Yard sales and auctions have always been a popular fundraising avenue for school and church organizations. Typically, yard sale and auction organizers solicit faculty, staff, parents, and members to donate items to their organization that the organization in turn can sale for a fundraising profit. Often times, the organizers also solicit local businesses for donations of services or items that they can also sale during the yard sale or auction. Although typically worthwhile, these yard sales and auctions have varying degrees of success, and at times take a lot of coordination and upfront work to get started.
To add a new and convenient twist to the yard sale and auction fundraiser, an organization can hold an online auction fundraiser on eBay.
BENEFITS
The benefits of an online auction fundraiser include:
1. Multiple Sell Dates -- Instead of having only one or two days to sell items like with a traditional yard sale or auction fundraiser, online auction items can be listed and sold continuously for as long as the organization chooses, which can be a unlimited source of funds.
2. Wider Buying Audience -- Instead of being limited to word of mouth and a very localized area of buyers, an online auction can attract buyers from both the local area and around the country or world according the organizer's preference, increasing the possibility of selling an item.
3. Convenience of Location -- The selling of items for an online auction can be done from the comfort of an office environment or even at the auction organizer's home. No need to worry about rain dates!
4. Less Room Needed for Storage -- Since items that are sold during the online auction can be collected as they are sold opposed to trying to gather all of the items at once, items can be stored at the donating individual's location, virtually eliminating the need for extra storage space for donated items.
5. No Cleanup After Event -- Since the auction is done online, and items are only collected as they are sold, there is no returning of items or waiting for the unsold items to be picked up by the donating individual, eliminating the need for cleanup as with traditional yard sales. No paper mess to cleanup!
6. Less Manpower Required -- Since everything with an online auction is done "online", then you don't have to worry about organizing volunteers to assist with setting up equipment, putting tags on items, cleanup after event, etc.
ONLINE AUCTION FUNDRAISING PROCESS
Sound like a great idea that you might want to try? Here's a list of the online auction fundraising process:
1) Register as an eBay Seller: The organizer would register as an eBay Seller (registration is free).
2) Ask for Donations: The auction organizer would still solicit friends, family, students, members, staff, etc. for items to use in the online auction. This solicitation could be in the form of a print newsletter, bulletin or email, with instruction telling the donating individual to take a photo of the item they are going to donate, and an email address for the donater to send pictures of the items to for the auction organizer to post.
3) Place and Price Donated Items on eBay: The auction organizer would then post the pictures received from the donating individuals, set prices for the donated items, and start the online auction.
4) Send Off Sold Item: When the organizer is notified that an item has been sold, they would then collect the items from the donating individuals and send them to the buyer.
5) Provide a Receipt to Donating Individuals: The online auction organizer would then give the donating individual a receipt for the item sold for their tax deduction purposes.
Sound like something that would work for your organization? Go ahead and get started then by registering as an eBay Seller (registration is quick, free and easy, and if you do it now, it's one step you won't have to do later).
To add a new and convenient twist to the yard sale and auction fundraiser, an organization can hold an online auction fundraiser on eBay.
BENEFITS
The benefits of an online auction fundraiser include:
1. Multiple Sell Dates -- Instead of having only one or two days to sell items like with a traditional yard sale or auction fundraiser, online auction items can be listed and sold continuously for as long as the organization chooses, which can be a unlimited source of funds.
2. Wider Buying Audience -- Instead of being limited to word of mouth and a very localized area of buyers, an online auction can attract buyers from both the local area and around the country or world according the organizer's preference, increasing the possibility of selling an item.
3. Convenience of Location -- The selling of items for an online auction can be done from the comfort of an office environment or even at the auction organizer's home. No need to worry about rain dates!
4. Less Room Needed for Storage -- Since items that are sold during the online auction can be collected as they are sold opposed to trying to gather all of the items at once, items can be stored at the donating individual's location, virtually eliminating the need for extra storage space for donated items.
5. No Cleanup After Event -- Since the auction is done online, and items are only collected as they are sold, there is no returning of items or waiting for the unsold items to be picked up by the donating individual, eliminating the need for cleanup as with traditional yard sales. No paper mess to cleanup!
6. Less Manpower Required -- Since everything with an online auction is done "online", then you don't have to worry about organizing volunteers to assist with setting up equipment, putting tags on items, cleanup after event, etc.
ONLINE AUCTION FUNDRAISING PROCESS
Sound like a great idea that you might want to try? Here's a list of the online auction fundraising process:
1) Register as an eBay Seller: The organizer would register as an eBay Seller (registration is free).
2) Ask for Donations: The auction organizer would still solicit friends, family, students, members, staff, etc. for items to use in the online auction. This solicitation could be in the form of a print newsletter, bulletin or email, with instruction telling the donating individual to take a photo of the item they are going to donate, and an email address for the donater to send pictures of the items to for the auction organizer to post.
3) Place and Price Donated Items on eBay: The auction organizer would then post the pictures received from the donating individuals, set prices for the donated items, and start the online auction.
4) Send Off Sold Item: When the organizer is notified that an item has been sold, they would then collect the items from the donating individuals and send them to the buyer.
5) Provide a Receipt to Donating Individuals: The online auction organizer would then give the donating individual a receipt for the item sold for their tax deduction purposes.
Sound like something that would work for your organization? Go ahead and get started then by registering as an eBay Seller (registration is quick, free and easy, and if you do it now, it's one step you won't have to do later).
