We sent to American Girl in February. Yesterday a letter came telling us to expect the doll, and the doll also came. We are three weeks out, so I think they wait to respond closer to the date.
Has anyone not ever heard from American Girl and just had a donation show up? I sent in my form and letter in the beginning of February. Our event is in May so I hope it comes!
Another idea for donations: local microbreweries. We are just outside of Boston and there are so many tiny just-starting-up microbreweries. I emailed a bunch of them and got some replies within an hour. One is donating some t-shirts and posters and another is donating a gift basket with some promotional items. It's a win-win.
Other places who said yes:
Red Sox
Taza Chocolate (local)
StoryPeople
Green Mountain Coffee
Zoo New England
Roger Williams Park Zoo
Arthur Murray Dance Studios
Boston Chocolate Walking Tours
Bertucci's
Gamewright Games
New England Patriots
Stampin' Up
Harpoon Brewery
Disney
Plus many local museum passes and restaurant gift cards
No:
Boston Celtics
new England Revolution
Your True Nature
Air Tran
Jet Blue
Karen Foster
Mr. Coffee
LegoLand
...and many restaurants and hotels!
I sent out about 160 emails/letters and have about 35 raffles so far. I am hoping some more come in! This board has been a wealth of information!
Ok, our event is tomorrow, and I cant believe the no responses we got! I sent out over 400 items for a well known reputable Charity. The following did not respond at all, and the letters were mailed in February.
Build a Bear
K'Nex
20 Celebrities asking for autographs
Wheel of Fortune
Kings Island
Fathead
general Mills
Oriental Trading
Casino Resorts
Bavariann Inn
Zehnders
Detroit Zoo
Kars Nuts
Ok group I need help. I have hit a road block and not sure whom else I should target for donations. Maybe through brainstorming some of you can jog some ideas. Our auction is in July so I have a bit of time but I want to be as proactive as possible to get the best returns. I have contacted many of the resources listed here. We are in the Seattle are.
We received two buy one get one free passes to Legoland. An adult ticket is $74. How do you determine the value of something like that? It's not exactly "free" if you have to buy a full price ticket to use it, right?
We auction front row (behind the graduates) on each side for eighth grade graduation. This includes the entire row. We then put all the rest of the graduates names in a hat and assign them to rows. We started this after I chaired my son's graduation and still ended in the next to last row of reserved seats. I would have paid dearly for the right to be up close to the front, and we do get people with the same determination. We also reserve the entire front row for the top bidder for the Christmas program, each performance. Again people fight for it.
