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An auction is one of the most popular ways to raise money for a charity. In addition to raising awareness about the mission of a charitable organization, charity auctions attract donors and participants because auctions are fun, exciting, and beneficial to the community.

• People enjoy friendly competition. Auctions are a great way to foster competition among friends, families and colleagues gathering to support a charitable organization. As friends and acquaintances vie for the same auction item, they can enjoy the friendly competition knowing that they are both helping to raise money.
• All proceeds go to a good cause. Whether people participate in an auction by volunteering to serve drinks or by bidding on an item, they are donating their money and time to a charitable cause. The focus is not on generating profit margin, but on raising money to help people who need it the most.
• You can find some great bargains. In a charity auction environment, you never know when you may be able to score a luxury vacation or signed photo of your favorite athlete at a low price.
• If you bid more than the market value of an item, you can deduct the excess. Sometimes bidders at a charity auction are more than willing to pay more than the market value of an item because they are eager to help a charitable organization. In these cases, the IRS allows you to write off the difference between the amount that you bid and the item’s market value.
• Music, food, and drinks help create a festive environment for participants. Auctions are often accompanied by good music and great food. In some cases, some people who end up bidding at an auction chose to attend just because their favorite DJ was on hand.
• People can catch up with old friends and colleagues. Charity auctions are often held on an annual basis, providing a great opportunity for people who are passionate about the same cause to reconnect with each other.
• People enjoy the adrenaline rush that accompanies the bidding process. The auction atmosphere is exhilarating for many participants. Time seems to fly by during auctions as bidders set their sights on a coveted item and strive to experience the feeling of excitement that comes along with being the winning bidder.
• Donors enjoy increased brand recognition while helping those in need. Businesses and individuals who donate items for charity auctions often receive the benefit of increased awareness of their brands. Even more important, their willingness to contribute to a charitable cause helps them develop a positive reputation in the community.
• Charity auctions can help break up the monotony of a structured meeting. In many cases, charity auctions are included as a part of a rigidly structured, comprehensive event program. In these instances, the charity auction often becomes the most anticipated part of the event program because participants are ready for some fun and friendly competition.
• Everyone comes together for a great cause. In the end, auctions are popular because everyone participates to accomplish a common goal. Feelings of camaraderie are built and participants feel a sense of self-worth knowing that they are helping to raise money for a charitable cause.

 Make Your Next Charity Auction a Success with the Help of an Industry Leader

Please contact us at WEDO for strategies to help make your next charity auction a success. Our team of professionals has the expertise to guide you through the auction preparation process to make sure that your event is exciting, fun, and successful in its mission to raise money for charity. We look forward to working with you!

If you collaborated with event planners for their best fundraising ideas, you would get a mixed response based on the patrons and the cause. With Silent Auctions, Live Auctions and creative Fund-A-Needs, as a staple of raising money, many organizations bring back classic themes with a twist!

If you’re planning for your next great event, we hope these ideas inspire your fundraising efforts!

1. 1920s Speakeasy: Great Gatsby themed parties are always a hit, and with good reason. Have a chance to sip cocktails from a jail cell and smoke cigars while rocking your best 1920s-inspired attire. Utilizes food from the 20’s vs the traditional sit down dinner.
2. Back to Prom: So your prom has come and gone, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t relive it with a retro theme party. VIP after-party to top off the memories. Corsages optional!
3. Champagne and Dessert party: What sounds better than sipping champagne while eating cupcakes? This great theme can be for a weekday event while bringing together your local restaurants that can provide their finest desserts.
4. Farm-To-Table Dinner: Upgrade your ordinary dinner party to the latest culinary trend and throw a farm-to-table dinner. Create a dinner with only locally sourced ingredients and your guests will definitely be impressed.
5. Masquerade Ball: Back on the scene. This black tie and mask theme is a sure fire way to class up the evening.
6. Casino Night: Bring Vegas to you! Craps, blackjack, and roulette tables will create friendly competition among your guests’. With a great local company to aid in the festivities, this event theme does not miss.
7. Cinco de Mayo: Margaritas, taco bars, and sombreros… Need I say more?!?!
8. Hawaiian Luau: Nothing says a good time more than tiki style cocktails and grass skirts while listening to bongo drums! Summer events are better with a fun, relaxed setting. Adult and/or family friendly.
9. Denim and Diamonds: Want a mix of casual & dressy? Sport your best jeans with your favorite jewels for this style party. This will help the guys who don’t like dressing up feel more comfortable.
10. Enchanted Forrest: Transform your next event with this whimsical theme by dressing up your space with branches and twinkling starlit-inspired bulbs.

If you would like to learn more about these themes and activities, feel free to contact WEDO by clicking the link below.

https://wedocharity.wpengine.com

Besides having a great selection of silent auction items at your fundraiser that your guests can bid on using mobile bidding, sometimes you just want to add in that extra “wow” factor and get the guests’ excited to be there for a great cause. There a few different options of other activities that your guests’ could participate in to both raise money AND having fun. A live auction, fund-a-need, and raffles are all wonderful options to achieve your fundraising goal. But we won’t stop there, we have a few more interactive activies up our sleeve… See below.

We all know how much fun a wine pull can be; it’s quick, efficient, and overall it is a very easily understood process. After collecting a bunch of different types of wine (or having them donated), ranging from average-above average, they will all be wrapped so their identity is a secret. Then, a guest will come to the wine pull area, purchase a bottle without knowing the type, and be on their jolly way. It’s a win-win! But why don’t we switch it up? We have been seeing many requests’ for more ideas similar to this process so we put our thinking caps on. Instead of wine, how about trying a cigar pull to reach out to multiple demographics.

You can sell your batch of cigars for anywhere between $10-$20.

The “best” picked cigar will also win a humidor to keep his cigar feelin’ fresh.

Of course, just like any fundraising activity, the type of crowd that you have at your event will play a big factor in whether or not the cigar pull will be successful in your fundraising endeavors.

Besides binge drinking peppermint lattes and building gingerbread houses galore, with 2016 here in a flash, we have been reminiscing over the great success and relationships we have built in 2015.  Throughout the year, we are excited to say that we have doubled the size of WEDO Charity Auctions and grown in 16 new states around the country. Can you say “success!”?

As we toast to 2015 and ring in the new year, we look to the future success of WEDO Charity Auctions and mobile bidding. We want to personally thank each and every organization for your business and partnership. We look forward to many more wonerful years of exctiement and success.

Cheers!