It's Auction time again!
Get ready for Fall Friendzy!
Saturday, October 26th at 1:30pm
1:30pm Check-in
2:00pm Lunch
2:45pm Live Auction Begins!
It's time to mark your calendars, save the date, and get your donations in! What will you offer? A hike, a dinner, a night of charades? A jar of your home-made jam, a ride to the airport, or a pool party. Bingo night, anybody?
We can't wait to see what you come up with - this is how we fill our social calendars, get to know each other better, have big fun and raise money for the church at the same time! It's a huge win-win and so much fun. Make your donations and be sure to attend the auction, at OCUUC on Saturday, October 26th.
Submit your items and events online here or grab a form at the auction table on the patio on Sunday. You can also ask questions and buy your lunch ticket, $10. Questions? Want to volunteer? Reach out to auction@ocuuc.org. Deadline to submit donated items and events to be included in the catalog is Sunday, October 13th.
Enter your items and events on our auction website:
For newer folks, our auction raises money for the general operating budget. We offer opportunities to spend amazing time together; slide shows of trips we have taken, Yoga lessons, Tarot readings, sing-alongs, back yard BBQs, sip and paint. Sometimes we offer things folks might do without us such as theater tickets or weekend getaways at our vacation homes or time shares. Sometimes we offer our services such as event planning or math lessons. We also love items such as succulent gardens, gift baskets, hand made jewelry or garments, even electronics or bicycles.
When entering your items on the website, there are easy to navigate fields to fill in including a description, date - undated events don’t sell well. There is a calendar you can click on to see if your hoped for date is already taken. We can have more than one event per day, but would prefer not to unless one is in the morning and one is in the evening or one has very limited slots. A word about how many “slots”. A painting will have one slot, a painting class may have many slots. You must choose a number. Our advice is to have an event for 6-10 people. This tends to generate the best bidding scenario. There is an easy to use way to upload a photo. Items without photos don’t sell as well. A generic photo is better than none at all. One field is a tad confusing; there are buttons for what type of entry; church, event, service or item. The only reason “church” is a choice is so the committee can add church events to the calendar so that you will know about any conflicts with dates you are choosing for your events. Even if you wish to host an event at church, that does not make it a “church event” Please use the “event” button for all of your events, wherever they will take place. If they are to be held at the church, permission must be requested through admin@ocuuc.org (because we share our campus with other groups) before the item is added to the catalogue.
Check the Blast for more updates, ask an Auction Committee member on Sundays at the Auction table, or email us at auction@ocuuc.org if you have any questions.
Let’s raise money for the church together!
Details:
The auction is open to all: Members, Friends, Visitors and their friends and relatives. Here’s how it works:
1. Offer Something:
You decide what you want to offer, how many spaces you have available, a starting bid and a description of the item or event. You can donate your item directly. Simply go to www.togetherauction.com/ocuuc
Register yourself at the site providing your name and other contact information. Once done simply click on the “Donate an Item” button at the top of the page. Complete the information requested and submit. That’s all there is to it.
For instance, you might offer:
“Mom’s Homemade Apple Pie - an old family recipe handed down over several generations. It’s a classic version complete with lattice crust. Served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and you have a treat that can’t be beat!” -- 2 pies offered -starting bid $18.00.
You can offer a service, such as helping someone with a dinner party, and you can offer an event, such as a dinner or a picnic hike. You can offer an item, such as concert tickets or baked goods, home canned goods, holiday treats and more. Keep in mind that this is a fundraiser, so pick something that others will want to spend their money on. You may make as many offers as you want. If you need help thinking of something to offer, or how to plan your event, speak to us at the Auction table on the patio on Sunday, or send a message to auction@ocuuc.org.
You can start submitting items immediately. The more items we have the better we will do! You can also donate items directly using the form at: www.togetherauction.com/ocuuc
Plan Your Bidding:
Peruse the online auction items for donations and plan what you want to bid on.
When do I pay?
You can pay for your purchased auction items at the close of the auction with a credit card), or you will be billed, which must be paid before the next auction (they're held in fall and spring).
In addition to your bill, you will also be sent a list of the items you offered and who bought them.
What if I buy a seat for an event and I can’t attend?
You are financially responsible for the seat you bought as it could have been sold to someone else. You can offer your place to a friend (especially a new member or visitor who wasn’t at the auction) or you can contact the host to see if they want to invite someone else.
What if I offer an event and then can’t host it?
You can try to find another day, time or type of event that you are able to host. Remember that you promised something that someone was willing to pay for. The sooner you contact your buyers to work out another plan, the better.
Are there any other guidelines?
Things to keep in mind:
Hosting: If you host an event, choose a date. We sometimes think it’s best to ask bidders for their availability but history on this shows that people are choosing which items to bid on based on their calendars already. They are coordinating bidding on multiple events and since Saturdays in particular are popular, if an event does not have a date, they tend to worry that there will be conflicts so that item ends up with fewer bids, earning less money for our beloved church!
Use of the church: If you would like to use the church for an auction event, please remember that you must check the church calendar with Sarah Jones, Administrator and it must comply with prevailing COVID restrictions.
Families: When you are deciding what to offer, keep in mind parents like to do things with their children (such as a bounce house party in your backyard or a hike and a picnic), children like to do special things without their parents (such as making crafts for holidays or a trip to the zoo) and parents like to do things without their children (such as poker night). We try to have a good mix.
Timing: Auctions are organized approximately twice per year – spring and fall. Try to plan some things that happen months from now.
Work involved: It is really fun and a lot less work to host an event with a friend. Talk to your friends about hosting together or just brainstorm ideas for offerings.
Questions? Contact auction@ocuuc.org or stop by the Auction table in the courtyard on Sunday morning.
Statements
You can view a summary of your purchases including the prices you offered. Simply login to: www.togetherauction.com/ocuuc and check your purchases.
All of the auction items that you purchased will be listed. If you donated any items, just click on the 'donations' link to see who bought your items.
Other things to consider:
- The people who attend the auctions have a good time and enjoy good food.
- We raise money towards the Church’s operating expenses.
- Those who attend get something direct and tangible in return for a donation to the Church.
- Many of the events offered for auction are a great way to find people in the church with similar interests and are a wonderful way to share your hobbies, interests, and special places with others.
- Often the events purchased get you to places and activities that you might not ordinarily go to or engage in because you are unaware of them.
- The events offered at the auctions provide important social interactions to help build our community through building personal relationships.
- Both the buyers as well as those offering items for purchase achieve satisfaction knowing that they are helping our Church community.