Massive Fund Raising with Online Auctions
Why not invite 100,000 people to your next fundraiser?
Instead of holding a garage sale or yard sale, put your organization's donated goods or other valuables on eBay or another online service and sell them to the highest bidder. Rather than haggling for pennies with penny pinching garage sale junkies, you can raise more money by selling to the highest bidder. The only downside is you'll have to pack and ship the items too, but that cost is usually paid by the buyer.
People can raise a lot of money with auctions by selling donated items or stuff the organization no longer needs.
But wait...an auction better than eBay?
Just when you thought eBay was the end all, there's a new kid on the block that specializes in online auctions for non-profit organizations wanting to raise money. This online auction powerhouse allows you to conduct online auctions just like eBay, but goes one step further.
Not only can you list and sell items donated by your supporters, you can add special high ticket items like cruises, adventure trips, hot-air balloon rides, sports collectibles, jewelry and lots 
more for FREE on consignment - with the click of a button. This will make your auction a lot more desirable to your supporters and drive a lot more participation as well.
You can choose from hundreds of specialty items at a wholesale price and your organization keeps the difference between the wholesale price and the final bid. Plus, even if the item only gets the minimum bid, you still receive a minimum of $60 for that item. Can you see the power in this?
Another idea
Do you have a bunch of books sitting on a shelf gathering dust? If you haven't looked at them in a year or two, chances are you will never read them again. Why not sell them and make money for your group? At Half.com, which is owned by eBay, you can list all your used books for sale. As with online auctions, the buyer pays for the shipping costs.
The main difference between raising funds this way, rather than through auctions, is that you set the price for your books, so you get exactly what you want for them--assuming you price them reasonably.
If your group is large, you should be able to find lots of books to sell. Don't forget to ask for book donations from your friends and relatives. You could even peruse garage sales for used books and then resell them. Keep in mind that newer books usually sell better than older ones.
Auction fund raiser directory
50 Tips for Running a Successful Auction - download this powerful FREE guide to boost your online auction fundraisers.
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Help Us To Help Others Raise Money
Have you ever been involved in this type of fundraiser? Share your thoughts, ideas and successes (and photo!) about your online auction fundraiser in the form below and you could win Fifty Bucks! (to share your story about other ideas click here)
Each month, we’ll choose the best submission and award the winner (or your group) with a $50.00 gift certificate* from Amazon.com (or cash, if you prefer). Just enter the contest by typing or pasting your story.
Tell us about your auction fundraiser.
- What worthy cause were you raising money for?
- What creative things did you do that made it a smashing success?
- Have any great tips you'd like to share?
- How much did you raise?
What Other Visitors Have Shared
Click on the links below to see contributions from other visitors to this page...
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Our group was trying to raise money for new equipment for our Little League baseball team. One of the parents suggested using an Ebay auction consisting ...
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I held an online auction two years ago with fellow members of a global health interest group at my university. The money was to help pay for a volunteering ...
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I am an alumna of a very small private high school, and was recently involved in the school's annual auction, which raises money to benefit students who ...
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My Grandson entered a auction on ebay to help the flood victims of LA and MS.
He baked cookies with all proceeds to benefit the American Red Cross....
Small Ideas Can Make a Huge Difference
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I'm a single parent of a 5 year old boy living in California. My son was starting his first year of school, kindergarten. He had been waiting for this ...
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In the center town, sits one of the oldest churches in the city. This place was in a semi-dilapidated condition, on the point of being declared condemned....
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My Jr.year at the University of New Orleans I decided to pleadge a fraternity and one of our many task was to put together fundraisers,now the semester ...
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*US Dollars. Best contribution determined by visitor votes and the usefulness of the story to our visitors. Click here to read the rest of the rules.