Are silent auctions worth it for fundraising?

If your club or school has ever held a gala night, trivia evening or big end of year event, chances are a silent auction table was involved. Guests write their bids on a sheet next to each item, the highest bid at the end of the night wins and there's no auctioneer shouting numbers across the room. It's a popular add on for a reason. Done well, a single item can raise more than an entire raffle table. Done poorly, it's a lot of volunteer effort for a handful of bids on a table nobody walked past.

Here's what actually goes into running one and where it fits alongside other fundraising options.

How a silent auction works

Items are laid out on a table (or listed on a bidding app these days), each with a starting bid and a bid sheet or QR code next to it. Guests browse throughout the event and write down their bid or increase someone else's, whenever they walk past. At a set time, bidding closes and whoever's written the highest number takes the item home.

Common items include experiences (a weekend getaway, tickets to a game), local business donations (a hamper, a voucher, a service) or something with sentimental value to the community (a signed jersey, a piece of student artwork).

The upsides

Big items can raise big money. A well chosen item with the right crowd can go for well above its actual value, especially if a bit of friendly competition kicks in near the end of the night.

It pairs naturally with an event. If you're already running a gala, trivia night or presentation evening, a silent auction adds another revenue stream without needing its own separate event.

People enjoy it. Browsing the table, checking if you've been outbid and the last minute scramble before bidding closes all add a bit of fun to the night, which raffles and straight donation asks don't really offer.

The downsides

Sourcing items takes real effort. Just like a raffle, someone needs to track down businesses or community members willing to donate something worth bidding on and good items don't just show up on their own.

It only reaches people in the room. Unlike an online fundraiser that can be shared with a much wider network, a silent auction is limited to whoever actually attends the event, which caps how much you can realistically raise no matter how good the items are.

It needs staffing on the night. Someone has to manage the bid sheets or app, watch for last minute bid wars, close bidding on time, and sort out payment and collection afterwards. That's on top of whatever else is happening at the event.

Low value items can flop. Not every donated item gets bids. A table with a few genuinely great items and a bunch of forgettable ones can end up looking underwhelming, and volunteers are left having to move unsold items along afterwards.

Where it fits alongside other fundraisers

A silent auction isn't really a replacement for an ongoing fundraiser like a wine drive, it's more of a one-off boost tied to a specific event. The two actually complement each other well: a wine drive through Vinate can run in the weeks leading up to your event to build momentum and raise funds from people who can't attend on the night, while the silent auction gives those who do attend a reason to dig a bit deeper once they're there.

Some clubs even donate a nice bottle or mixed case as one of the auction items itself, since it's an easy thing for a supporter to bid on without needing to think too hard about it.

If you're weighing up whether to run a silent auction at all, the honest answer is it depends on your event. If you've already got a room full of engaged supporters and a few genuinely good items lined up, it can be a great addition. If you're trying to raise funds without an event to attach it to, a product based fundraiser like a wine drive will almost always reach more people for less volunteer effort.