What is the best way to run a charity fund raiser event? Auction? Silent auction? Raffle? Casino night?

It very much depends who you think will attend, how much money they have to donate, and the amount of time you can commit to organising the fundraiser. Think about your audience first, and plan around them. Add multiple points for people to donate at different levels - perhaps they can buy a ticket to attend, and then buy raffle tickets or take part in an auction once they are there. But most of all, be realistic about what you can achieve - a nice barbecue charging a few £ or $ for a ticket that everyone enjoys will raise much more money than a badly organised dinner-dance and auction that no-one wants to buy tickets to attend.

Using a service such as https://Accelevents.com to setup you Silent Auction or Raffle will allow you attendees to submit bids via text message.  Attendees can participate in your event before, during and after from anywhere.  You can also promote your fundraiser on facebook by sharing your items on your event wall or that of your friends and family. Accelevents seamless integration with Stripe Payments means attendees can purchase their own raffle tickets and pay for auction items without preventing you from enjoying your event. For small events the service is only $49. I work for Accelevents.