There are so many variables, probably the best you can do is to get others to share their experiences and then go from there. First, what do you mean by "auction"? Is it the centerpiece of the get together or are you talking about an EVENT and the auction is a key feature? It might be helpful for you to describe your scenario.
A big expense can be the facility if you can't use the school or another free space.
And - of course - everything depends on what you can get donated, the quality of the items, how many there are, etc.
We've done silent auctions at school in conjunction with big student events where the cost of the auction part was zero, or maybe just a bit for baskets and decorating supplies. That part of the event has made anywhere from $1000-$5000.
More recently, I've been involved with Project Graduation committees where the primary fundraiser is a reverse raffle dinner with silent auction for 200-250 attendees.
Hall is $600. Entertainment is the school jazz band. Traditionally, they sell a performance at their own fundraiser earlier in the year and usually some senior parents buy it and then donate it to our dinner. Food - costs have been anywhere from $2-$12 pp depending on what was donated. Decorations $100-$200. The raffle prize is $1000-$2000, so that's a big expense. Ticket sales are $25-$30 pp. There are some additional games and extra raffle chances called "Mulligans" sold at the event. The event nets about $10,000 with $3000-$4000 coming from the auction.
Our school will be putting together our 16th or 17th auction in the coming school year. I was not at the school when it first got off the ground, but have worked on it for the last 6 years. We have an auction chair, as well as chairs for solicitations, decorations, food & beverage, raffle, treasury, reservations, signage, baskets, advertising and the program. We have a dinner, bar, silent auction and live auction and we have incorporated some new things into the mix as well.
The first thing I would suggest is getting together with the group of people who are going to put this event together and sketch out what you think you can feasibly do your first year. And while you are doing that, sketch out a plan to grow your event over the next 3 or 5 years.
It's possible to get businesses to donate many things, but you need to think about what's most likely to be donated. Even with donations, you'll still need to spend money. We solicit businesses for advertising and items to auction. We hire a caterer, order liquor, spend money on decorations. We have in the past had the cost of program printing donated and we've also had to pay for it. We have had some big ticket items for our raffle donated and we've purchased some too. If you can have your event at your school, that will be a huge benefit. Having it on-site reminds people why you're fundraising.
Our school would like to do an auction for the first time. What where your budgets for an event with a silent auction followed by a live auction? And what was your profit for that auction? Just wondering if that would be even a realistic idea for us to make this happen. Do you think it's possible to work with local business to donate space, appetizers, wine, party supplies, etc.? Thank you in advance!
