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Zoo silent auction item ideas that actually sell
Almost every strong item involves an animal, and none of them are development's to offer.
Free for up to 20 items Unlimited bidders No credit card required
For the general list, see our 100+ silent auction item ideas. A zoo catalogue is built almost entirely from things the animal team has to approve, which makes the first conversation curatorial rather than commercial.
Encounters and keeper access
- Keeper for a day, or a half day, in a named section
- A feeding, where the species and the supervision allow
- A training or enrichment session observed with the keeper
- A veterinary round with the animal health team
- Naming an animal, where policy permits
- A photograph with an animal, only where contact policy allows it
Every one of these is scoped by the animal team and every one needs an alternative agreed in advance. See encounters and keeper-for-a-day.
Behind the scenes
- The commissary — where the food is prepared, which fascinates people
- The quarantine and holding areas, from a permitted vantage
- The horticulture team's browse operation
- A night at the zoo, or an early-morning opening before the public
- The reptile or aquarium back-of-house
More on this category: behind-the-scenes items.
Things you already sell, in versions you do not
- A lifetime or multi-year membership, where the finance side agrees
- The top adopt-an-animal tier for a species not usually offered
- A private carousel or train run for a birthday party
- The education department's programme delivered at a school of the winner's choosing
- Reserved parking for a season
Goods, which fill the catalogue
- Enrichment artwork — paintings made by animals, where the programme produces them
- A retired sign, a piece of a former exhibit, an old keeper's uniform patch
- Wildlife photography from a staff photographer or a member
- Gift shop bundles and behind-the-counter items
What welfare and policy decide
- Any contact with an animal — permitted, restricted or prohibited by policy and by association standard
- Feeding, which is species-specific and diet-controlled
- Access to any area during a birth, a transfer, a quarantine or a health event
- Photography in some areas, and use of images afterwards
- Anything involving an animal the institution does not own outright, such as a species-programme placement
Take the whole list to the curatorial team once rather than asking item by item. They will tell you which are fine, which need conditions, and which would be a poor experience for the winner as much as for the animal.
More guides for Zoos
Revenue benchmarks from platform data Encounters and keeper-for-a-day
Scoped by the animal team, not development Behind-the-scenes items
What the public cannot buy Getting items donated
Curatorial colleagues before outside donors Valuing an experience item
What to disclose when nothing has a price Adopt-an-animal, paired
A product you already sell
Frequently asked questions
What is the strongest zoo auction item?
A keeper-for-a-day or a named encounter — access the public cannot buy at any price. Every one is scoped by the animal team and needs an agreed alternative in advance.
Can we auction a photograph with an animal?
Only where contact policy and the relevant association standard permit it. Ask curatorial rather than assuming, because the answer differs by species and by institution.
Can we auction animal artwork?
Where an enrichment painting programme exists, yes, and it is a popular item that costs nothing beyond materials the animals were using anyway.
How should we approach the animal team?
With the whole item list at once rather than item by item. They will tell you which are fine, which need conditions, and which would be a poor experience for the winner.
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