I applied via e-mail to Panera and I never heard back. How are you applying? And how long did it take to hear back? Same for Ben and Jerry's I sent my request in on the 5th and still nothing.
I work for a small special education school that serves kids from three counties and from 1st-12th grade. It can be difficult to have families come to the school, so I am tying the auction in with the school book fair (also run by me b/c I don't have enough to do) and Open House because the families will at least be coming to the open house to see their kids' classrooms and get free snack foods. If they come for one thing, then they have the opportunity to check out the other things! The people that come just for the auction will be able to see the school more and possibly get some books as well!
Also, when searching, I started with one idea and just started googling. for example, "Fun things for kids in the bay area". I got websites with lists of things for kids to do and I just searched for contact info and donation requests for those places as I went down the list. Time consuming: yes, but helped me come up with places that I wouldn't have thought of before.
Well this website has become my new obsession....
Thank you to everyone for the wonderful ideas! I'm doing EVERYTHING for this auction by myself so this website is beyond helpful. I have sent off hundreds of emails and letters at this point and am now just waiting.
My auction is in the northern bay area in California.
So far this year, I've gotten a yes from:
Well known-
BR Cohn Winery
Beach Blanket Babylon
De Young Museum
Keurig
Panera Bread
Locally-
yoga studios
Vertex (wall climbing facility)
restaurants
small family owned wineries
kayak/ canoe trips
hotair ballon trips (all offered a discount of some kind)
It's now just a matter of time to see who else replies but it's a good start. I also posted to my friends and family on Facebook and have received some art and some baskets of candles/ relaxation stuff.
Last year, along with some of those, I also recieved a few different signed books from Dan Millman, who wrote "The Way of the Peaceful Warrior".
Just received an acknowledgment from Elite Island Resorts that they'll donate a 7-day stay for up to two rooms. When they send the literature, is there information included re the all-inclusive meal plan, or is that something I should request separately? Any feedback on value, how well bidding went, and if anyone has used the vacation certificates yet? Thanks!
To get a copy of your IRS determination letter - have an officer of your organization call the IRS (get the number from the website). We could not find our so I called and they sent me a letter saying our organization was a 501(c)3 organization. We have used that as our determination letter for several years and it has worked great.
