The Silent Auction Promotion Timeline

Promoting a silent auction or fundraising event can feel like an overwhelming balancing act.

Post too early and donors forget about your event. But start too late and people already have plans. If you post too often, you risk donor fatigue. But if you don't post often enough, you never attract enough attention. 

The odds might feel stacked against you to market your event, but a good timeline can help you balance your messaging. We’ve created a silent auction promotion timeline that tells you when to post, what to post during each step, and how frequently to post. 

This timeline will help your nonprofit attract more donors—both old and new—so you can get more bids, more guests, and more awareness at your next charity auction or event.

Set Up Your Nonprofit’s Content Calendar 

Use our auction timeline below to set up a content calendar for your fundraising event, or implement it into your existing content calendar.

If you don’t already have one, we highly recommend setting one up! It keeps all of your social media posts organized and prevents any last-minute scrambling to get posts out (or worse, forgetting to post at all!).

Here are some great tools for creating a content calendar (all of the following can be used for free and come with low-cost options)

• Excel or Google Sheets
• Google Calendar
• Meta Business Suite
• Notion
• Asana
• Monday.com

How to Succeed with This Auction Marketing Timeline 

Following our schedule can get you far with your fundraising marketing efforts, but it won’t automatically earn you lots of guests and bids at your auction. 

To make the most out of this timeline, combine these strategies with best practices for messaging and always ask your donors to share your content. Word of mouth and referrals from friends is a powerful way to get more guests at your event and more eyes on your cause. 

So ask donors to repost your content on their pages, or ask them to invite their friends. Referrals can snowball until your donors’ friends are inviting their friends, and so on. 

The Silent Auction Promotion Timeline

Now we’ll show you exactly how to build anticipation for auction day with well-timed reminders through 5 phases.

Tip: Repurpose each social media post for the different social media platforms your organization is on. There's no need to create new content for each platform. Simply resize your graphics and copy and paste your text!

1. The Announcement Phase

Timeline: 2 months to 1 month before auction

Goal: Generate awareness

Content: Event details and funding impact

Social media: 2 posts per platform

Email: 1 email

Community: Post flyers in physical spaces

While this phase is all about announcing your charity auction, your cause will still be the driving force behind attendance. Generic announcements like "Charity Auction on September 20!" aren't likely to draw a crowd.

Instead, tie your auction back to the cause you’re funding. Be specific about any projects the auction is funding and show the tangible impact that donors' bids could make. Your donors are here to support your mission, so let them know your upcoming auction is the perfect way to give back.

For offline promotion, this is a great time to post event flyers around community boards, local businesses, and partner locations.

Content Ideas for the Announcement Phase:

• Email newsletter feature: Announce your auction as part of your email newsletter instead of a dedicated email.
• Impact-focused announcements: Announce event details like the date, location, and activities included at your event, while tying it back to the cause it’s supporting.
• Flyers: Post flyers in local spaces that allow it (Use Canva templates for easy flyer designs!)

2. The Build-Up Phase

Timeline: 1 month to 1 week before auction

Goal: Build anticipation

Content: Item previews & behind-the-scenes

Social Media: 1 post per week, per platform

Email: 2 emails per donor group

This is the time to reveal what people can bid on, but don't just drop a list or catalog. Introduce each auction item with personality (like you're talking to a friend) and describe the details.

The build-up phase is also perfect for behind-the-scenes fundraising content. Show the human side of your event by sharing donors dropping off items, volunteers prepping auction items, or staff reacting to their favorite auction pieces. 

Also consider sharing event photos or videos from previous auctions to show newcomers what they can expect.

Content Ideas for the Build-Up Phase:

• Previous year throwback: Share photos and videos from last year's auction, while sharing how you hope to have another successful auction this year.
• Item reveals with donor stories: Showcase some star items and share the story behind the item if applicable.
• Behind-the-scenes prep: Showcase volunteers putting together gift baskets or receiving items from donors.
• Sponsor spotlight: Announce who is currently sponsoring your event, and let other donors know what sponsor tiers you have if they’d like to sponsor as well.
• Registration reminders: Provide the link for donors to register.

3. The Final Stretch

Timeline: Last week before auction

Goal: Create urgency

Content: Last-minute reminders, item previews, & behind-the-scenes

Social Media: 3 posts/updates per platform

Email: 1 email per donor group

The final stretch should include more frequent and more urgent calls to action. Reminders can be short and sweet (while being careful of treading into spam territory).

Countdowns are also one of the best auction advertising strategies for this phase.

Content Ideas for the Final Stretch:

• Simple countdowns: "7 days until our auction!” or “24 hours until our auction!”
• Behind-the-scenes setup: If you’re hosting an in-person auction, show your volunteers setting up the event.
• Social proof: "Over 150 people have registered! We can’t wait to see you there!”
• Logistics reminder: Provide event details again, explain how bidding will work, and remind donors where they can register.
• Item previews: Continue to preview items.

4. The Live Phase

Timeline: While your online auction is live

Goal: Maximize bids and reach your fundraising goal

Content: Launch announcement, item updates, & last minute calls for bids

Social Media: 1 post or update per day, per platform

Email: 1 email per donor group

If your silent auction is online, keep promoting your auction while bidding is live. Give updates on which items are trending, how close you are to your fundraising goal, and what donors are saying about the event. 

Content Ideas for the Live Phase:

• Launch announcement: Let everyone know that your auction is now live.
• Daily update with progress: "Day 2 of bidding! We're 55% to our $25K goal!”
• Item highlights: Showcase an item that’s getting lots of bids to create FOMO, or highlight an item that isn’t getting bids for anyone wanting to secure an item at a lower price.
• Final hours push: "FINAL 5 HOURS! Bidding ends tonight at 8 PM.”

5. The Post-Auction Phase

Timeline: After your auction ends

Goal: Showcase results & auction impact

Content: Thank you messages, auction footage, & fundraising impact

Social Media: 2 or more posts per platform

Email Newsletter: 2 emails per donor group

You've spent plenty of time hyping your auction. Now donors expect to see how their bids helped your cause, so don't disappoint by going silent after event day.

Once your auction wraps, announce the total raised and detail how funds will be utilized. Then, share progress as funds are put to use to showcase the real-time impact of your attendees' donations.

Also consider sharing photos and videos from in-person auctions so donors who skipped out won't want to miss the fun next year!

Lastly, don't forget to thank everyone who attended!

Content Ideas for Post-Auction Phase:

• Fundraising results: Share how much you raised at your auction with a big thank you. Also let donors know where this money will be allocated.
• Photo recap and footage: Share a carousel or collage of event photos and videos (and don’t forget to thank everyone again).
• Winner spotlight: Congratulate the winners of major items to show your appreciation.
• Thank partners and sponsors: Thank your partners and showcase how their logo was displayed at your event.
• Impact update (weeks later): As you put funds from your fundraising event to use, share progress and updates on the impact being made.

Host Your Own Silent Auction Today

Promoting your auction is hard, but setting it up can be easy.

At CharityAuctions.com, most of your auction setup is already done for you. Just customize your settings and upload your items. Payment processing, website design, and registration is already set up through our platform.

Our platform is also completely free to get started, and we only earn when your fundraiser does too. Explore our platform today.

Check out The Complete Guide to Charity Auction Promotion for more tips on fundraising event promotion and auction marketing.

Tom Kelly

Tom Kelly, TEDx speaker and CEO of CharityAuctions.com, helps nonprofits raise millions through auctions and AI. He hosts The Million Dollar Nonprofit podcast and inspires leaders to live their legacy, not just leave it.