What is a Silent Auction

A silent auction is an easy way to raise money based on auctioning donated gifts where attendees place their bids for an item on a sheet of paper (bid sheet), rather than use an auctioneer.

Typically items to be auction are placed on tables, with a bid sheet in-front each auction item.
The bid sheets are where the attendees add their bids; usually there is a starting price and a minimum raise amount. Silent Auction’s items can include non-physical items like restaurant meals, weekend breaks, services or items that cannot be displayed, in these cases it is important that the bid-sheets or the display area has good descriptions/images to let the attendees know what they can bid for.

Silent auctions can be large or small, run on their own, as part of a live auction or an additional element to any fundraising event.