Silent auctions can be made attractive by deciding some theme and then putting up for display. For charity purposes silent auctions work well. People can take time to see all baskets and then decide for bidding.
Silent auction is a technique used by charities to raise funds for their activities. It is different from general auctions in the sense, that in silent auction people write down their names and bid prices on a piece of paper placed besides the items displayed.
In a general auction, people raise their hands and bid for a particular thing at a certain price. In a silent auction, tables are set in a particular order and items are displayed on which people can bid. If you want to attract a larger audience, you should go for themes based baskets due to the variety they provide.
â–ºSilent Auction Gift Basket Ideas
Food Basket
Prepare a basket which is filled with flavored tea or coffee, sauces, pasta and may be some local wine. You can also include cakes, candies and cookies.
If you want to gift a basket with a particular theme, you can go for wine-themed basket. For creating this, you can take a picnic basket and include a wine bottle stopper, a few glasses, corkscrew, besides a few bottles of wine. Moreover, if there is a local wine event in the near future, you can also include a couple of tickets in it.
Amusement Basket
For creating an amusement basket, you can include things, like tickets to a theater or an amusement park.
Moreover, you can include gift cards or things like microwaved popcorn, a cola bottle, besides some candies. Other than these, you can also opt to include a DVD instead of a movie ticket and some gift cards for a pizza or an ice cream, so that the one who buys gets a feel of watching the movie in a theater.
Health Club Basket
A health club basket is one of the most sought after.
You can include a range of items starting from high-end products like lotions, make-up items, body polishes and shampoos, to some low-priced items such as manicure sets, nail polishes and hair accessories. You can also opt to get in touch with a local spa and get a gift certificate, so as to increase the bid price of this basket.
Attractions Basket
Another hit among the masses is an attraction basket, wherein you can include tickets to an art center, museums, aquariums or zoos. But before you include tickets to these locations, get in touch with these places and get their support for your idea. Moreover, you can also include other items like disposable camera or a travel journal.
Garden-themed Basket
Most individuals like to have a variety of plants in their backyard but find it difficult to acquire different types of seeds, so you can get a basket of a variety of seeds.
You can include seeds like rosemary or basil, or any other decorative houseplant seeds. You can also opt to include seeds of a range of spices.
Shovel, hand fork, seeds, cutters, bulbs, hand hoe, kneeling pad, hat, hand rake, book, pots, gift certificate to a garden center, etc. can be included in the basket.
Dog Basket
In this basket you can add dog toys, dog biscuits, dog soap/shampoo, bones, leash, collar, ball, dog bed, toothpaste, gift card to pet store, etc. and then you can wrap it well to make it look attractive.
Kid Basket
In this basket you can keep books for children, cartoon movies (DVDs), book markers, toys, chocolates, scrap books, etc.
Adult Basket
Adult book, wine bottle, gift certificate to a book store or to a movie rental, tickets to a movie, etc.
Sports Basket
Sports tickets, sports binocular, water bottles, baseball bat, ball, hats, tees, boxing gloves, folding chair, champagne to celebrate, etc.
Stationary Basket
Stamps, Pencils, Eraser, Gum, Journal, Note Cards, Cards, Pens, Pocket Diary, Marker, Pocket Calendar, Visiting Card Holder, Thumb Tacks, etc.
While implementing a silent auction basket idea, the most important thing to remember is preparing a host of things which would be most commonly used by people. For that, you should try to get an idea of the different requirements of the people.