At momoGood, we see event fundraising at scale. That gives us a practical view into one of the most common planning questions nonprofit auction teams ask: how many items should we include in our auction catalog?
This guidance is based on auction performance data across thousands of events and more than 170,000 auction lots. The pattern is clear:
Stronger auction catalogs are not simply bigger catalogs. They are better-balanced catalogs.
A stronger catalog usually comes down to two planning decisions: how many total items to list, and what the mix should be between donated items and items selected from our catalog. The answer is not “add more.” It is to build the right catalog for the audience in the room.
First, a quick definition. Donated items are sourced outside our catalog — from donors, sponsors, board members, local businesses, and community partners. Catalog items are selected from our catalog to add variety, polish, and premium options the organization may find harder to source on its own.
The quick answer
For most events, plan for 31–100 total lots. The ideal item mix is 60–80% donated items plus 20–40% from our catalog. When catalog items land in that 20–40% range, sell-through hits 44% — the highest we see. A simple rule of thumb: 5–20 lots per 100 guests.
Why the mix matters
The two types of item play different roles. Donated items create local relevance — they reflect the relationships around the organization and feel personal, specific, and connected to the room. Catalog items add the variety and premium options that keep a catalog interesting. One of the clearest patterns in the data: catalog items perform best when they are part of a mixed auction, not when they dominate it — which is exactly what the numbers below show.
According to the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP), event fundraising accounts for a significant share of nonprofit revenue, and the quality of the auction experience directly influences whether donors return the following year. A well-balanced catalog signals professionalism and intentionality — it tells bidders that the organization curated the event for them, not just to fill a table.
Understanding bidder psychology
Auction performance is ultimately about bidder engagement, and engagement starts with how the catalog feels when a guest first scrolls through it. Too few items and the catalog looks thin — guests may question whether the event is worth their time. Too many items and the catalog becomes overwhelming, spreading bids across too many lots and driving down per-item revenue.
The sweet spot is a catalog where every item feels intentional. Bidders should be able to scan the full catalog in a few minutes, identify three to five items they genuinely want, and feel confident that competition will be real but not prohibitive. That is the dynamic that drives sell-through rates above 40%.
Research from Greater Giving reinforces this principle: auctions that curate a focused catalog with broad appeal across price points consistently outperform those that pad the catalog with filler items. The goal is not to have something for everyone — it is to have something irresistible for most people in the room.
Build the right catalog for your next event
momoGood gives you data-backed guidance on catalog size, item mix, and pricing — so your auction performs.
Book a demo →Plan by event size
| Event size | Total lots | Catalog items | Donated items |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 100 guests | 10–20 | 3–6 | 7–15 |
| 100–300 guests | 20–40 | 6–12 | 15–30 |
| 300–500 guests | 35–60 | 10–18 | 25–45 |
| 500–1,000 guests | 50–80 | 15–25 | 35–60 |
| 1,000+ guests | 75–120 | 20–35 | 55–85 |
Planning ranges, not rigid rules — scale to your audience and the quality of items available.
Sell-through by catalog mix
When catalog items make up 20–40% of lots, sell-through is 44%. At 40–60% catalog items, sell-through drops to 33%. Push past 60% catalog and performance falls off sharply to just 3%.
The takeaway: catalog items are a complement, not the foundation. The strongest auctions lean on donated items and use catalog items to round out the mix.
Item categories that drive the strongest bidding
Not all auction items are created equal. The most successful catalogs balance several item categories to appeal to different bidder motivations — and knowing which categories perform helps you build a stronger mix.
Experiences consistently outperform physical goods. Travel packages, exclusive dinners with local chefs, behind-the-scenes tours, and VIP event access tend to attract competitive bidding because they cannot be purchased elsewhere. They create a sense of scarcity and exclusivity that physical items rarely match.
Unique access items — a round of golf with a local celebrity, a private cooking lesson, a reserved parking spot for a year — generate outsized interest relative to their cost. These items work because they are personal, memorable, and impossible to replicate by walking into a store.
Curated packages that bundle several related items (a “date night” package with dinner, show tickets, and a hotel stay, or a “family fun” basket with theme park tickets and gear) tend to attract higher bids than the individual items would on their own. Bundling also helps you use lower-value donated items that might not stand alone as individual lots.
Premium goods from catalog sources — fine wine, luxury goods, signed memorabilia — work well in the 20–40% catalog slot because they add aspirational appeal that donated items may not cover.
A practical approach: aim for roughly 40% experiences, 30% unique access or curated packages, and 30% physical goods (a mix of donated and catalog). Adjust based on your audience — a younger crowd may lean heavier toward experiences, while a more traditional gala audience may respond well to premium goods.
Pricing strategy: setting opening bids and fair market value
Catalog size and mix get the most attention, but pricing is what turns a good catalog into a high-performing one. The standard guideline is to set opening bids (also called starting bids or minimum bids) at 30–50% of fair market value (FMV). This range creates enough perceived value to draw bidders in while leaving room for competitive bidding to push final prices above FMV.
Setting opening bids too high discourages participation — guests feel priced out before bidding starts, and lots go unsold. Setting them too low can work for high-demand items (where competition naturally drives the price up), but for mid-tier items it risks closing at a disappointing number.
For silent auctions, consider adding bid increments (typically 10–15% of FMV) and a “buy now” price at 150–200% of FMV. The buy-now option lets enthusiastic bidders secure an item early, and it anchors the perceived value of the item higher for everyone else browsing.
For live auctions, the auctioneer controls pacing and can adjust in real time, but the catalog should still list FMV for each item so bidders understand what they are getting. Transparency builds trust — and trust drives higher bids.
Common catalog mistakes to avoid
Even experienced auction teams fall into predictable traps. Here are the most common catalog mistakes and how to avoid them:
- Padding with low-value items. Adding a $25 gift card as its own lot dilutes the catalog and takes up space that a stronger item could fill. Bundle low-value items into themed packages instead.
- Ignoring audience demographics. A tech company gala and a school fundraiser serve very different audiences. A $5,000 wine lot may crush it at one and sit untouched at the other. Review past bidding data (if available) and survey your committee about what resonates.
- Listing too many similar items. Three separate restaurant gift certificates compete with each other and split bids. If you have multiple similar donations, bundle them or spread them across silent and live auction sections.
- Skipping item descriptions. A lot listed as “Weekend Getaway” performs worse than “Two-Night Stay at The Grand Resort, Napa Valley — includes breakfast, spa credit, and a bottle of estate wine.” Specificity sells.
- Launching the catalog too late. According to Greater Giving’s event planning resources, making the catalog available 5–7 days before the event increases pre-event engagement and drives higher opening-night bids because guests arrive with items already in mind.
Timeline: when to start catalog planning
A strong catalog does not come together in the final two weeks before your event. Here is a practical timeline for organizations planning a benefit auction:
- 6–8 months out: Identify your auction committee and begin soliciting high-value donated items from board members, sponsors, and community partners.
- 4–6 months out: Set your target catalog size based on expected attendance. Begin reviewing catalog item options to identify gaps in your mix.
- 2–3 months out: Finalize your item list, write compelling descriptions, and set pricing (opening bids, bid increments, buy-now prices). Photograph items if possible.
- 3–4 weeks out: Build your catalog in your auction platform. If you are running a mobile bidding experience, this is when items go into the system.
- 5–7 days out: Publish the catalog to registered guests. Send a preview email or text highlighting featured items to build anticipation.
- Day of: Display items attractively, ensure staff can answer questions about lots, and have your auctioneer briefed on the top 5–10 items.
Catalog strategy is revenue strategy. — the momoGood team
Based on auction performance data across thousands of events and more than 170,000 auction lots.