Step 1: Narrow Down Your Event
It’s easy to get excited by incredible travel experiences and place the most jaw-dropping prize. To ensure your auction travel packages sell, you should always align your picks with the type of event you're planning.
After all, a school raffle fundraiser won't have the same needs as an end-of-year gala for 300 guests.
Before you start browsing for trips, narrow down your event by size, budget, and auction type, then consider what items are suitable.
📝 Cheat Sheet
Use this helpful cheat sheet to determine what kind of auction vacation packages work best for each auction:
Live Auction: 3 travel experiences, low, medium, and high reserve amountRaffle Fundraiser: 3 travel experiences, medium reserve amountsSilent Auction: 1 - 2 travel experiences, low reserve amountsOnline Auction: multiple travel experiences, low reserve amounts
✅Questions to Ask:
- What type of event and auction(s) am I planning?
- How many auction items am I going to feature in total?
- How many of those do I want to be auction vacation packages?
- What price points have done well for my organization in the past?
Examples in Action
Live Auction: A million-dollar Caribbean villa with a luxury private catamaran charter can be the highlight of a major in-person gala. Pair that with auctioneer-led live bidding after an evening of dining, drinks, and entertainment and your nonprofit can see an average bid value of over $20,000.
Online Auction: Online auctions can run for weeks, meaning bidders have time to compare prices and carefully watch bids. Offer lower-priced options that pack appeal so donors feel they're getting a deal, like this Tuscan apartment with wine tasting or a St. Lucia villa with private pool and housekeeping.
Step 2: Pinpoint Your Audience
It's tempting to place generic hotel travel packages at auction as a catch-all option. But your donors are unique, and appealing to their preferences is crucial to fundraising success.
Carefully consider your guest demographics and place travel experiences that resonate with them.
Key Demographics
Age Groups: Are your donors young professionals or at the peak of their careers? Raising families or retired?
Financial Bracket: What are their income levels, giving history, and yearly travel budgets?
Location: How simple it is for donors to reach a destination based on their location?
Interests: Are they interested in history, art, and culture? Sports and the outdoors? Wine and culinary experiences?
📖Test Your Knowledge
Your major bidder demographics are retirees who typically spend $6,000-$8,000 on their annual vacation. They're interested in culinary and cultural experiences in relaxing beach destinations and are primarily located on the West Coast. Which auction vacation package is a better fit?
A) An all-inclusive hotel in Cuba
B) A villa experience in Puerto Vallarta with chef service
Answer: B). A Puerto Vallarta villa experience will better match the donor's location, financials, interests, and life stage.
💡Expert Tip:
Conduct demographic surveys and gather feedback from your audience before placing charity auction packages. You can even ask where they like to vacation and what their typical travel budget is.
Step 3: Browse Auction Travel Packages
Now comes the exciting part! With a solid grasp of your event and audience, you can search for stunning auction travel packages that will dazzle your donors and meet your nonprofit needs.
To make your search simple, LuxGive lets you browse experiences by helpful categories like price, geographic areas, donor interests, and more.
Browse by Price
Browsing by the nonprofit reserve amount is an ideal starting point as it ensures you stay within your bidders' budgets while showcasing a wide range of experiences worldwide.
From a designer beachfront condo in St. Martin to a billionaire's private island, you can find luxurious experiences in any price range.
Browse by Theme
Browsing by theme is the perfect way to align your charity auction packages with your donor interests. Get inspired with these popular collections:
- Culinary: savor the flavors of California Wine Country, Italy, or France
- Sports: from golf stay and plays to slopeside ski thrills
- Winner’s Choice: let donors choose their ideal destination
- Adventure: scale the peaks of Patagonia or sleep in stargazing domes
Browse by Destination
Browsing by destination can help you discover appealing auction vacation packages in your donors' preferred locations.
Already have a specific area in mind? Browse by country, city, or even geographic region. If your audience is open to any destination, try broader categories like beach, mountain, countryside, or city stays.
Be sure to take advantage of auction travel package guides tailored to help your charity event succeed, with insight into each destination, best-selling experiences, and proven ways to raise more. ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ
💡Expert Tip:
Avoid travel consignment sites with few or low-quality photos and limited experience information. Lack of transparency and professionalism in listings is an indication of the service level you can expect for your nonprofit and guests.
Step 4: Compare Travel Consignment
Not all auction travel packages are made equal. Before you commit, familiarize yourself with the charity consignment provider and the kind of service you can expect for your nonprofit and donors.
For example, LuxGive specializes in luxury home and villa experiences. That means your donors can expect private accommodation, exclusive amenities, and VIP guest services with every stay.
What to Look For
Pre-Auction Services
Expert Consultation: Choose a travel consignment company that provides fundraising consultant services to help assess your event needs and advise on each placement.
Fundraising Marketing: Pick auction travel packages that come with professional marketing materials such as videos, display boards, and auctioneer cards. This helps promote your prize and convert donor interest into bids.
Post-Auction Services
Reservations Service: Opt for vendors with dedicated reservations specialists to service all trip winners after they've won their stays. This ensures a seamless hand-off post-auction and white-glove bookings and upgrades for guests.
Concierge Service: Ensure your travel experiences come with professional concierge service to plan every aspect of guest stays – from personalized travel itineraries to travel arrangements, activities, restaurant reservations, and more.
Fundraising doesn’t end with your auction. Ensuring trip winners have a truly unforgettable travel experience will bring donors back to your events year after year.
💡Expert Tip:
When comparing consignment, look for companies with at least 4.5+ stars from trusted public sources like Google Reviews. This is also a great place to get real feedback from past trip winners and nonprofits who have used the services.
Step 5: Speak with a Fundraising Consultant
Fundraising consultants offer a wealth of information on all things travel and fundraising. Take advantage of their expert guidance to finalize your picks and make your benefit event a success.
Fundraising Consultant Services:
- Recommend or tailor experiences for your event
- Advise on starting bid amounts and number of experiences to feature
- Offer best-selling add-ons (chef service, sailing charters, cooking classes, etc.)
- Provide professional fundraising marketing material
- Advise on how to promote your event/experiences
✅Questions to Ask Your Consultant:
- What are your best-selling trips/destinations?
- Which trips are typically successful for my type of event/auction?
- What do you recommend in my price range?
- How can I promote the packages before my event?
Advice From Our Experts
Scenario 1: Tired of Traditional
A nonprofit has worked with travel consignment in the past and always features the same Mexico or Tuscany trips. Audiences aren't bidding as high anymore as they're bored with the same choices year after year.
To inject new life into this event, I'd recommend swapping Tuscany with Umbria and Mexico with Belize. These new experiences can spark excitement in returning donors while easily matching existing demographic needs.
Scenario 2: When Less Isn't More
A nonprofit is using travel consignment for the first time. They're unsure how auction travel packages will perform with their audience so to be safe, they opt to showcase only one stay.
In this case, showcasing more experiences is actually a better option. Not only is there zero cost if they don't sell, you'll gain more insight into what performs well for future events. Opt for best-sellers like Turks and Caicos and Tuscany to grab new donors' attention and bring prestige to your event.
Take Action
Now that you've learned the 5 steps for choosing auction travel packages, you're ready to pick your winning trips.
Browse our collection of private home and villa experiences or speak with a fundraising consultant today to start raising more.
At LuxGive, we believe in the transformative power of travel. Our mission is to help nonprofits raise more funds at auction through once-in-a-lifetime home and villa experiences.
Our travel experiences feature Premium Guest Services for trip planning and access to an exceptional portfolio of over 1,500 stunning private properties across the world.
Whether it’s a luxury Caribbean villa, an enchanting Tuscan apartment, or an alpine lodge steps from the powder, we have something for all your clients' needs.