Silent auctions? Do you do this?

Bed & Breakfast / Short Term Rental Host Forum

Help Support Bed & Breakfast / Short Term Rental Host Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

toddburme

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 22, 2010
Messages
733
Reaction score
0
We are trying to get an idea of what is a good idea on these requests for a room for a silent auction. One idea is to just do a few and see how it goes. 6 months expiration sounds great as this gets us to May, and we are very slow now. We will definitely do a local one or two as we want the exposure in our town. So do you offer a full night? restrict weekends? This was one where they had the winery and a massage bundled in with us. I like the idea but they are giving up $14.00 (winery) and $45 (30 minute massage). And we would cough up $159 or more with one night.
So do we offer a $50 gift certificate? That seems like a good value for advertising that more then likely will return nothing. 1 year to use it with rules restriction as per website. I would offer these all day long so maybe it is too cheap.
Then we made a seperate rule that we would each donate one night/year to a charity we liked if we wanted.
 
A more experienced b&b in town advised me that they give a $50 gift certificate. I have started doing that as well. That way you can get something for your room, the organization receives something and the purchaser receives something....win win win.
One exception is the schools where my children attend, do to our high interest in this organization I do give a one nights stay.
 
A more experienced b&b in town advised me that they give a $50 gift certificate. I have started doing that as well. That way you can get something for your room, the organization receives something and the purchaser receives something....win win win.
One exception is the schools where my children attend, do to our high interest in this organization I do give a one nights stay.
 
Silent auctions bring chump change to the "cause" which irritates the bewhatzis out of me. I now give an item with my name on it. Costs less than the lost revenue. Most restrict the certificates to Sunday thru Thursday (eliminating weekends). I knew from personal experience one of those weekday GCs was useless to me - worked and could not get away during hte week - so mine were anytime EXCEPT no home football games, not Oct., no cash value, expires_________.
I gave 4 countries (over 1 lb total) of fresh-roasted coffee beans to the last Silent Auction. Just gave 2 lunch bags and a T-shirt to one coming up. I only give a 1 nighter for special things "close to me heart" or a package to something that I need it to be big wnough to show on the radar - as in the Gold Wing rally Wing Ding. Sometimes they bring another couple - praters are answered - but most times it ends up screwing me up.
 
Go ahead and find out you will get nothing in return, and it will cost you, and open the flood gate for every organization and charity within 150- mile radius to expect the same.
You can do a BOGO and make it midweek wiht 6 month expiration and PUT THE VALUE on it (with tax), ie Gift Certificate VALUED AT $169.00. But they will scoff at it and not appreciate it AT ALL, even though, once again it is costing you to donate even the BOGO. Not valid holidays. Be VERY specific. Put it all in the fine print.
They will call and beg for a weekend, a peak weekend, and a one night only. They will also pay pennies on the dollar for it and then give it to someone who is NOT a B&B person, and they might destroy something and you have NO CREDIT CARD ON FILE and the freeby guests feel they can get away scott clean. Just a warning. Try getting a CC for a donated GC stay?
Also give a rack card for display next to it.
This is not a good value for advertising, you will get more advertising shooting yourself in the foot.
My advice, keep your giving your giving, ie keep what you do between you and your own organizations or church or maker. Business is business.
 
Listen to JB...I've had the exact same experiences here. We don't give anything away now, but if you want the exposure limit it to $50.
 
We did this our first year in business...boy what a "sucker" I was. Nothing good ever came from it. I stopped doing it saying my marketing budget was depleted.
 
I tried this 2-3 times during our early years.
If you are doing it because you want to donate for the charity - give to that charity! Donate a spa basket and in it place your business card with a write up...
If you are doning this because you want the exposure, forget it. I mean do not let the thought stay in your mind one moment because it won't stay in anyones mind at the auction. Have you been to one of these? The ones I have gone to you walk by the tables filled with donated items and place your bid on the paper in front... at times I could not remember what I bid on by the time the auction was complete. The only one that will remember you is the one that won - and if it is within a package of stuff, they may not even use it once they read the restrictions. The only thing that will have your phone ringing is other charites requesting your donation (as JB said).
Again, donate if you are an avid giver to that charity and want to give... do not do it in anticipation of anything in return.
 
We do gift baskets for area fundraisers. I always keep a stash of goodies that I pick up here and there, add a couple of our logo mugs, then add home baked, bread and pie, and a bottle or two of wine if appropriate. Finish with a "Thank you for supporting _____________ cause, and a brochure and a biz card.
 
Really, you can do whatever is comfortable to you. My free night GC got bundled with a dinner GC from a place in town. I'm sure they used the dinner GC but no one ever stayed here. Generally, my donated GC's expire at year-end. My popular weekends are all 2-night mins so not necessary to have a lot of policies listed.
Probably 4 of the 15 or so donated GC's have ever showed up here. And no guest has ever said they reserved because they heard about us at an auction.
 
we donate a $100 GC towards a 2 night stay. I'm starting to do 3 months of muffins donations... 2 dozen muffins for any 3 months during the year of the winning bidder's choice
 
Adding another point- one place I have done this with for years called one year and let me know that another B&B donates TWO nights, and didn't I think I could do the same? That really peeved me. Seriously? You don't need the one nighter? Good, I'll give it to someone else.
 
Back
Top