Whether you are starting an AAU travel team from scratch or have the privilege of running an experienced organization, finding new fundraising opportunities is a priority to help parents and players offset their expenses. That’s why we are covering more than 100 ways to raise funds for your organization and reach your financial goals.

In this article, we’ll cover how to use a silent auction as a way to raise funds for your AAU travel basketball team. Silent auctions that are heavily promoted can help your organization raise between $500 – $3,000 for the upcoming travel season. This article will aid your journey by breaking down what to expect and how to raise money that benefits your AAU basketball team.

How to Set Up Your Silent Auction

Your first step in creating a silent auction is to decide the event details, deciding where and when your organization will hold the event. Successful events can be held on weeknights or weekends, depending on the location you choose and what other events are occurring in the community.

For a silent auction, you need a large enough location to handle the expected crowd, including space for sitting and displaying auction items. Most communities have these types of spaces – like a community center – that can be rented or reserved. Other places to consider hosting your event is the gymnasium you use for practice or a school cafeteria.

Once your organization has identified potential locations for the event, call to make reservations for the auction. You’ll need 4-6 hours for the event, including setting up for the auction and cleaning up after it. You’ll also need to ensure the location has plenty of parking available for guests and volunteers.

The final puzzle piece you’ll need to determine is if the silent auction is in conjunction with another event or a stand-alone fundraiser. If this is a stand-alone event, guests will expect some form of entertainment in order to attract an audience. You should also plan to have food and beverages for guests to consume during the event.

How to Prepare for the Silent Auction

After securing the location, date, and time for your organization’s silent auction, start promoting the event online. Your AAU travel organization should promote this on social media as well as via traditional means. Passing out fliers announcing the silent auction at another local events is one traditional means to promote your future fundraiser.

You also need volunteers for the event. With a silent auction, you’ll need someone to register bidders/guests as well as individuals handling concessions. Soliciting volunteers from your travel basketball organization is a great place to start this process.

Next, your organization should begin to secure the items you’ll auction at this event. Most organizations will begin with local businesses. Local service providers – like plumbers or electricians – often will donate a specialized service for auction. Other businesses may donate gift cards or physical items for the auction.

If your organization is a registered nonprofit organization, businesses that donate items for the event can deduct these as tax-exempt activities. If your AAU travel team is not a nonprofit organization, businesses can still deduct some activities as an advertising expense. Explaining the difference to local businesses can help your organization secure valuable donations.

Other items you’ll need for this event are bidding sheets for guests as well as multiple pens and envelopes. You can create a bid sheet from scratch or visit Pinterest for templates you can download and use for this event. You’ll also need to determine what payment methods will be accepted from winning bidders.

Bonus Ideas To Enhance Your Event

While you can host almost any event in conjunction with your silent auction, one event that goes hand-in-hand with a silent auction is a hosting a dinner fundraiser. Enhancing your silent auction with a dinner creates an opportunity for guests to make an evening out of the event, giving them a chance to relax and socialize while bidding on items.

Another opportunity your travel organization should consider is selling sponsorship banners to display during the silent auction. For a set fee, local businesses will advertise their business to event participants, adding a revenue boost for your travel team’s event.

What to Expect the Day of the Silent Auction

In terms of setting up, volunteers should arrive at least one hour before the silent auction starts. Organize your volunteers to register bidders while others will orchestrate conjoining events your travel team has planned for that day. You can also post signs and containers to solicit extra donations.

If you are using a local restaurant or food vendor for your event, contact them in advance to place your order. Giving a local restaurant a head’s up about needing 5-10 pizzas or food trays that night can save your organization time and will be well-appreciated. You can also inquire about available discounts by calling in advance.

At the end of the event, designate someone to collect the bid sheets to determine the winner of each auction item. Your travel team designate can announce those winners to close the event, or your organization can ask individuals to come up en masse to collect their winning items. Either way, your AAU team should collect payment and disburse the auction items to conclude the fundraiser.

Wrapping Up Your Silent Auction

When your event finishes, you’ll need to clean up any messes that your participants or crowd made during the event. Your travel team organization may wish to revisit this fundraiser in the future, and tidying up the event room after use will help ensure your options for next year remain open.

Next, count all of the funds collected with members of your AAU organization present. If your travel team is a part of an incorporated organization, federal regulations require that you report the proceeds – profits net any expenses – for tax purposes. Finally, make arrangements to deposit the physical money the silent auction made into the team’s bank account.

Lastly, promote your organization and show your appreciate to businesses that made the event possible by sending a personal note of thanks to those entities. Adding a picture of your AAU travel team adds a personal touch to show sponsors who exactly benefited from their generosity.

Do you have any photographs, videos or success stories you can share with our audience? Leave them in the comment section below, and we’ll reach out to you perhaps to feature you in a future news article. Make sure you join our email list below to stay informed about future articles in our fundraising series.

This is one article in our “Fundraising 101” series. Click here to see 100 more ideas on how you can raise money to fund your AAU travel basketball team.