How do we make our annual dinner auction raise more than last year?

Annual dinner auctions for Scouting & Youth Development councils often plateau because the same types of items appear each year. Gift baskets, themed cakes, and local restaurant certificates draw polite bids but rarely spark a bidding war. The crowd has seen them before. Your supporters share an outdoor and family ethos, so an adventure-based trip or a major sporting event changes the energy in the room. It feels personal, not generic.

Adding travel experiences costs nothing upfront. Choose from over 140 trips and receive a one-page display PDF per item. 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. Starting bids at 15 to 20 percent above cost mean profit from the first bid. Items can be added even on event day. A typical council might start with three to five packages and adjust based on the crowd’s response.

This week, browse the online catalog and reserve the experiences that match your council’s crowd. Adventure trips, sporting events, and family getaways sell best for Scouting & Youth Development audiences. You can hand the entire fulfillment process to the travel team, so your staff and volunteer board stay focused on the gala. Call Giveback XP to fine-tune the number of packages and receive the marketing PDFs.

After the event, you send the winners’ details and the travel team handles everything. Your council keeps all profit above the item cost. The auction total moves up, and the board has a repeatable way to grow next year’s dinner without adding work. Winners have up to two years to travel for most experiences, so the excitement lasts.