Most spring auctions are planned in about six frantic weeks. The committee meets in February, procurement starts in March, and the catalog is still being typed the night before. It works, barely, and the same three volunteers swear they will never chair it again.
Starting in the fall changes almost everything.
When should you start planning a spring school auction?
Start about five months out. For a March or April auction, that means October or November. The early months are light work, but they are when the decisions that make everything else easier get made.
November: date, goal, and team
- Pick the date. Check the school calendar for spring break, testing weeks, sports playoffs, and other schools' events in your area.
- Set a fundraising goal and name what it pays for. "New library books" raises more than "general fund."
- Recruit a small committee with clear roles: chair, procurement, promotion, event night, and checkout.
- Book the venue if it is not the school.
December: prepare the ask
- Write your donation request letter and a one-page summary of the event.
- Build a list of businesses to ask, starting with the ones your families already use.
- Send early asks to larger businesses, many of which plan their giving at the start of the year.
Our guide on asking local businesses for donations includes a template you can adapt.
January: procurement in full swing
- Divide the business list among volunteers and follow up in person.
- Ask teachers for experiences and start any class art projects.
- Log every donation in a shared spreadsheet as it comes in, with a photo.
February: build the catalog and staff the night
- Close procurement, bundle small items, and trim the catalog to fit your crowd.
- Set starting bids and increments. We covered how to set starting bids in detail.
- Open volunteer signups for setup, registration, checkout, and cleanup.
- Walk the venue and test the signal.
Four weeks out: promote
- Announce the event with a few highlight items.
- Share the bidder link early so families can browse the catalog before the night.
- Send reminders at two weeks, one week, and the day before.
Auction week and after
Run through our auction night checklist the day before. Afterward, send thank-you notes to bidders and item donors within a few days, record your totals, and write down what to change while the committee still remembers.
Why this is easier with the right tools in place early
The fall months are the right time to choose your auction software, not the week before. You can set up your auction in MyGiveKit on the free plan, import your donation spreadsheet as the catalog, and open volunteer signups, then run your first auction free when spring arrives.