Thank you Ninja, Anon and 0001!
Ninja,
From looking at past auctions for our program we have always had about 35-50 different donations and never had extra stuff. I just don't really know what to do about it if it does happen, as you said giving things out for free isn't a good idea, but what is a better option?
Has anyone had a My Twinn Doll on their auction? I received one today, although still hoping for an American Girl as well. How much did the My Twinn sell for?
I will donate some salsa, I'm close by in Bethlehem, Pa.
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Kevin - I found it best to ask for the owner because that is the person who makes the decisions. My friend left a donation form at one restaurant 2 different times and nothing happened. I spoke to the owner who couldn't have been nice and he immediately gave me a $100.00 gift certificate. Things like hotels or chain restaurants - you need to speak to the general manager.
Kevin,
We just had our tricky tray. We had over 14 vacations and the Elite were advertised that they had to purchase the all inclusive. They were a hit! Although it won't be free for the winner it is still a fantastic rate and prize for the winner. No one complained at the fact they would have to pay for the all inclusive. We had vacations that included the all inclusive in the prize and we had just as many people interested in the Elite as they were in the ones that included the all inclusive.
When soliciting for donations you want to make sure your committee members have the proper information that each individual company may request. Some only need a donation letter on letterhead containing your tax ID number. Others require a copy of your school's IRS determination letter. Always make sure you have self addressed stamped envelopes or shipping labels that you can leave with the manager in case you are not able to take something home that day. And always leave information like a business card, pamphlet pertaining to the school and flyer or information for the event.
When soliciting for items, you want to consider the time of day you are going. You definitely want to speak to the manager, but you do not want to go during the lunch rush. Try to go directly when they open, or late afternoon for restaurants, mall stores, etc.
With 40 donors for only 75 people, I'd say you have enough items. (I usually will bunch some items to create a minimum value of $100 for our Gala. But for our smaller auctions, I will have a few items valued under $100.) If you do plan to continue to gather more donated items, I would spend some time trying to grow your attendance by advertising your auction and the event. Once you increase your attendance, you can work on receiving more high ticket donated items. Some donors will have expiration dates on certificates, and those items will need a lower starting bid to make sure that they sell and you're not left with them. You don't want to give these items away because people will expect that to be done every year and your auction income will go down. If you see that an item is not moving, you have the authority to lower the starting bid. Sometimes this can create a bidding war.
