Cents auctions are becoming popular again, maybe because it is a form of silent auctions. There are no loud auctioneers or any pressure being brought to bear: people can take their time in deciding what they want to bid for. They have the same opportunity to win as any one else, the fattest wallet doesn’t always win in this form of auction. Just because an individual buys a lot of tickets, doesn’t mean they will win! You only need one ticket to stand a chance of winning.

The idea is that each ticket when placed in box, it’s number being the same as it’s relative prize, becomes a bid for that item. At preset times, a ticket is drawn from an advertised box, the holder of the matching ticket stub winning that particular item. The draws are progressive, this means at a preset time you draw the first lot and at regular time intervals after that, say five minutes you then draw another until all lots have been drawn.

Each page of tickets has it’s specific number on all tear-away tickets and a stub which the owner holds for identification when collecting their prize. If the sheet owner has put one ticket in ten boxes then the sheet owner has the chance to win ten prizes. All for the low cost of the sheet of tickets, usually a dollar. There are different strategies that ticket holders can use, the main two being either putting all their tickets in one box to maximize their chances of winning that item or putting one ticket in ten different boxes giving them a chance in ten draws. If you have more than twenty items for cent auction then people would have to buy at least three sheets to have a chance in each draw. Originally you bought a sheet of one hundred tickets for a dollar, a cent a bid, now though you usually get a ten ticket sheet for a dollar, minimum purchase of two sheets. Make sure it is clearly advertised that the tickets are non-refundable. It is rare that people will ask for a refund on unused tickets but there are some who will try so best to avoid this by clearly making it known at time of purchase there are no refunds.

Try to have at least 25 - 40 lots ranging in value and types of items (all donated of course), not only to sell more tickets but to make the fund-raiser attractive to as many people as possible. The more varied the lots you have the better your chances of success, unless you are aiming at a specific audience. It’s a good idea to have a really eye catching prize for the last draw. Not only will you get lots of bids throughout the event but it will soak up all the leftover tickets for a huge draw at the end of the event. You may want to try a mystery lot where the lot is covered and only a sheet of hints to it’s value or contents is displayed (unless you have tried it before successfully and know it will work you should only have one mystery lot).

Each ‘lot’ is a single prize or a number of items making up a single prize. Make sure that each lot is clearly marked and identified so there is no confusion when the winner comes to claim their prize. To avoid this embarrassment,

• use coloured tape or other means to clearly mark around each lot,

• have each lot clearly numbered and correctly printed on an auction program,

• and have the ticket box directly behind each lot. This way people can see what they like and simply put their bids in the proper box. If you have numbered lots in one area and the numbered ticket boxes in another people may get confused or wary and be more reluctant to join in. Also it does not appear as well organized.

• hand over the prize lot when it is claimed straight after the draw.

• make sure people are on hand to answer any questions that may be asked.

• make sure that people have enough time to browse and place their tickets before the first draw. You don’t want to draw the first lot before you have enough tickets to make it worthwhile.

• consider having multiple draws. Thirty lots drawn five minutes apart will take 150 minutes or over two hours. Plan carefully in advance how you will conduct your draws.

For ticket boxes you don’t have to spend money, simply collect old ice cream containers and paint them up or decorate them with wrapping paper. Cut a slot in the lid, firmly attach each lid to the bottom and there you have your ticket boxes.

By having all the items in your cent auction donated you should only need to buy the tickets. You can get specially printed cent auction tickets or you may want to print your own. Make your decision in regards to your own individual situation.

When it comes to the drawing of winning tickets there are a few things to consider. Think about whether winners have to be present at the draw to win. If they do you may lose people who can’t be there at the time of drawing. If you choose to not have them present then you have to make sure you have a system of recording the details of each sheet that is bought so you can contact the winner later. This can be very time consuming for the ticket sellers and can cause trouble when it comes to delivery. If winners have to be present, it encourages them to stick around and maybe spend a little more.

Once you have sorted out all your details, put them in a auction program. This helps people know what to expect and plan their activities and bidding. A program can be beneficial in other ways like giving you a way of thanking and promoting your donors, an excellent idea if you plan to do more than one cent auction. It also enables you to have a sponsor, a business that either donates a high value of goods or makes a cash donation.

One last thing to think about. Don’t just throw away the used tickets after each draw, keep a record of how many tickets where in each box. This an excellent way of doing. By counting how many tickets where in each box you can then know which where the most popular items at the auction. With this information you can better plan the next auction by having more of the most popular items and less of the least popular. You may be surprised at the results of what was popular and what wasn’t.

As you can see cent auctions can take many forms so you are free to try whatever you think will be successful. Cent auctions can be stand alone fund-raisers or held in conjunction with a hub event. So have a go and most of all have fun.