1. Fireman Parties - Adults and kids alike will swoon with this desirable and always popular package. Your local fire department will gladly support you with this request which is certain to get bid paddles flying. Promote it as an adult dinner party (maybe a girls night) or as a birthday party for kids. Think outside the box for fun additions to make this package truly unique. An after school pick up by the fire engine or a sunset cruise on the fire boat are excellent ideas.
2. Walk-on roles in Commercials or movies - Check with your local film board to see what is filming in your area. Many large cities have commercials and small independent films shooting all the time. Walk-on rolls or days on set are easy to ask for, exciting for donors and great publicity for the production company.
3. Wine Experiences - Wine tastings are a dime a dozen these days. The hot trends in wine experiences are more unique - such as blending camp or crush parties. Additionally, we’ve been seeing more and more barrels of wine coming up for auction with the opportunity to bottle the barrel in any format from piccolo (the smallest of wine bottles) up to a Jeroboam (equal to 4 full size bottles) or larger formats. These types of packages are great for groups to bid on together as they are easily divisible and shareable.
4. Choose your own vacation - This package works best with timeshare options that are open and flexible to the donor. Instead of choosing one specific location, let the winning bidder decide. Would they rather have a week in Spain or a week in Aruba? Additionally, by leaving it open to the winning bidder's choice, you’ll have more bidders involved which leads to a higher selling price and more dollars raised.
5. Internships - An internship with hip, cool companies in your area is the top trend of 2016. Internships are something that you cannot purchase outside of a live auction no matter how much money you have. Being able to have the opportunity to network and interact with the CEO of a well-known company, as well as gaining valuable industry insight is priceless. Additionally, the option of giving this as a gift to a son/daughter or even grandchild who is currently in or fresh out of college is appealing to many donors. Look for companies that have great name recognition and a solid reputation in your area.