How do we fill our auction without competing with our grantees for donations?

Community foundations and United ways have a unique challenge. You fund local nonprofits, but your own gala, campaign kickoff, or benefit dinner needs auction items. Your grantees already ask local restaurants, shops, and experience providers for donations. When your team makes the same calls, you’re bidding against the organizations you exist to support. It’s an uncomfortable position that your board, your donors, and your grantees all notice.

The fix is consignment. Browse over 140 travel and experience packages, reserve what fits your event at no cost. You only pay for an experience if it sells, keep 100% over the cost, and can sell experiences multiple times if the bidding gets hot. You are not too late: items can be added the same day as your event. How many packages you need depends on your audience size; a specialist helps you choose the right number.

This week, visit Giveback XP and browse the catalog. Choose experiences your donors recognize: sporting events like the US Open, regional adventures, or international trips to Italy. Reserve what interests you with no obligation. You’ll receive a one-page PDF and a marketing email for each package. Stop asking the same local businesses your grantees court. Fill your auction with trips your crowd wants, and keep every dollar over the package cost.

On gala night, your auction is full of real trips, not local gift certificates. Your grantees haven’t lost a single donor relationship. Winners receive a certificate and book their trip later, with up to two years to travel for non-event experiences. The foundation shows up as a funder that supports the community, not a competitor in the donation pool. The event raises more, and the local nonprofits you fund keep their edge. Your board and donors see a clean, well-stocked auction that reinforces your community role.