@ JHB ~ The scratch off lottery basket is such a great idea! I have been doing the auction for 8 years now and I never thought of that. Now that will be on my list of baskets this year! Thanks a bunch.
As for the dentists and ortho donations...the only way for them to donate to us is if we use them. So I always schedule my appointments close to the auction date so then they are more apt to give. I also ask the other parents for them to ask their own dentists and ortho to have them donate.
We always have a bidding war on the gardening basket. I put all of the items in a wheel barrel so it looks so huge! That basket always goes over $150.
This year I'm doing something new...I'm having a few "signed book baskets". I think the children will really want to get those books that the authors have signed.
We've had dentists give a $300 whitening, which was popular. We find retail gift cards (if donated, so you have no cost) do well because people are willing to bid up to 100% and even beyond. Hotel stays are big, depending on the location.
One of our favorites is a scratch off lottery basket. Get committee members and others to donate a ticket or two. The batch adds up quickly and no one feels like they spent much. Find some attractive way to display the tickets and use "priceless" as the value.
We had one at our big fundraiser this week. It was displayed all spread out on tall florist picks, almost like a bouquet of flowers. The winning bid was $85.
I also use the lottery basket in my family gift exchange at Christmas each year where we have a limit of $25. For that purpose, I usually buy a box of cookies or candy and covere the top with tickets, wrapping in plastic. It's always the most popular gift in the game. Worst case, even if none of the tickets win, they still have the cookies!
