One of the top sellers at many auctions are experiences of a lifetime. Experiences are such an amazing opportunity for people to get to bid on at an auction, since they are hard to come by in the regular market, but are readily donated to charities for an auction.The major fundraising groups in the NYC and LA areas frequently have guest appearances (walk on roles) on soap operas, TV shows and acting as extras in movies available for bid. These guest roles bring in thousands of dollars at each event. And, of course, chef experiences, where a chef comes to your home and teaches you things, or hosts a party for you and 12 friends, can be amazingingly lucrative for a charity.

In the military, units frequently auction off parking spaces for the best spots (especially the commander’s spot!), as well as auctioning off the boss’ job for the day. This allows soldiers to pay $200 to act as the commander, or the First Sargeant, and do their duties for the day. It’s a bit of an eye opener for some who had no idea all the boring meetings the commanders have to go to, but they also get to have a few perks for the day.

I’ve also heard of people auctioning off helping the weather man on air, being the bat boy/ bat girl at major league baseball games, observing the Coin Toss at football games, opening the stock exchange or closing it with the ringing of the bell. In your own towns, perhaps you can ask the radio DJ to allow a ‘helper’ intern for an hour or so, allowing them to pick out several songs to play on the air and discuss the news/ gossip of the day. Kids LOVE to be principal for the day, and observe the classes and walk around with authority. Some rescues are able to secure special outings with celebrities, such as fishing with a member of the BASS tour, golfing with a local baseball player, or playing tennis with a local radio DJ. Perhaps an aspiring news person would like to conduct an interview for TV. Being a zoo trainer/ handler for the day can also be quite an experience! Imagine getting to feed the monkeys or washing the elephants!

Cooking is a popular auction item simply because we all eat, and many people just don’t know HOW to cook. By having a personal chef or local celebrity chef come to your home and teach you a few things, you’ve opened a whole new world in your kitchen! There’s just no way you can really know how Rachael Ray is cutting vegetables unless you are standing next to her, and she helps you guide your knife through that strange vegetable for the first few times. Or, just eating with a celebrity is a pretty good auciton item! Many people enjoy eating with their local mayor and talking to them about issues that concern them. Or, eating with members of a local baseball team can be a popular bidding item. People pay hundreds of thousands of dollars just to eat with millionaire Warren Buffet!

Other popular experience items involve private helicopter rides, hot air balloon rides, dolphin watching tours, and snorkeling packages. Indulgent packages such as aromatherapy sessions, massages, and beauty consultant makeovers are also special treats perfect for an auction. These experience items are things that people may not purchase for themselves, but will splurge when they know the money goes to support their favorite charity.

Let your fingers do the walking through your local phone book and imagine what various businesses and companies can offer your rescue as a donation. Hopefully this will give you some ideas as to where you can find a few more ‘experience’ auction items in your own neck of the woods!