season of formula or feed for a named species
• A caging component — a flight pen panel, a pre-release enclosure, an incubator
• A year of transport fuel for the volunteer driver network
• Naming a permanent non-releasable resident, where permit and policy allow
• Sponsoring the vet bill for a specific case

Sponsorship works here better than at any other kind of organization because the unit is genuinely small and genuinely visible. A supporter can fund one animal, and then be told what happened to it.

Photography and art

• Prints donated by local wildlife photographers
• A guided photography morning at a nature site with a photographer
• Artwork of species you treat, from local artists
• A photograph of the animal the winner sponsored, where permit conditions allow it

This category deserves its own approach: nature photography auctions.

Expertise and access that does not involve an animal

• A talk to a school, a scout group or a garden club
• A wildlife-friendly garden consultation
• A property assessment: nest boxes, window strikes, fencing, pond safety
• A humane exclusion consultation for a homeowner with a wildlife problem
• A first-response class — what to do when you find an injured animal
• A tour of the facility when no animals are in view, where your permit allows

The exclusion consultation and the first-response class are the two most useful items on this page. They cost an evening, they reduce the intake you would otherwise receive, and they reach exactly the households most likely to call you next spring.

Ordinary goods, which fill the catalogue

• Local restaurant and retail certificates
• Nest boxes, bat boxes and feeders, ideally built by a volunteer
• Binoculars, field guides and optics from a local dealer
• A weekend at a supporter's cabin

What the permit may prohibit outright

This is not a list of things to weigh. It is a list of things to check, because some of them are unlawful rather than unwise.

• Public contact with any wild animal — holding, handling, feeding, or being present during handling
• Feathers, nests, eggs, skulls, antlers and any other parts, including naturally shed material. Some restrictions here are federal
• Photographs of animals in care, or their use to raise money
• Display of a live animal at an event, which usually requires a separate education permit and a specific non-releasable animal
• Anything implying a member of the public may keep, foster or raise wildlife

Ask your issuing agency in writing where you are unsure. A permit officer answers these routinely, and the email is worth keeping.

General information, not legal advice for your organization. Wildlife permit conditions differ by state and some are federal — check your own permit and your issuing agency before acting on anything here.