Bake sales, car washes, and goodwill might only get your organization so far. If you are stuck in a fundraising rut, there are certain ways that auctions could benefit your charity.
Raffle items
Coaxing local companies for giveaways can sometimes feel like pulling teeth, even if the company would enjoy positive, free marketing for their donations. Additionally, there are often not enough fundraising dollars to spread around for raffle prizes, but direct liquidation can be one creative way to obtain the things you need at a low cost.
Direct liquidation companies process returns for major retailers like Walmart, Target, Amazon, and many others. While items are occasionally returned for being defective or broken, there are many other reasons for returning working products.
These reasons can include (but aren’t limited to): wrong color, wrong size, a similar item already owned by the customer, or even ideological reasons. In some cases, returning the item to its original packaged state is more costly for the retailer than simply auctioning the item off.
These retailers will combine similar items into a themed pallet of goods; electronics, home goods, clothing, toys, etc. and then the entire pallet is auctioned sight unseen. For consumers, this represents a chance to get a wide variety of items at an extremely low cost. While some consumers try to resell these items on their own, your organization can use these items as raffle or holiday giveaways.
Nobody really needs another coffee mug, pen set, or umbrella. Using auctioned pallets, you can host vibrant raffle events with a wide variety of prizes to suit everyone’s taste. The increase in number and variety of available prizes will generate more enthusiasm and help ensure your future events are popular as well.
Stock charity closets
If your organization runs a charity closet for the needy, you may need certain kinds of things to round out your offerings. People may donate clothes and dishes, but for other household goods, you can bid at a Walmart auction for pallets of useful items for pennies on the dollar.
If you discover items in the pallet that might make a great raffle gift for a future fundraiser, so much the better. Since the pallets are typically grouped into themes, yours could also contain a wide variety of useful things like bedsheets, blankets, rugs, pillows, small appliances, and more.
Charities that help families restock their household after losing everything in a fire or natural disaster can find a cornucopia of items in auction pallets for household members of all ages. In addition, volunteers who can fix certain items can even help you sell refurbished products as another venue for fundraising. This is similar to how Habitat for Humanity operates.
Save on necessities
Do volunteers for your organization travel on a regular basis? You may have determined your charity needs a vehicle, but you know that keeping these costs down can be challenging.
In this case, an online car auction can save the day. Though sometimes rarer, vans or high-passenger transportation can also become available online, which can save you a great deal of money on transportation needs.
Charities that help families get back on their feet can also use auto auction sites to facilitate the purchase of discount vehicles for needy family members trying to get back to work. Your legal team can write up a release of liability, or you can find templates available online to protect your organization in the event of a problem.
Legalities aside, one of the most important ways to help a family out of the rut of poverty is to help them find work, and reliable transportation is typically an employer requirement. Providing a family with a vehicle can literally change their lives and their hopes for the future.
Paired with the abundance of household goods available at direct liquidation auctions, your organization can easily help your community while saving money.
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