Anne . . . I'm sure everyone has differing opinions on this one. I cannot speak from experience from an organizers standpoint since this is my first year spearheading donations for our auction - however, as a frequent attendee at auctions as a buyer I can simply say that the packages/baskets do frequently frustrate me. I know that most auctions are for charity purposes and they encourage you to be generous but I just hate when I'm interested in part of the package and not all of it. Sometimes I can plan on using certain items as gifts but that doesn't always work. I do fully realize the need to create bundles for the sake of time and the fact that some items just wouldn't sell well on their own. I will say that I'm also VERY appreciative when there is a tag attached to the basket that clearly states the contents so I know just what I'm bidding on. In the end I think the key thing to remember is that you need a healthy balance in order to appeal to those who have varying budgets and spending patterns.
I need some advice please. I have been involved with an auction for my church for the last 3 years. In the past, we have always tried to group donations together into packages such as a "dinner and a show package", a "family activity and ice cream package", a “pizza lover's package", etc. It worked out nicely to group items together because then we didn't have to put so many individual donations out at once and it didn't take up so much space on the tables. Even though it was convenient for us to package things together and our guests seemed to like it, I am wondering now if this is the best approach for making money. In other words, will we make more money if we auction the items separately rather than having them packaged together? I would just like to know if anyone has any thoughts that they can share on this issue.
I just got an email that my disney tickets will be delivered within the next 6 weeks. Anyone who has received this email from disney, how long does it usually take to receive them from receiving this email? I am hoping it does not take 6 whole weeks. we are 2 monthsaway from our event.
Re Global Safari's. Be sure to read all of the fine print. Lot's of added fee's winning bidder would have to pay (trophy fees, taking animals out of the country, cost to shoot a specific type of animal). We thought it would be challenging to fairly explain total out of pocket costs (plus airfare) before people decided to bid. Plus it would be pretty pricy ( we estimated about $5K plus bid amt - a minimum of $2K of which we get $1K). Yes, an amazing trip but probably not worth the risk weighing of the portion we would get from Live bidding vs the frustration the winning bidder may experience once they get into the minutia of the package.
