How to Maximize Every Item in Your Auction or Raffle
Guest post by Laurie Hochman, Director of Business Growth and Strategy at Auctria
When it comes to auctions and raffles, what’s more important than quantity or even quality is how you choose to deploy those items for maximum fundraising impact.
If you see every donated item as a single silent auction listing, you are leaving money on the table. The real opportunity is in how creatively and strategically you position each item throughout your event experience.
Let’s talk about the many ways one donated item can generate revenue.
1. The Classic Silent Auction Package
This is the baseline. Most donated items land here.
Bundled well, displayed clearly, and positioned at the right starting bid, silent auction packages create accessible entry points for bidders. They build momentum early in the night and engage guests who may never raise a paddle in a live auction.
But not every item belongs here. Lower-value items often stall at the opening bid. High-value items can get buried if the room energy is split.
So before defaulting to silent, ask: Is this item best served in a competitive bidding environment, or somewhere else?
That question changes your revenue strategy immediately.
2. The Live Auction Showpiece
Some items deserve a spotlight.
High-value vacations. VIP experiences. Exclusive access. Anything that benefits from storytelling and public competition.
When placed in a live auction, these items create theater. And theater drives dollars. This is where a skilled auctioneer can stretch a $3,000 item to $7,500. Energy, pacing, and competitive psychology matter.
But here’s the part many teams miss: not every high-value item has to sell traditionally.
Which brings to mind a few of our favorite strategies.
3. The Golden Ticket or Winner’s Choice Raffle
Sometimes the smartest move is to remove competition entirely.
A Golden Ticket raffle positions one premium item as the prize for a single, high-priced raffle ticket holder. Often priced around $100 per ticket, this strategy creates exclusivity without requiring guests to publicly compete.
It works beautifully with:
A luxury vacation
A VIP concert or sporting experience
A high-demand live auction package
High-value gift cards
In many cases, the Golden Ticket winner chooses from your live auction lineup before bidding even begins. That adds urgency and excitement for everyone else.
You are raffling a chance for a windfall, not just raffling an item.
And when marketed early and well, this single strategy can generate significant revenue before the first paddle goes up.
4. Break It Apart: Multiply Mid-Level Revenue
Not every donation needs to stay intact.
That restaurant gift card basket? Separate it into a grab bag feature. That collection of wine? Turn it into a Wall of Wine pull. That cooler with outdoor gear? Make it the prize for a “Last Donor Standing” round after your paddle raise.
When you break apart items and repackage them into interactive revenue generators, you accomplish two things:
You create more price points
You increase guest participation
The goal is broad engagement, not just big gifts.
And interactive revenue stations give quieter guests a way to participate without stage pressure.
Be sure to check with the donor to ensure they’re comfortable with having the items separated. They may appreciate having their donation spread across multiple packages, increasing visibility for their brand.
5. Use Donated Items to Drive Straight Donations
This is the advanced move.
Reserve a donated item as an incentive during your paddle raise. Announce that anyone giving at a certain level is entered to win. Now the item is no longer being sold. It is amplifying unrestricted gifts. I’ve seen a $500 donated item inspire $25,000 in paddle raise revenue.
You’ll be leveraging that gift like a seasoned fundraiser.
6. Post-Event Repositioning
Your item strategy doesn’t have to end when the lights go down.
Unclaimed experiences can be re-offered to underbidders. Golden Ticket momentum can carry into post-event text appeals. Sponsors tied to premium items can be cultivated for multi-year commitments.
A donated item is not just a one-night transaction. It is a relationship entry point.
Every donated item is an asset. You can deploy them in the format that maximizes return, engagement, and long-term donor growth.
Laurie Hochman is the Director of Business Growth and Strategy at Auctria, an event fundraising platform used by thousands of nonprofits to run auctions, galas, and community fundraisers—raising over $1 billion to date. Laurie has a unique vantage point: she sees what works across thousands of nonprofit events each year, spanning causes, sizes, formats, and communities.
This broad perspective allows Laurie to identify patterns, trends, and proven strategies that consistently turn fundraising events into powerful relationship-building experiences. Her expertise focuses on how nonprofits can design events that engage supporters, activate boards and sponsors, and convert event attendees into long-term donors and ambassadors.