People are always looking for new and fun ways to raise money for charitable causes. A great way to build excitement, awareness, and success for your charity is to hold a live auction. There are many different items you can auction off to raise money, but one of the simplest and potentially most profitable items you can use is a nice hundred dollar bill. You can collect donations prior to the auction of, say, $5, $10, or $20 donations, and take them to the bank and exchange them for a $100 bill.

Once you have the $100 bill, you can increase its value in the eyes of guests at your charity event by having it signed by a well-known person in your community, such as a local TV personality, star athlete or musician, for example. You can then leave the bill as is or have it framed. You can buy an inexpensive frame or look for a frame donated by a local dealer.

Use the $100 bill as the first item in the live auction, as an icebreaker of sorts. People can be shy at first in a live auction and not sure when they should start raising their paddles. However, if you are bidding on a $100 bill and the auctioneer starts bidding at $1, your guests will be very confident and excited to pick up those paddles! A $100 bill has clear value in everyone’s mind, and it’s a great way to start the auction. There have been many examples of a $100 bill, autographed or not, costing anywhere from 2 to 100 times as much, so you could easily make a couple hundred or thousand dollars just off your $100 bill.

If you’re looking for a unique item for your live auction, consider using the basic currency and watch the fun begin and the money roll in.