As more and more people get vaccinated against COVID-19, people are looking to get out of their homes and back to enjoying the more social aspect of their lives. And that involves supporting their favorite nonprofit. In fact, giving is projected to increase by 5.1% in 2021! A fundraising event like an auction is the perfect way to create a fun and engaging event that’s sure to please the 56% of donors who regularly attend fundraising events. However, you’ll want to make sure your event is interesting enough to stand out in the crowd. That’s where these auction ideas and themes that can help!
Check out this list of fundraising auction ideas to help you bring your events back with a splash!
Night on the Town
After a year (plus) of living in sweatpants and t-shirts, many of us are excited about a chance to get dressed up and spend a night out on the town! Help your supporters have a great time out by hosting a glamorous event complete with cocktail attire, live entertainment, and a gourmet meal whipped up by a celebrated local chef.
And if you have guests who aren’t quite ready to attend in-person events, never fear! You can make even a fancy night out hybrid-friendly by livestreaming the event and offering to-go boxes (or a take-and-bake meal) from the same local restaurant.
To take it to the next level, give your virtual guests some props to really help tie the virtual and in-person experiences together!
We <3 [Your City]
We all know small businesses that have struggled over the past year, whether it’s your favorite local eatery or your go-to boutique. Help boost the local economy and raise funds for your mission by hosting an auction that supports your city!
While many of these local businesses are still cash strapped, donating gift certificates, gift baskets, and other coveted auction items can be a great, cost-effective way to help them get the word out while also giving them an outlet to support causes close to their hearts.
And don’t forget to look up soon-to-debut businesses. Many small business owners put plans for expansions or new venues on hold during the pandemic. Reaching out to them about sponsoring an auction item can create a real win-win for everyone.
Paw-Palooza Auction
Treat your guests and their furry friends alike to a special event and throw your own Paw-Palooza! You can have live entertainment for your human guests and fun activities for people to complete with their pets, such as an agility course or a “Make Your Own Toy” booth.
With plenty of pet-related auction items and a meal that includes special snacks for the pups in attendance, you’ll create a fundraising event supporters can’t wait to sign up for.
Go Old-School Glam
If your nonprofit’s go-to fundraiser in the past has been an old-school, glamorous auction gala, then maybe it’s time to bring it back! These events are fun, fancy, and usually the type of once-a-year event that people get really excited about. I know plenty of people who would start looking for their gowns months in advance, but none of us have had the chance to do that in a very long time.
Even within the big “gala” theme, there are multiple routes you can take, whether it’s creating an Old Hollywood-themed event, a Black-and-White ball, or a high-end fashion-themed event (you don’t have to be the Met Gala to pull this off!).
You can even get creative and merge pop culture with glam by asking guests to dress as if they were going to a medieval royal wedding a la Game of Thrones. Creativity makes any event more fun!
Top Chef Challenge
Top Chef challenges create a delicious and fun experience for your guests, and partnering with the right local chefs can be a great way to expand the reach of your event. After all, you’ll promote your fundraiser on social media, right? Imagine having 5-10 popular local restaurants doing the same; it’ll make a huge difference!
Florida-based nonprofit Achievement Academy has great success with their annual Top Chef fundraiser, even though they’ve had to get creative with the format due to COVID-19. Each year, they put together an epic event where guests get to vote for the “Top Chef of Polk County” and participate in a silent auction that brings in the big donations.
Superhero-themed Auction
From Batman to Captain America, superheroes have enduring popularity. After all, we all want to do good and wish we could be superheroes. And guess what? That’s exactly what your supporters are, so treat them to a fun-filled night of superhero-themed fun and prizes!
Make it even more exciting by including a Marvel vs. DC or comics vs. anime costume contest. Your guests will really want their team to win, so your supporters are likely to go all out, which makes your event more fun for everyone.
Travel-themed Auction
International travel is still heavily limited, but that doesn’t mean you can’t create a fantastic travel-themed experience that is the next best thing. You could stick with one country or city with a Paris-themed event, or you could go full Around the World in 80 Days and take your guests on a multi-city adventure.
Just don’t forget to make sure your auction items match your auction theme! Since travel is still limited, try offering items that appeal to both the yearn for future travel (such as swanky new luggage) and the desire to get out and explore your hometown (such as packages for day trips to explore hidden gems in your surrounding area).
How many amazing places are there to visit in your area that you’ve never heard of (think bioluminescent kayaking or the mermaids of Weeki Wachee)? Your guests will probably feel the same!
Under the Sea
Speaking of mermaids, why not create an Under the Sea-themed auction? You have a lot of flexibility with this theme. Meaning, you can go for a crowd-pleasing beach theme, or you can glam it up with a more artistic theme and invite artists to create pieces for the event that then get auctioned off as auction items (I’ve seen this in person, and it was amazing).
For a more family-friendly event, you could look into hosting your event at an aquarium and have auction items at higher bid points for the adults and some fun raffles to help the kids get in on the fun!
Spy-Themed/James Bond Auction
Just think of all the fun and games that you could have with a spy-themed event! You can start the theme with your events by asking guests to solve an (easy) riddle to figure out the location of your event and keep it going with all kinds of games and sub-events throughout the night.
This type of event can easily be put in a hybrid format as well, allowing virtual guests to play the same engaging games as your in-person guests.
The Great Outdoors
The outdoor life has been the life of choice for many over the past year. As a result, most of us have developed an appreciation for the great outdoors that we’ve never had before. Embrace that newfound enthusiasm and have an outdoor event complete with outdoorsy-themed auction items.
If social distancing practices are still important in your area, try hosting this event outdoors. Instead of having everyone participate in the same activities all at once, you can have people register to participate in a variety of activities. For example, a location like Bonnet Springs Park would allow you to offer garden tours to one group, live music to another, and activities like kayaking and hiking for even more participants.
Take Me Out to the Ballgame
“Take me out to the ballgame, take me out to the crowd…” You’re singing it in your head now, aren’t you? That one little song brings back positive memories for so many of us, and that’s why having a fundraiser themed around America’s favorite pastime is such a great idea!
This fundraiser appeals to all ages, can be very family-friendly, and empowers you to bring in some rare, potentially big-ticket items like signed baseballs or baseball cards. Mix these items with common baseball-themed goodies (ranging from a tee-ball set for the littles to quality gear, or even a family pack of tickets to a pro game), and you’ll have a crowd-pleasing event for sure!
Murder Mystery
Who doesn’t love a good mystery? I certainly do! And a murder mystery event can be one of the most engaging fundraisers you ever throw just by asking your guests to solve a mystery while they’re there.
Think of your event as a live-action game of Clue and your guests will have a blast. You can even use your theme to promote your auction items on social media by asking your guests to piece together different clues they find throughout your posts!
Monopoly
Make a game of it by making Monopoly (or another classic board game) the theme of your auction. You can even make your auction items part of the game board, with a luxury vacation package going as “Boardwalk” and a smaller gift basket representing “Baltic Avenue.”
Art Auction
Art auctions have the benefit of appealing to a wide variety of audiences. They’re perfect, of course, for art-focused nonprofits, but what about an auction of student artwork to support a school? Or a church auction that includes the talents of your congregants?
While it can be tricky to determine the starting bids for these items, they can command high prices, both because they’re unique and because they can elicit an emotional reaction that leads to higher bids.
Carnival
Do you remember going to a carnival growing up? Most likely, you do, and you have unforgettable memories from it. Give your supporters memories they won’t forget by throwing together your nonprofit’s very own carnival.
You can offer auction items ranging from a family-friendly gaming package to dinner and a movie (complete with a babysitting service coupon!) for the parents.
Even better is that carnivals really lend themselves to sub-events like contests or games. Each game is another opportunity to raise funds for your mission, and you can add raffles to round out your fundraising program further.
A Day at the Spa
Create a spa-themed event for an engaging experience that your guests will never want to leave! Serve a meal that would fit in at a luxury resort and offer on-site chair massages to help guests get in the spirit of things. You can also provide DIY spa goodies at each table to keep your guests engaged throughout your event.
For auction items, everything from massage gift certificates to at-home spa gift baskets make great choices. If you’re looking for a top-notch big-ticket item, see if you can work with a local business to sponsor a weekend getaway at a resort.
Out of this World
Create an out-of-this-world experience for your guests with a space-themed event. This theme can be elegant for a ritzy event or colorful and bright for a family-friendly event. Either way, with a growing interest in personal space travel (even if it’s still far out of reach for most of us), your event will be sure to capture the attention of your guests.
Luau
Luaus are not only fun, but they can also be relatively easy to set up, with luau decorations readily available year-round at party stores or all summer long everywhere else. Their more laid-back atmosphere also lends itself well to sub-events like raffles or a limbo contest.
Casino Night
Casino nights create an exciting and engaging event for your guests as it allows them to mingle with other guests while playing games of chance. You might start the event with a gourmet meal, and then encourage your guests to get up and play games during the silent auction.
To make it easy for them to bid while playing, make sure to offer your guests a mobile app for more engaging participation. And in case your guests get a little too involved in their games, don’t forget to tell them to opt in to alerts, so they’re automatically notified when they’ve been outbid!
Decades Night
There are plenty of ways to have fun with a decade theme. From a Roaring 20’s dance to a 90’s-themed beach bash, your guests are sure to have a blast.
This theme also gives you a wide range of auction items to choose from, from collectibles from the era to new items that fit the theme. Even something simple like a gift basket filled with popular treats from that era can be a huge hit!
Fairytale
Create a magical experience for your youngest and oldest guests alike with a fairytale-themed event. Encourage guests to come in costume, and set up activities set up for children of all ages while adults participate in the silent auction. Auction items can be anything from movie packs to tickets to a favorite theme park.
Rock ‘n’ Roll
Keep it classic and give your guests a music-filled night to remember, complete with musical décor and themed appetizers. A live band would be your focal point during the auction, and your guests can bid on everything from in-demand concert tickets to signed memorabilia.
Gone Country
Encourage your guests to get gussied up in their best cowboy hats and boots for a country-themed auction! You can offer line dancing as an activity (especially if you have a few volunteers on-site who can act as instructors). Your auction items can range from musical experiences to fishing excursions.
Medieval Nights
Medieval Nights is a fun theme for a night out on the town, complete with dinner and a theatrical show! If you have space and a crowd that’s down for a laugh, try offering a jousting contest to guests (the lances—of course—would be a safe material like decorated pool noodles).
Broadway
Another way to offer your guests dinner and a show is with a Broadway theme! For a youth organization, your entertainment might be a student production of a popular Broadway show. For a medical organization, you might follow the lead of the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation and bring in guests from the professional stage.
Their annual fundraiser is hosted by Broadway’s own Julie Halston, and has featured guests like Bernadette Peters, Daryl Roth, and Darlene Love.
Garden Party
A garden party is a great setting for an auction, whether you’re a botanically oriented organization or not. In fact, given the rise in interest in gardening (even indoors) in the past couple of years, it’s safe to say it’d be a hit!
Of course, you’ll need to be thoughtful in your auction items, depending on how plant-enthused your guests are. A native plant society, for example, might auction off rare plants that their guests would be eager to get for their collections. For a more general audience, gift certificates to a home improvement store that also sells plants might be more appropriate.
Camp-Out
It’s summer, which means that many of us have children going off to camp. It’s a great time for them… but do you ever find yourself feeling just the teeniest bit nostalgic for your own camp memories? Of course! Most of us have great memories of summer camp.
Bring those memories back for your guests by hosting camp-themed activities complete with a campfire sing-along and all the other camp activities that we love and miss so much (minus the stomach ache after eating too many s’mores). You can even add a conditional field to your form to ask your guests for their favorite camp activities so that you have an assortment of activities to please everyone.
Winter Wonderland
Winter brings up joyous memories worldwide, which makes a winter wonderland theme perfect for all your guests. You can bring in fake snow, host a fake snowball fight, have an ornament-making station, and bring in classic winter treats like hot chocolate with marshmallows. Whether it’s actually December or Christmas in July, it’s sure to be a hit.
Once your guests are nice and cozy, you can start your auction, which you can keep engaging with lots of holiday-themed trivia to keep guests on their toes. Add some fun prizes for the winners to keep everyone guessing as they bid!
Author: Abby Jarvis
Abby Jarvis is the Nonprofit Education Manager at Qgiv, a company that’s dedicated to building powerful fundraising tools that empower nonprofits to thrive and grow. In her 8 years at Qgiv, Abby’s become passionate about understanding industry best practices, learning how they can help nonprofits be more effective, and sharing that information with other fundraisers.
