If your nonprofit has ever hosted an auction, you know that gift baskets are a silent auction staple! Their combination of great aesthetics and high revenue potential make them some of the top charity auction items. However, it’s important to carefully curate baskets that appeal to your auction’s target audience based on their age, interests, and lifestyles to ensure they sell.

In this guide, you’ll learn everything you need to know to build and sell high-quality silent auction baskets, including:

As you explore this guide, consider which basket themes would best suit your auction’s target audience based on their age, interests, and lifestyles. Let’s dive in!

Partner with Winspire to curate a selection of auction items your participants will love. Contact Us.

Silent Auction Baskets: Frequently Asked Questions

Before we dive into our favorite ideas for silent auction baskets, let’s get the lay of the land by answering some common questions about these fundraising tools.

What are silent auction baskets?

As their name suggests, silent auction baskets are collections of items that nonprofits present as a unified prize for a silent auction fundraiser. In most cases, they’re designed around a cohesive theme to make them more appealing to specific audience segments.

Despite being known as gift baskets, you can choose whether to arrange your items in a traditional basket or put them in a different container that aligns with your theme. For example, we recommend packaging our Camping Starter Kit basket inside a tent, cooler, or other large camping item—see our full list for more information on this idea!

Why use silent auction baskets?

There are several reasons why silent auction baskets are among the most popular event prizes, including their:

Three reasons to use gift baskets as silent auction prizes, which are listed below.

  • Flexibility. The sky is the limit when it comes to basket theme ideas, so you can tailor them to nearly any audience’s demographics and preferences. You can also create gift baskets that fit the atmosphere of any event you might pair with your silent auction, from a formal gala to a golf tournament or a 5K race.
  • Ease of procurement. The more common and less valuable an auction item is, the simpler it is to secure. Plus, while you could ask one donor or sponsor to donate an assortment of items to create a full basket, you can also piece the bundle together from various individual gifts. Contributing small prizes for baskets is an accessible entry point for many auction supporters.
  • Value. Bundling several less expensive items into one basket makes them appear more valuable to auction participants–i.e., the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. So, you’ll likely earn more revenue from a basket than you would from selling everything in it individually.

Gift baskets are useful for various nonprofit purposes, from raffle prizes to tokens of appreciation for loyal supporters. However, silent auctions are among the top use cases for these versatile items.

How valuable are gift baskets compared to other auction items?

As we mentioned, you’ll likely bring in more revenue from a basket than you would if you auctioned each item in it individually. The total value depends on what you put in the basket, though, and most bundles of physical goods and gift certificates will fall toward the lower half of your auction item pricing range.

If you want a gift basket to have a higher revenue potential, you’ll typically need to add a relevant experience (such as event tickets for a rec and leisure basket or a vacation package for a travel-themed basket) to the bundle.

Now that you’ve gotten the lay of the land, let’s look at some potential themes for your silent auction baskets! We’ve organized our ideas into five general categories to make it easy for you to find your favorites as you plan your nonprofit’s event.

Food & Beverage Silent Auction Basket Ideas

High-quality or locally produced food and beverages are simple to coordinate within a gift basket. Plus, while some supporters come to silent auctions in search of permanent physical items, many prefer experiences or consumables (like food) that won’t clutter up their homes. Since participants likely have different preferences, vary the types of food and beverages you offer in your baskets.

Tea Time

Curate an assortment of bagged and loose-leaf teas in a variety of flavors, such as black, green, and herbal. You might also include snacks to eat with the tea and accessories such as a teapot or kettle, tea steeper, honey, and a tea towel.

Coffee Lovers

For every tea drinker in your supporter base, you probably have a coffee connoisseur as well. Put together various whole and ground coffee beans in different roasts and flavors, along with mugs, sweet treats, and a French press or cold brew maker.

Chocolate Celebration

Chocolate comes in so many varieties that it’s easy to fill a basket with gourmet chocolates, hot cocoa supplies, and chocolate-covered snacks like fruit, nuts, pretzels, and espresso beans. To add an activity to the basket, consider including a chocolate fondue set or tickets to a chocolate-tasting event.

Wine & Cheese

This classic pairing makes for an indulgent basket. Include bottles of quality red and white wine, plus an assortment of cheeses, crackers, and other charcuterie-board supplies. You could also increase the basket’s value by including a vineyard tour with the package. (And always double-check that the winners of any prizes that contain alcohol are at least 21 years old!)

Craft Beer Sampler

Once again, for each of your supporters who likes a nice glass of wine, you probably have one who enjoys a good beer. Curate an assortment of bottled craft beer and hard cider—from local breweries if possible—and add some salty snacks to go with the drinks.

Home Chef Starter Kit

Appeal to the amateur chef or cooking show enthusiast in your supporter base with a basket containing small kitchen appliances (like a hand mixer or mini food processor), utensils, spices, cooking oils, and a recipe book. Gift cards to high-end kitchenware retailers or cooking classes work well as value-adds.

Cookout Craze

For your grill-master supporters, fill a basket with grill utensils, a meat thermometer, trays, an apron, seasonings and condiments, and a standard-size grill cover (or even a gift certificate for a new grill if you really want to add extra value).

Kids’ Baking Party

Families often enjoy spending time together in the kitchen, so create a kid-friendly version of your home chef basket to appeal to supporters with young children or grandchildren. Include brownie mix, premade cookie dough, cookie cutters, shaped baking pans, frosting, sprinkles, and child-size aprons.

Candy Factory

Especially if you have a local vendor that makes classic candy, this basket will appeal to your supporters’ inner child (or at least make them the most popular house for Halloween trick-or-treating in their neighborhood). The more colorful your candy, the better—giant lollipops, rock candy, red licorice, and various gummy candies will make it impossible for participants to miss this basket as they browse the tables.

We All Scream for Ice Cream

Get supporters excited for summer with a basket full of ice cream cones, toppings, popsicle molds, and a recipe book of creative frozen treats. Including an ice cream maker from a popular kitchenware brand is a great way to elevate this basket’s value.

Home & Garden Silent Auction Gift Baskets

Baskets with a home-and-garden theme are perfect for silent auction participants looking for more permanent items. Since needs in this area are often very specific, consider surveying potential auction participants to see what kinds of items they’d like to win. Here are some top options to get you started.

New Baby Essentials

Chances are someone attending your auction knows, is, or will soon be a new parent. To engage this audience segment, pack a basket full of blankets, wet wipes, pacifiers, bibs, picture books, baby-safe toys, and a baby monitor. Remember that babies outgrow clothes quickly, so opt for 3-month or 6-month sizes if you include clothing.

Garden in a Box

For the plant lovers who attend your auction, include gardening gloves, pots, seeds, succulents, a spade, and other tools in a basket. You could also throw in a gift card to a garden center to add value.

Gift-Giving Workshop

This workstation is perfect for supporters who love giving the perfect gift. Fill this basket with rolls of wrapping paper in different patterns, spools of ribbon, gift bags, gift tags, tissue paper, colorful tape, and supplies to make homemade cards for an extra personal touch.

Make Your Own Candles

Put together a candle-making kit for supporters who enjoy crafts. Include wax, a wax warmer or pouring pot, mason jars, wicks, color chips, an instruction book, matches or lighters, and a set of essential oils for fragrance.

Electronic Gadgets

Tech-savvy and younger auction participants will love bidding on a package of top-of-the-line devices. Center the basket around one large item, such as a new smartphone, laptop, or tablet, and add smaller accessories like a smartwatch or fitness tracker, Bluetooth speaker, headphones, and an extra-long charging cord.

Pet Paradise

Create two versions of this basket: one for dog owners and one for cat owners. Gather a wide selection of toys, treats, essential supplies, and certificates for pet-sitting or grooming services, all geared specifically toward each type of pet. For instance, you might include a leash and tennis balls in the dog basket and a scratching post and catnip in the cat basket.

It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

If your auction falls close to the holiday season, consider providing kits for supporters to make their own Christmas decorations. Your basket could be centered around making ornaments, wreaths, gingerbread houses, or any other popular holiday decorations—or even more than one type!

Spooky Season Supplies

Help supporters get ready for Halloween with a pumpkin-carving kit, costume shop gift certificate, festive decorations (or materials to make them), and a family-size bag of candy to hand out and/or consume. A pumpkin patch excursion would make a perfect value-add for this basket.

Community Spotlight Silent Auction Baskets

Local businesses are often willing to donate items for silent auctions as part of their corporate social responsibility efforts. Take the opportunity to spotlight them by creating a basket of prizes specific to that business. Include the contributing company’s logo on the prize’s bid sheet and in promotional materials for your auction to provide publicity for your sponsor as well.

Aspiring Artist Supplies

Partner with an art supply retailer to secure canvases, paintbrushes, paints, sketchbooks, colored pencils, pottery-making tools, and other high-quality artist’s essentials. If they offer art classes or paint-and-sip party packages, include a gift certificate to encourage the winner to explore these offerings.

Auto Enthusiast

Ask an auto body shop or mechanic to donate car care supplies like glass windshield wipes, microfiber towels, spot sprays, car wax, and air fresheners. Increase the basket’s value by putting in a certificate for a service the partner provides, like oil changes, detailing, or new tires.

Family Photo Session

Have a professional photographer in your area donate their services as the focal point of a basket. Then, include photography accessories like photo albums, picture frames, and a waterproof or Polaroid camera so supporters can continue capturing fun memories.

Kids’ Birthday Fun

The stars of this basket will be the gift certificates for pizza delivery, a custom cake from a local bakery, and a visit from a performer dressed as an animated character. Additionally, bundle group games or craft supplies and decorations from a party supply store to make this idea aesthetically pleasing.

DIY Home Improvement

If you have a locally owned hardware store in your area, ask them to donate a tool kit, nails, screws, wood varnish, and instructions for DIY building projects. You could also partner with a contractor, interior designer, or electrician to add a discount card for a home improvement project that goes beyond most amateurs’ abilities.

All-Access City Pass

To highlight attractions in or around your city, create a bundle of tickets for two to four people each to different museums, zoos, nature centers, sporting events, or theme parks. Include a guidebook and some city-specific merchandise like t-shirts or refrigerator magnets in the basket to enhance the visual display.

Spa Day

Help your supporters unwind after a long day or week with facial masks, bath bombs, fluffy slippers, candles, scented lotions, and at-home mani-pedi supplies. To spotlight your community partners, include a gift certificate for a professional massage or nail services.

Makeup Essentials

High-quality makeup can be expensive if you buy it one product at a time, so supporters who enjoy it will likely want to stock up on many supplies at once. Include a variety of lipsticks, eye shadow palettes, eyeliners, mascara, and makeup brushes. A gift card to a local beauty supply store so the winning bidder can choose face makeup products like foundation and powder that match their skin tone is essential. However, you could also ask the store to donate a tutorial or consultation to help the winner learn new techniques and make the most of their makeup.

No Bad Hair Days

For participants who are more interested in hair styling when it comes to beauty, create a basket of popular heatless and heat styling tools, trendy accessories like claw clips and silk scrunchies, and a few basic products that work for various hair types. Beauty supply gift cards are also great for this basket so the winner can pick out additional hair care products specific to their hair type, as well as certificates for local salon services (haircuts, color, styling, etc.).

Rec & Leisure Silent Auction Gift Baskets

There are countless ways your supporters could choose to spend their time outside of their jobs, school, or other responsibilities. So, there are just as many possibilities for recreation-themed baskets that you could sell at a silent auction!

Date Night

Arguably the most commonly used basket in silent auctions, your date night bundle can include a gift card to a fancy restaurant, tickets to a live event like a musical or comedy show, and transportation vouchers. To enhance the display, include a bottle of champagne or sparkling wine, chocolates, and flowers in the basket.

Amusement Park Mania

If you have a theme park within driving distance of your nonprofit, secure two to four tickets (either for the day or the season) as the centerpiece of this basket. Then, enhance the basket’s visual appeal with merchandise from the park and essentials for a day trip there, such as sunscreen, snacks, a bag that aligns with the park’s regulations, and towels if there are water rides.

Board Games Rule!

Bring families or friend groups together for a night of fun with a basket of board games, cards, puzzles, and snack foods. Try to find some games that supporters may not be familiar with or own to make them more likely to bid—just make sure they have good reviews first!

Video Game Enthusiasts

Procure a popular video game system like a Nintendo Switch or PlayStation as the centerpiece of this basket. Then, add headphones, extra controllers, a variety of games (both new and nostalgic), and maybe even a certificate for a gaming chair to give supporters the full gaming experience.

Movie Night

Similarly to the game baskets, combine popcorn, boxed candy, cozy blankets, a movie trivia game, a subscription pass for a popular streaming service, and a gift card to a local movie theater in your movie night bundle. If you really want to level this idea up, find out if any popular movies or TV shows have been made in your area and arrange a tour of filming locations for the winning bidder.

Camping Starter Kit

For your more adventurous auction participants, use a tent or cooler as a basket and fill it with a sleeping bag, solar flashlight, tabletop charcoal grill, and s’mores supplies. If you want to include weatherproof clothing or shoes in the package, put in vouchers or gift certificates so winners can visit a sporting goods store to find their size.

Fitness Fans

Appeal to active supporters with a basket containing hand weights, gym towels, a yoga mat, a reusable water bottle, and Bluetooth earbuds that will stay in place during a workout. Add a gift card for a popular activewear brand or an exercise class pass at a local gym to increase the basket’s value.

Golfing for Good

If you’re pairing your silent auction with a golf tournament fundraiser, a new set of golf clubs, balls, tees, towels, and a gift card for apparel will be a popular prize. Add value to this basket with tickets to a professional golf tournament, golf lessons, or a tee time at the most luxurious course in your area.

Gone Fishing

Bundle together a fishing pole, extra fishing line, tackle box, lures, hooks, and a fishing hat to create this basket for the fishing enthusiasts in your audience. A boat rental certificate or weekend lake trip would be a great value-add for this basket.

Causing a Racket

Pickleball is emerging as one of the trendiest sports of the 2020s, and similar activities like tennis, badminton, and racquetball continue to be popular pastimes. Choose a racket sport your supporters enjoy and fill a basket with rackets, balls, bags, visors, gift cards for other apparel, and a certificate for games at a local court.

The Bookworm Bundle

Avid readers in your participant pool will enjoy a basket of best-selling novels, fun bookmarks, and merchandise like mugs or blankets with book-related designs. Boost the basket’s value with an e-reader or tickets to an author event at a local bookstore.

Hot-Button Toys

Help busy parents and grandparents check some birthday or holiday gift shopping off their to-do lists by featuring sets of popular toys in your auction. Your gift basket could include any popular toys the kids in your audience might like—a collection of themed Lego sets, an American Girl Doll with extra clothes and accessories, a Barbie Dream House and dolls, an assortment of collectible stuffed animals or mystery items…the possibilities are endless!

Music Enthusiasts

Try creating several baskets based on this theme for different artists or genres of music. In each basket, include a gift card for a music streaming service, Bluetooth headphones, a record player with a popular vinyl record, artist or band merchandise, and maybe even tickets to an upcoming concert.

Hey There, Sports Fans!

Consider what college or professional sports teams your nonprofit is closest to (and therefore, that your supporters might be fans of). Then, curate baskets of merchandise and memorabilia from those teams, along with season tickets or passes to a home game against their biggest rivals. If there are two rival universities or professional teams in the same sport near your organization, make sure to create baskets of equal quality for both to avoid angering either group of fans!

Travel-Related Auction Basket Ideas

Travel-related items are best-sellers at silent auctions because of their broad appeal and unique qualities. Whether you create baskets themed around popular tourist destinations or fill them with travel supplies, here are our top ideas for travel-related gift baskets.

Air Travel Essentials

Both first-time travelers and frequent flyers looking to replace their supplies will enjoy a basket containing a neck pillow, earbuds, small paperback books, a portable phone charger, TSA-approved containers for travel toiletries, and an airline gift certificate. To add value and visual appeal, consider packaging this basket in a carry-on suitcase.

Beach Day

Especially if your organization is located within a few hours’ drive of a beach, supporters will get a lot of use out of a basket filled with beach towels, good-quality sunscreen, a beach ball, sand toys, a boogie board or skimboard, and tropical beverages. A beach house rental or hotel stay near a beach would level up this basket’s value.

Road Trip Survival Kit

A trunk organizer or cooler makes the perfect container for this basket, which you can fill with car games, car phone chargers, reusable water bottles, travel snacks, a tire repair kit, and gift cards for popular gas stations. Your additional value-add for this basket might be a bed-and-breakfast stay within a few hours of your nonprofit’s location (so supporters could feasibly drive there) or a transferable one-night stay at a popular hotel chain for those road trips you just can’t complete in a single day.

New York Minute

Give auction participants a taste of the Big Apple with items unique to New York City. Include gift certificates for authentic NY-style pizza and cheesecake, art prints of the skyline, Yankees memorabilia, Statue of Liberty figurines, subway maps, and tickets to see a touring production of a Broadway show. Naturally, an actual NYC trip would be a great value-add here!

Bonus: More American/Canadian City-Themed Basket Ideas

  • Wonders of the Windy City (Chicago)
  • Hopped off the Plane at LAX (Los Angeles)
  • Mile-High Memories (Denver)
  • Viva Las Vegas
  • Golden Gate Glory (San Francisco)
  • The Most Magical Place on Earth (Orlando with a focus on Disney World, or Anaheim/Disneyland if you call it The Happiest Place on Earth)
  • Toronto Treasures

An American (or Canadian) in Paris

Transport bidders to the City of Lights with a Parisian-themed basket containing French cheeses, macarons, vintage journals, Eiffel Tower decor, and a gift card to a French restaurant or bakery. Once again, an actual trip to Paris would be a great value-add here.

Bonus: More International City-Themed Basket Ideas

  • It’s All London, Baby!
  • Amsterdam Adventure
  • Roman Holiday
  • Beauty of Barcelona
  • Vienna Waits for You
  • Hong Kong Highlights
  • Sunset in Singapore
  • Secrets of Sydney


Draw even more inspiration from Winspire’s list of 350+ auction item ideas. Download for Free.

How to Create Standout Silent Auction Baskets

A cohesive theme is just one element of a high-quality silent auction basket. Here are a few additional tips to take your nonprofit’s baskets from good to great:

Four tips for creating standout silent auction baskets, which are listed below.

  • Choose a catchy title. An item’s title is the first thing auction participants will see when they look at its bid sheet, so it can make or break their interest in bidding on it. Put yourselves in your supporters’ shoes as you brainstorm titles to ensure you choose attention-grabbing ones. For example, if you were attending your auction and one of the music-themed baskets was centered around Taylor Swift, would you be more likely to bid on a “Taylor Swift Merch Pack” or “The Ultimate Eras Tour Collection”?
  • Make the basket’s packaging aesthetically pleasing. Not only will an attractive-looking basket draw participants in as they browse your tables or online auction catalog, but they’ll also perceive it as more valuable if it appears full. Arrange the items so they’re all easily visible, and fill any gaps with tissue paper or Easter grass. Wrap the basket in cellophane so it stays together, and add ribbons or other fun finishing touches if you’d like.
  • Price the basket strategically. The general pricing rules for silent auction items apply to gift baskets: make the starting bid amount 30-50% of the item’s fair market value (FMV) and set the minimum bid increase at approximately 10% of the starting bid amount. However, you’ll need to add up the FMVs of every individual prize in the basket to get an accurate number. Also, aim for the middle to upper segment of the starting bid amount range to factor in the basket’s packaging and the time you spent creating it.
  • Minimize upfront costs in creation and procurement. The less you spend putting together your baskets, the more revenue you’ll have to put toward your organization’s mission after your auction. Buy packaging supplies in bulk and save any leftovers for future silent auctions or raffles. To secure your basket contents, ask for in-kind donations and check with retailers and event venues about any nonprofit discounts they may offer.

Vacation packages are often the most challenging type of auction item to procure, but going through consignment travel providers (like Winspire!) can make this process easier for your nonprofit. Let’s walk through how to procure vacation packages to accompany your travel-themed baskets on consignment.

How Winspire Works

Your nonprofit can get started with Winspire in four easy steps:

Four steps for procuring auction travel packages through Winspire, which are discussed below.

  • Select the Experiences (vacation packages) you want. Choose from more than 200 activity-packed trips to bucket-list destinations and add them to your Suitcase in seconds. Winspire’s Event Fundraising Consultants are happy to help if you have questions about the process or specific Experiences.
  • Promote them to your supporters. Once you’ve finalized your Experience choices, Winspire will provide relevant photos you can use in your auction marketing materials and on your bid sheets to get participants excited about winning the trip.
  • Offer them at your event. Every dollar you raise above the Nonprofit Cost (list price) goes directly to your mission. Using Winspire Experiences in your auction is also risk-free because you only pay for what you sell at your auction!
  • Winners redeem their packages. After your silent auction closes, simply provide each winning bidder with a voucher to book their vacation through Winspire. There is no additional work required for your nonprofit—we take care of all of the logistics!

You can even sell individual Experiences multiple times—for instance, once on their own and once paired with a gift basket—to maximize your event’s revenue generation potential. Since Winspire’s founding in 2008, we’ve helped nonprofits raise more than $110 million for their missions!

Wrapping Up: Additional Resources on Silent Auctions

The ideas on this list are just a few of the many possible gift baskets you could create for your nonprofit’s silent auction. Always keep your event’s target audience in mind and stay within your procurement budget. Also, remember that experienced fundraising professionals—like our team at Winspire—can help you curate your prize selection to set your organization up to surpass its revenue goal!

For more information on silent auction planning and items, check out these resources:

Discover bucket-list, no-risk charity auction travel packages. Reach out to Winspire to learn more. Contact Us.