Silent Auctions Or Live Auction - Which Should You Choose?

If your charity is planning on holding an auction to raiseof a gala event or a silent auction with a wonderful
funds for your cause, this question might come throughdinner.
your mind once or twice. To answer this correctly andOn the other hand a live auction is more serious. The
with the best accuracy of what is going to be needed,focus is not on the food or mingling and enjoying
we will play out two of the scenarios that usuallyyourself (although you would hope you do), the focus
happen at these events and then from there you willis on the items that are being put up for auction. With a
have a better idea of what is the best route for yourlive auction there is usually a stage where the
business.auctioneer will showcase each item with the intentions
As it goes with any charity event, people will go toof driving up the perceived value of each item. The
show their support and mostly to have a wonderfulgoal of the auctioneer is to have the people attending
time. But the thought of there being an auction isthe event feel, touch and taste the items that are
always in mind. People tend to want to show theirbeing auctioned. By doing so the people attending will
support by buying tickets for the dinner and maybebid the items higher and then draw in more money for
buying something to take home from the auction. Butthe charity.
being at a silent auction still gives some people theUnderstanding both types of auctions that you can use
option to not bid and not feel like they are being sold to.at your charity event is important for your final
For example, you attend an event and have gotten alldecision. Making sure that you understand that putting
ready to meet and greet with all the people attending.on a live auction is going to be a little bit more
You stop by table to table saying hello and carrying onexpensive, with the hiring of the auctioneer (unless you
conversations. Maybe in between you walk over andintend to have someone from your organization do it),
take a look at a couple items for auction and writeand will be a little bit more involved (acquiring paddles
down your bid. Then you go back to enjoying theand such). Plus the atmosphere at a live auction will be
evening and mingling with people occasionally takinga lot different from the silent auction, all the attention of
the time to see if you have been outbid or not. But stillthe attendees is focused on the auction for the entire
remaining to spend most of your time walking, talkingtime it is happening.
and eating. If you win your excited as you wanted toKnowing your options and determining what kind of
own whatever it was you were bidding on. Howeveratmosphere you are wanting to get from your donors
on the other-hand if you didn't win, you aren'tis really a decision that will come down to your own
heartbroken and life will go on and you will rememberorganizations preferences. But from what we have
this night as a great night with excellent food and newlearned in the past, holding silent auctions tend to be a
friends.little bit better enjoyed by everyone and will still bring in
This example tells what most people intend to get outa good amount of money for the charity.