If someone could please email me the form you used for your silent auction to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. It would be very helpful. We are having one this coming up Thursday and trying to type the form up now.

flamingomom,
our school has a form if need be, sort of like a field trip release, but most teacers will meet at an offsight location. If a parent bids on an item it usually means the kids have agood repor with the teacher and so do the parents.

As a "prize" raffle kind of thing it is far more hit or miss who will win and what the child/teacher/parent relationship will be.

I have a question for Trisha and anyone else who has teachers and/or staff donate excursions with kids as an auction prize.

Do you find there are any legal questions about kids going off unsupervised with them after school hours? I've always wondered about this, and this year I finally asked one of our more popular teachers if he'd donate some time with a child as a prize and he would only do it if it was on school grounds during the regular school day, so I guess I'm not the only one with concerns.

Thanks for the input!

I like to preface that I work with schools through the auction process....I know very little about comapny fund raising....

Last year one of the schools I worked witht did theamed baskets for the classes: garden, leggo, barbie, painting, cooking, outdoor fun, sleepover boy, sllepover girl. spa, kid crafts, red white and blue, christmas, halloween........each child was asked to bring in an item that fit their class basket, we put them in metal tubs.

I also have worked with many schools with teacher/student stuff. Keep in mind that these can be huge in the money department. Theuy have a low retail value but a huge apeal for the kids and parents. we have done pizza and a movie, bowling, prom dress shopping, tea in Boston ant a swank hotel, overnight/girl night in Boston. mani/pedi party, treasure hunt for the little ones, canoeing on the river, rock climbing at an indoor rock gym. pool party, silly science, tide pooling...we have teachers donate time to help parents with digital photography, using the mac to help your child and painting a mural on a wall of your home. scrapbook a book with a theam. Sometimes people have a hobbie they would like to share.

All the schools I work with we use a buy it now on all silent auction. for gerneral stuff, GC, books, lamps, etc we use a %200 of retail value. The teacher fun stuff is a little more difficult to pick a number. it has to be a number that will not offend the parent group, a number you would be thrilled to get for an item and it has to be the same for all of the gifts.
One school I work with is in a very afluent community and have put as high as $2500 BIN, another school in a less afluent community would put a 200-500 BIN for the same item. You have to know your group, you have to play fair and you have to relize not everyone will win and that all teacher activities will not hold the same value because some teachers can be favored while others are less favored.

Hello again. I forgot to ask if anyone had a "theme" for their auction night. When we held just the auction people were standing around waiting. We want to have a dinner / DJ and a "theme" to liven up the evening. We already have a Casino night fundraiser so it would have to be something different. Any suggestions would be helpful.
Thank you.

I am involved in our schools auction scheduled for March 2008. When we held an auction two years ago the "principal for the day" was very popular. The student would make announcements to the school, have lunch with the principal and make the morning rounds to the classrooms as well as other activities. The local Fire & Police Departments were also high bids for tours for a small group of children.
On a separate note, does anyone know if American Girl Inc. still donates dolls to auctions? Do you know where to send the request.
Thanks!