In addition to Silent Auctions, Live Auctions and the Cash Call (Direct Appeal, Paddle Raise or whatever you choose to call it), another frequent addition to fundraising events is the "Bucket Raffle", which in past years was referred to as a Chinese Auction.

In practice, this is not an auction at all, but a drawing.  If you're not familiar with a Bucket Raffle, basically a number of items are displayed, each with its own "bucket", dish, decorative gift bag or other designated receptacle in which to put raffle-style tickets.  Some Bucket Raffles have only 5 high-end choices, and some Bucket Raffles have 30 or more items among which to distribute the tickets purchased.

Guests purchase chances to win in the form of 2-part perforated raffle tickets from a roll (one part says "Ticket" and the other part says "Keep This Coupon").  It works best if people get lots of chances for money paid.

At that point, guests can browse the options and either put all their tickets ("eggs") in one basket, or one ticket in each, or distribute tickets based on how much they want to increase their chances of winning.  Bucket Raffles encourage guests to buy tickets two or three times during the event in order to increase their odds of winning, which is much more profitable for the organization that when guests purchase one ticket and feel that they've done their part for the evening.

Bucket Raffles are also a profitable use for duplicate items, or those items which guests might be fine to win but less likely to bid on.  For instance, while it might be cool to win a basket of polo shirts, hand towels and a mug with the local bank's logo, it's not likely to get lots of bids!

In December 13th's PARADE magazine insert in the newspaper, "Ask Marilyn" columnist Marilyn Vos Savant commented on how to increase your odds of winning!

http://www.parade.com/askmarilyn/2009/12/Sundays-Column-12-13-09.html 

Say you buy 100 tickets in a raffle with 10 prizes. Which gives you a better chance of winning: putting all of your tickets in one basket or spreading them among all 10 baskets? 
—Stephanie Beaupre, Sharon, Mass. 
If you can see the baskets and tickets, you should wait until the last minute and then put all your tickets in the basket that appears to contain the fewest tickets. 

If you can’t see the tickets, put all your tickets in the basket for the least-desirable prize. But if you can’t see the tickets and the prizes are equal, it doesn’t matter what you do.