Should we offer family trips or couples’ getaways?

In a private or K-12 school auction, family trips pull broad bidding. Parents bid on vacations they would normally buy anyway. Couples’ getaways pull deep bids from those same parents, who want a weekend without the kids. The committee debates each year, but both sell. A single package can sell to more than one family when bidding gets hot, which happens often in a school parent room. Higher-tuition schools support higher-priced packages, so both types fit comfortably.

Adding both types of packages costs the school nothing extra. Travel experiences are consignment items. 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. The recommended starting bid is 15 to 20 percent above the school’s cost, so the first sale makes money. The number of packages depends on your event size, and you can adjust up to the last minute.

Stop the committee debate. Reserve a mix of family trips and couples’ getaways at no cost, and let the room decide on auction night. Giveback XP has over 140 travel experiences ready to browse. Choose a handful of each type, download the one-page marketing sheets, and add them to your banquet or award dinner lineup. A parent committee can hand the event to new chairs next year with a simple, repeatable plan. You do not need to guess which will sell better.

Your auction feels fuller, the bidding stays active, and no one argues about which type to offer. The school keeps profit from every sale, and multiple families can win the same trip. Donors have up to two years to travel, so families schedule when it works for them. The next committee starts from a place of confidence, not a debate.