Connecting Schools With Great Fundraising Ideas.

Many non-profit organizations, especially schools, hold a silent and/or live auction to raise money each year. Both public and private schools have discovered that auctions can be very lucrative.

However, there is a down-side to auctions, as well. Since this fundraising method is so popular, they have become over-done in some towns. In my small community, for instance, there are at least six separate groups that hold annual silent and live auctions. This makes for a very crowded calendar.

While I support each group’s absolute right to raise money, there is an undeniable pressure put on local merchants to donate items to all these auctions, as well as on people in general to buy tickets. If someone is only slightly involved in this community, it is possible he will be invited to six separate events during the course of one year. This can put an individual in a number of awkward situations. While everyone is entitled to say no, the practical and political ramifications can be slightly more complicated than that. continue reading

No Comments »

Does your school hold an auction to raise funds? If not you might one to consider it. Many private schools, and even some public schools, hold dinner/auction nights to raise funds. It’s a fun way for parents to support the school, socialize and even go home with some great prizes.

Schools can have a live auction, silent auction, online auction or any combination of all of them. When there is more than one type of auction going on you are more able to reach out to everyone’s interest and price levels.

Have some really high priced, premium items in the live auction. Big vacation packages, a motorcycle or gourmet dinner party are all good ideas for a live auction. Ticket packages for professional sports teams are also great auction items. Even if it’s not a super high priced item, if it will bring in lots of excitement and bids, put it in a live auction.

A silent auction can provide a way to offer many different auction items. The auction items can be valued anywhere from $20 to $500 or even more. With so many auction items, there can be something for everyone. From sports, to kids, gourmet foods, gift baskets, and many other interests can be included in the silent auctions.

Online auctions can happen during the same dinner/auction night or be held over a 1-3 week period. Online auctions are very popular and many parents are already buying items online on eBay. So why not have an online auction for the school?

Auctions can be a fun, great way to raise funds. Consider all of the different auction formats available and how they can fit into your school’s fundraising plans.

No Comments »

Lacey Jarrel of Tucson, Arizona was an artistic teenager. She used her art to express her emotions.

“Lacey was very emotional, and art was another way for her to express her feelings, whether hard feelings or joyful ones,” said her mom, Nancy Jarrell. “After her dad and I divorced, she spent a lot of time doing art,” Jarrell continued. “She was very social, but she also liked to hang out alone. She enjoyed having her pad and painting.”

Lacey died in a car accident on July 6, 2006 in Tuscon close to her home. Her mother created the Lacey Jarrell Foundation to remember her daughter.

The foundation will hold their first fundraiser on Thursday, November 2nd. It will be held at Green Star Art in Tucson and it will focus on the artistic expressions of local teens and young adults aged 13 through 21. The works are using many creative mediums, including photography, drawing, watercolor, oils and ceramics.

The Green Star Art event will include an art show and a poetry reading. There will also be a wine tasting and hors d’oeuvres from Fox Restaurants. Lacey worked at Fox Restaurants as a hostess. The event will also feature a silent auction and music from the John Rondstadt Trio and Peter McLaughlin and Friends.

Funds raised will benefit student art programs in Lacey’s memory. The Lacey Jarrell Foundation provides educational and creative opportunities to Tuscon youths.

Source: Tuscon Citizen

No Comments »

The Frankfort Christian Academy is using eBay to raise much needed funds for tuition assistance for their students. In return, they help people clear out additional clutter that is in their homes and garages.

Parents asked a number of times over the years if the school would be interested in using eBay for fund-raising purposes. Headmaster Robert Roach spoke with Rob Catron, a full-time eBay seller who attends their church and asked him he he would assist the school with their eBay plan. Catron agreed to help and created a fund-raising plan that was approved of by the school.

“The goal is to have the school not have to do anything,” Catron said. Catron states that computer parts and antiques are probably some of the most popular items at the school’s eBay site. The school accepts a wide variety of items. “We sell generally anything someone has that they think a group of people would be interested in,” Catron said.

Source: The State Journal

The school has created a drop-off system for donations. Anyone can bring a donation for the eBay project during the official drop-off hours to the school. The school gives receipts for charitable donations for a person’s taxes.

Headmaster Roach hopes that the school’s eBay plan will expand beyond the school to reach the entire community. He knows churches that use eBay to raise funds, but has not heard of many schools that use it. One of the things Roach likes about eBay is it is another way to “get the name of the school out” and get some publicity.

The school’s goal is to use eBay to raise $63,000 for the 2007-2008 school year. This will assist between 15 to 20 families with tuition costs. Tuition for the school costs $4,300 each year. Many families have more than one student enrolled.

As a eBay seller, the school is getting a lot of favorable feedback and many in the community have commented positively about the school’s efforts. They are very pleased with their project and hope to continue for quite some time.

No Comments »

Students at an Indiana private school held an auction this spring. The unique aspect was how involved the kids were with the auction items.

To get the students involved in the fundraiser, each classroom at the elementary campus has been working diligently since January to construct a unique project.

And the students are proud of the results.

Tammy Ramsey’s kindergarten class put together a “Helping Hands”kitchen package with everything inside from measuring cups to a waffle iron.

As a personal touch, the students came up with their own gourmet recipes which Ramsey compiled into the “Kindercooking” cookbook.

Source: The Herald Bulletin

No Comments »

An Elementary School in Glenn Dale, Maryland recently held its third annual live and silent auction. The school auction benefited the teacher appreciaton day, school assemblies, and the arts program.

More than 50 businesses and families contributed items, which were auctioned off to help raise $8,500 for the school.

Silent auction items included themed baskets, created by the different classes, evenings out, clothing and social time with all of the teachers. For the live auction, parents and staff bid on hotel stays, flying lessons and sports tickets. The first live auction item, a group dinner at the Marrakech Moroccan restaurant in the District, sold for $475.

Source: Gazette.net

As this great success story shows, annual events have advantages. Volunteers and attendees look forward to the event and participation grows each year. Many of the same businesses who donated to the Glenn Dale auction in previous years donated once again to this year’s event.

What if you had an auction and thousands of people came?

No Comments »