The best auction items for charity events (and how to source them)

The auction items you choose have more bearing on the final total than almost anything else about your event. A strong lot list can rescue a slow room. A weak one will drag even the most enthusiastic crowd to a flat finish.

This is a guide to what actually performs well in the room, how to source it, and what to avoid.

Why lot selection matters as much as the room

The lots you put in front of a room tell the audience how seriously to take the auction. A lot list that looks like it was assembled last week, with generic items from the internet and a few bottles of wine, signals exactly that level of effort. The room reads it, and the bids reflect it.

Conversely, a list built around genuinely desirable, hard-to-access experiences gets a room excited before the first bid is called. People plan their strategy during dinner. They talk to the person next to them. That kind of engagement translates directly into competitive bidding, which translates into a higher final total.

The other reason lot selection matters: it determines whether your whole event budget goes to your cause, or whether a portion disappears to a third party. More on that below.

The difference between live auction items and silent auction items

Live and silent auctions require different types of lots.

Live auction items are the headline pieces. They go under the hammer with a professional auctioneer driving the room, and they need to be able to withstand three to five minutes of sustained attention. This means they need high perceived value, broad appeal, and ideally some scarcity: the feeling that this cannot be bought at a shop or booked online.

The best live auction items tend to be: – Unique experiences tied to your network (dinner with a well-known figure, a hosted trip, access to an exclusive event) – Hospitality packages: sporting events, theatre, culinary experiences with genuine names behind them – Luxury stays: a supporter’s holiday property, a country house weekend, a vineyard break

Silent auction items work best when they appeal to a wider range of budgets and interests. They run during the drinks reception or dinner, giving guests time to browse and place bids on paper or through an app. Volume matters more here: fifteen to twenty items across different categories will serve a mixed room better than eight premium pieces.

Silent auction lots that work well: – Restaurant vouchers and local dining experiences – Spa and wellness packages – Activity days: golf, flying lessons, cookery classes – Family-friendly items: tickets to attractions, children’s workshops – Art and craft pieces from local or well-known artists

The key distinction is effort versus reward. A live lot needs to justify a public bidding war. A silent lot needs to be appealing enough that someone walking past stops, picks up the pen, and puts their name down. Different criteria, different sourcing strategy.

For guidance on how the live segment runs and how to structure the bidding, see the live auction page.

Experience-based lots outperform physical items

Live auction lot example: opera tickets

This is the most consistent finding across the charity auction events I have run over the past twenty years.

Physical items, however nice, carry a market reference price. A guest can check on their phone whether they are getting a good deal. The moment bidding approaches or exceeds retail value, many bidders drop out. There is a ceiling, and it is a visible one.

Experiences do not have that ceiling. There is no comparison to be made online. The value is inherent to the experience itself: where it happens, who it is with, what it means to be in that room or on that trip. When an experience is tied to your network, the ceiling is whatever the room is willing to pay, because there is simply no other way to get it.

A case in point: a donated weekend at a supporter’s lakehouse in the Scottish Highlands will regularly outperform a luxury hamper that retails at twice the guide value. The hamper has a price. The weekend does not.

This does not mean physical items have no place. They work well in the silent auction, as mid-tier lots, or when they are genuinely rare: signed memorabilia from a supporter with real name recognition, for example. But if you have to choose between an experience and an item for your live auction, choose the experience.

How to source charity auction items without paying for them

The goal is a lot list where every item cost your charity nothing, so that every pound bid belongs to your cause.

The good news is that this is achievable. Most lots can be sourced through direct asks: supporters, local businesses, national brands with community programmes, and individuals within your network who have something of genuine value to offer.

How to ask for lots effectively

Be specific. Vague requests produce generic responses. A direct brief works better: tell the donor who will be in the room, what the approximate bidding range might be, and what happens to the money. A business that knows they are donating to a room of 150 guests with significant disposable income will approach the ask very differently from one given no context at all.

Make it low friction. If a restaurant wants to donate a dinner for two, they should not need to fill in a three-page form. A simple email confirmation is enough. You can formalise the acknowledgement afterwards.

Categories worth approaching directly

• Hotels and short-stay accommodation (many have community budgets for exactly this)
• Restaurants, particularly independent or well-regarded local ones
• Sports clubs and hospitality providers
• Artists, photographers, and makers within your network
• Experiences you or your board can personally provide

One of the most effective lots I have seen donated was a private cookery lesson at a supporter’s home. It cost the donor two evenings of their time. It raised £2,400. The perceived value was entirely personal.

The consignment trap: why you should not use auction companies to supply your lots

Some auction companies offer to supply your lots under a consignment arrangement. They bring auction prizes for charity events, and your charity keeps the money bid above a pre-set reserve price. The company keeps everything up to the reserve.

This sounds convenient. In practice, it is one of the most expensive decisions a charity can make.

The reserves on consignment items are set to benefit the supplier, not your charity. They are inflated, opaque, and non-negotiable. A lot that bids to £1,200 might carry a reserve of £900. Your charity receives £300. The supplier receives £900. The room spent the same energy, the same attention, the same emotion, and sent most of the result to a for-profit business.

Multiply that across fifteen consignment lots in a single evening, and the real financial cost becomes clear.

The alternative, sourcing lots yourself, requires more effort in the planning stages. But it is not that much more effort, and the return is dramatically better. Every pound bid by the room stays with your cause. That is the model worth building towards.

A note on lot count and lot order

Eight to twelve lots is the right number for most live auctions. Beyond twelve, room energy tends to drop before you reach the strongest items on the list.

Starting with your best lot is counterintuitive, but it sets the tone. A room that opens with a genuine bidding war carries that energy through the rest of the list. Saving your strongest piece for last only works if the room is still engaged by the time you get there, which is not guaranteed.

Reverse logic applies to the silent auction: more lots tend to work in your favour, up to a point. Around fifteen to twenty is a reasonable range. Beyond twenty-five, bidding thins out at the lower end of the list.

If you are running both formats at the same event, consider how the two complement each other: the silent auction handles the wider lot list during dinner, freeing the live auction to focus on the highest-value pieces at the end of the evening.

Getting the lot list right before the evening

The lot list is one of the few things you can control completely before the event begins. The room, the weather, the AV setup: those carry risk. The lots do not.

Start sourcing at least eight weeks out. Give yourself time to follow up, and to add or remove items as commitments come in. Keep a running document with confirmed donations, any agreed minimum values, and a one-sentence description for each item that an auctioneer can use on the night.

If you are thinking about working with a professional auctioneer who can also advise on lot selection before the event, get in touch.

Charity auctions: how to run one that actually raises serious money

Charity auctions are one of the most effective fundraising formats available to any organisation with a live event on the calendar. Done well, a single evening can exceed your annual fundraising target. Done poorly, the same room can raise a fraction of what it was capable of giving, with part of that going to a third party rather than your cause.

This guide covers the structure, the decisions, and the mistakes that determine which outcome you get.

What are charity auctions?

Charity auctions are live fundraising events where attendees bid competitively on donated lots, with the proceeds going directly to a charitable cause. They are typically held as part of a gala dinner or awards evening, though they can run as standalone events.

The term covers several formats: live auctions, silent auctions, online auctions, and pledge drives. This guide focuses on the live format, which consistently produces the highest returns when run with the right structure. A live charity auctioneer manages the room, drives competitive bidding, and maintains the emotional connection to your cause throughout the evening.

The four-part structure that raises the most money

Most underperforming charity auctions follow the same format: dinner, then auction, then the evening ends. That structure leaves a significant amount of money in people’s pockets.

The structure that consistently raises more runs in four parts.

1. Start with a fundraising game

Begin before or during the reception, before anyone sits down for dinner. A simple game like Heads or Tails works because almost everyone in the room will join in. At £10 a head with 200 guests, that is roughly £2,000 raised in under ten minutes. It also sets the tone immediately: this is an evening where everyone gives, not just the high bidders.

2. Run a raffle through dinner

A raffle that runs across the dinner courses uses the time well. Guests have spare cash and something to do between courses. Keep the prizes visible, keep the ticket sellers moving through the room. This is not your biggest earner of the evening, but it builds cumulative momentum and keeps every table engaged.

3. Live auction after dinner

Once the plates are cleared, the room is settled and the energy is right for competitive bidding. Keep your lot count tight: eight to twelve strong lots outperform twenty mediocre ones every time. A room that loses momentum halfway through a long lot list rarely recovers it.

4. Close with a live pledge

The pledge goes last, and it is the most important segment of the evening. More on this below.

Why does the live pledge outperform the rest of your charity auction?

The live pledge, sometimes called a paddle raise, consistently raises more money than the live auction. In my experience running events across the UK and Europe, it regularly doubles or triples the fundraising target set for the entire evening.

The reason is psychological. During the auction, donors get attached to the lot. They want the experience, the item, the weekend away. When they are outbid, many disengage. The cause becomes secondary to the competition.

The pledge is different. There are no lots. The room’s attention goes entirely to the charity: its mission, its impact, the specific outcome that tonight’s money will fund. When a donor raises their paddle, they are not buying something. They are choosing to give. That distinction changes everything about how the room responds.

A well-structured pledge starts at a high opening level and works down through tiers, drawing in donors at each price point. Almost everyone in the room ends up participating. It is the segment where unexpected results happen, where a room that has already given generously finds another gear.

If your event does not include a pledge, you are leaving the majority of your potential income on the table.

Should you run your charity auction in-house?

Yes. Running your auction in-house, with lots donated directly by supporters and local businesses, keeps 100% of what the room bids with your charity.

The CIOF guidance on charity fundraising auctions describes them as “a powerful and low-cost way” to raise money, particularly when lots are donated rather than purchased. That cost advantage disappears the moment a third party enters the picture.

Sourcing lots yourself takes more effort up front. But most businesses and experience providers will donate when approached with a clear brief on your cause and the audience who will be bidding. The effort pays off: a donated lot costs your charity nothing and returns everything the room bids.

The problem with external auction companies

This is the most important thing to understand before signing any agreement with a third-party auction supplier.

External auction companies typically offer to bring their own lots to your event. On the surface this sounds like a service: they handle the lots, you focus on the evening. In practice, the arrangement works against your charity.

Every lot they bring carries a reserve price, set by the company and not by you. Your charity only receives the money bid above that reserve. The company keeps everything up to it. Those reserve prices are heavily inflated. The company has no real incentive for bids to go far over the reserve. Their goal is simply to hit it. So they bring dozens of items, crowd the auction with volume, and collect their margin on each one.

The room spends two hours on what looks like a charity auction. The financial reality is that a significant portion of the money raised that evening has gone to a for-profit business, not to your cause. The fix is simple: source your own lots, keep your auction focused, and ensure every pound bid belongs to your charity.

What makes the best lots for charity auctions?

Donated experiential lots outperform purchased physical items. A weekend at a supporter’s property, a sporting hospitality package, a dinner with a well-known figure from your network. These have high perceived value, cost your charity nothing, and generate genuine competitive bidding because they cannot be bought anywhere else.

Physical items are harder to price and easier to overlook. A varied lot selection that covers different interests and budgets will serve the room better than a list of similar items at similar price points.

Keep the live auction count manageable. Eight to twelve lots is the right range for most rooms. Beyond that, energy drops and bidders disengage before you reach your best lots. If you want to offer more, run a silent auction alongside the dinner for the additional items.

When approaching donors, be specific about your audience. A business that knows they are donating to a room of 200 corporate guests with significant disposable income will respond very differently from one given no context at all.

Do you need a professional auctioneer for a charity auction?

Watch a charity auctioneer at work

For the live auction segment, yes. A professional auctioneer does not simply read lot descriptions and call bids. They read the room, manage momentum, identify when bidding is about to stall, and use technique to push through it.

A volunteer host, however enthusiastic, will tend to move through lots quickly when the room feels quiet. That is exactly the wrong instinct. A quiet room is not a disengaged room. It often just needs a different approach: a direct appeal to a specific section of the audience, a bid increment adjustment, a moment of genuine humour that breaks the tension and resets the energy.

The difference shows up in the final total. I have raised over £6 million for charitable causes across my career, including a single gala in Monaco that raised over €1 million in one evening. The common factor in the highest-performing events is a clear four-part structure, tight lot curation, and a live pledge run by someone who knows how to bring a room with them.

If you are thinking about hiring a professional for your next event, the right starting point is a conversation about your goals, your room, and your cause.

What rules apply to charity auctions in the UK?

No auctioneer’s licence is required to run charity auctions in the UK. However, events should comply with consumer legislation including unfair commercial practices rules and the Trade Descriptions Act. The CIOF auction guide covers these requirements in detail and is worth reading before your first event.

If you are running any online bidding element alongside a live event, Distance Selling Regulations also apply.

On Gift Aid: auction proceeds are generally not eligible because a bid is a purchase, not a donation. There are limited exceptions. Check HMRC’s guidance and speak to your accountant before building any Gift Aid assumptions into your projections.

The Fundraising Code covers charitable events under Standard 10 and third-party fundraising partnerships under Standard 6. If you are working with any external supplier on your event, those standards are worth reading before you sign anything.

A few practical notes before the event

Read the auctioneer tips guide for more on running the evening itself. A few things that make a consistent difference regardless of event size:

• Brief your auctioneer thoroughly before the evening. Share the room profile, the cause story, and the specific outcome tonight’s money will fund. The more context they have, the more effectively they can connect the room to your cause.
• Have a volunteer at each table during the pledge. A visible, friendly presence at table level removes the friction of raising a paddle in a large room.
• Follow up with every bidder within 48 hours, whether they won their lot or not. The guests who bid and lost are your warmest prospects for next year.

The structure matters. The lots matter. But the moment that determines how much you raise is the pledge. Get that right and the rest of the evening will take care of itself.

Two auctioneers can read the exact same lot description and get wildly different results. The words are identical. The expression is not. How you carry a room is a craft, and it is one of the most underrated parts of my job.

The voice does the heavy lifting

Volume is the least interesting thing a voice can do. Pace, pause and tone are what hold a room. A well-placed silence before a number can be worth more than any amount of shouting. I try to play my voice like an instrument, not a megaphone.

Stillness and movement

Where I stand, when I move and when I stop all send signals. Walking towards a hesitant bidder can gently draw the bid out. Standing still and letting the moment breathe can do the same. Nervous, constant motion just makes a room anxious.

Eye contact and connection

People give to a person, not a podium. Meeting eyes across the room, catching the almost-bidder, sharing a look with the table that just went big: these tiny connections are where the energy of a live auction actually lives.

Be yourself, turned up

My goal is not to become a character. It is to be a slightly larger, warmer version of myself, consistently, for a couple of hours. Audiences trust authenticity and quietly resist an act, which is why I lean on real presence and timing rather than a rehearsed persona.

Expression is not decoration. It is how attention becomes belief, and belief becomes bids. If that is the presence you want in your room, let’s talk.

On paper, comedy and charity auctioneering look unrelated. In practice they are almost the same job: stand in front of a room, hold its attention, control its mood and never let it drift. My years writing and performing comedy turned out to be superb training for raising money.

Timing is everything

Comedy lives and dies on timing, and so does an auction. Knowing when to pause, when to push and when to let a moment land is the difference between a bid and an awkward silence. I built that instinct on stage, not in a manual.

Reading a room in real time

A comedian learns to feel a room shift within seconds and adjust before it goes cold. That is exactly what a live auction demands: sensing hesitation, spotting the table that is about to go, changing tack the instant the energy dips.

Recovering from anything

Technology fails, a lot stalls, a line misses, a bidder drops out. Because I have handled hecklers and silent rooms, I do not panic. I turn the wobble into a moment and keep the evening moving. Composure under pressure is worth a great deal to a nervous committee.

Laughter opens wallets

Warmth and humour relax a room, and a relaxed room is a generous one. This is not about telling jokes for the sake of it, it is about creating an atmosphere where people enjoy themselves and want to give. That blend of genuine entertainment and serious fundraising is exactly what I bring.

If you want a host who can hold the room and lift the total, let’s talk.

By the time I pick up the microphone, the most important work is often already done. The connection I make with a room during the drinks and the dinner is what makes the auction feel like a shared moment rather than a sales pitch. It is quietly one of the most valuable things I do all night.

A stranger has to win the room twice

If the first time your guests notice me is when I ask for money, I am starting cold. Spend a little time among the tables beforehand and I arrive on stage as a familiar face. People give more readily to someone they feel they already know.

I learn who is in the room

Working the room before the auction tells me things no brief can: who is here to compete, who is shy but keen, which table is celebrating, where the energy sits. That intelligence shapes every decision I make once the bidding starts.

Small moments, big returns

A shared joke at a table, remembering someone’s name, a quiet word with the committee: these tiny moments build trust. When it is time for the pledge, that trust is what lets me ask boldly without the room tightening up. At Spear Islington, mingling first and then telling the right stories at the right moments lifted them to their biggest total to date.

It is respect, not tactics

None of this works if it is a performance. Guests can tell the difference between genuine interest and a politician working a rope line. I do it because I enjoy it, and because a room can always feel the difference.

Connection is not a nice extra. It is the groundwork that makes everything after it possible. If that is the kind of evening you want, let’s talk.

Every event runs perfectly right up until it does not. A microphone dies, a headline bidder leaves early, a lot falls flat, the running order changes ten minutes before we start. The mark of an experienced host is not that these things never happen, it is that the room never notices when they do.

I assume the technology will misbehave

I always know what I will do if the microphone cuts out, the screen freezes or the bidding system hiccups. Usually that means being ready to project, ad-lib and keep the energy up while it is fixed, so a technical wobble becomes a shrug rather than a silence.

I have a plan for the flat lot

Not every lot flies. When one stalls, panic is the worst response. My back-up plan might be splitting it, bundling it, opening it to the room differently, or landing it gracefully and protecting the momentum for the next one.

I expect the running order to change

Speeches overrun, guests of honour arrive late, dinner runs long. I build the night so I can compress it, stretch it or reorder it on the spot without losing the thread. My flexibility is planned, not improvised.

Calm is contagious

When I stay relaxed, the committee relaxes and the room stays warm. Half of my job is being the steadiest person in the building, so that whatever happens behind the scenes, the evening out front feels effortless.

If you want a host who has already thought about what could go wrong, get in touch.