I would like to donate an item to an upcoming school auction, but we are on a very limited budget right now. Have any of you made any interesting donations that didn't cost more than $50 out of pocket, but perhaps also drew upon your own talents? I wish that I could paint, sculpt or knit, but aside from baking cookies I don't have many homemaker skills! Looking forward to reading your ideas!
Two great ideas that they had for our auction was a goodie of the month club where you bake 1 treat a month for a family and deliver it.
The other idea was scrapbooking. If you are a scrapbooker, you could volunteer to complete a certain number of pages.
Then of course there's the airline tickets, ticket to pro sports events and time at your vacation home you can donate! :-)
My sister's program (PAL program at Clearbrook) does an auction every spring and we get everything from trips, to tickets, to homemade items, to bath products... everything. Two years ago my daughter's father and I went and won 8 Kane County Cougars tickets, a baseball signed by some Sox players, a toy for my daughter, amd tickets to a play.
Anyway, one idea I had was to take a baking sheet, a spatula, a cookie mix, and maybe a timer and make a gift basket. Or maybe collect favorite recipes from friends and family, type them up and make a cookbook and put it with some cooking apparatus (a couple of pans, cooking utensils, etc). You could do that with just about anything. A box of tea, a tea mug, and some slippers or a book in a gift basket. Some stationary, envelopes, a nice pen, and some stamps is another. A movie, some popcorn, a box of candy, and maybe a blanket in a popcorn bowl.
My Mom organizes items for the auction and her suggestion is to buy stuff on clearance and donate them. She said they always get at least retail for them and usually more. She said electronic items are usually hot items.
Good luck!
If your looking to spend $50 then why not put together a themed basket? blockbuster gift card, box of popcorn, candy, soft drinks etc big bowl from a dollar store to hold it all. you can do a great basket for about $30. and a lot of people will buy chances on it. Something I have found lately is that I am more willing to buy chances on something I can actually use as opposed to one that looks cool but is really nothing I can use. good luck
Making up a basket with a theme - movie theme - homemade-tie throw blanket (very easy to put together)
http://hubpages.com/hub/How-to-Make-a-Blanket
You can also include microwave popcorn packets, Jones Soda 4 pack (p/u at Target) couple boxes of theatre size candy boxes, paper popcorn bags (again, Target or a dollar store);
Or... another basket idea... wine(or non-alcoholic wine)/cheese basket w/ homemade bread sticks and box of chocolates, nice glasses-and cheap from HomeGoods or TJ Max,
Or an ice cream sundae basket w/ cool bowls, sprinkles, chocolates, small recipe book
Or a cooking/baking basket w/ a variety of cooking utensils - spoons, cookbook, dish towels, great cook book (again - HomeGoods is an awesome store for cheap stuff like this. Great prices on cookbooks and kitcheny stuff).
Gift baskets can always look like more if you work hard to get creative and frugal. Ask friends for a large basket that they no longer need or want. I see them all the time at Garage sales. You might just get lucky and find one. Or... Michaels and Hobby Lobby have these wonderful boxes w/ lids and handles. Using a 40% off coupon, they may not be that expensive but it would be nicer if you were able to spend more on the contents and less on the actual basket/box.
Good luck!
One idea was a big hit, get a popcorn tub (from blockbuster) put in movie boxes of goobers and raisinettes, get 2 or 4 movies theater tickets or movie rental gift cards and wrap in cellophane. You could also throw in a age appropriate DVD.
Siobhan, a donation of your time would be very inexpensive! You could put together a babysitting package, maybe once per month for a year. Make a fancy certificate on your computer. Since you mentioned baking cookies, maybe you could offer a cookie of the month type donation. Two dozen cookies a month for a year. Also, you can purchase some Blockbuster gift cards and make little movie night baskets. Include a package of microwave popcorn and some boxed candy. These are very inexpensive to make and in my experience, usually sell for quite a bit. Be creative---it sounds like you are on the right track!
Siobhan,
I have made blankets before. They are very easy to do and don't require any sewing. What you do is find some fleece fabric. Buy about three yards of the fabric. You will need two pieces of about three yards each. L:ay the fabric on top of each other and cut slits around the edge of it. Then tie the fringe pieces that are on top of each other together. You will have a blanket that is tied on the edges which will hold it together.
Another great idea is to host a party at your house of some kind of business where you would get some FREE items in return. That way you could donate the FREE items to the auction.
I would suggest Premier Designs Jewelry. I am a distributor and with only $100 in sales my hostesses are able to get $55 in FREE jewelry. Is all the hostess would pay for is shipping ($4.00) and sales tax. I have donated a set of jewelry for an auction my sister did out in Pennsylvania and she said it went over well.
If you would like to hear more about how to host your own show for FREE jewelry or how to do a fundraiser with Premier please call me at 847-594-4142 or email [email protected]
I hope I have helped some on a couple ideas.
Take Care,
Marcy Dobush
847-594-4142
[email protected]
Dear Siobhan, What we do for my kids school and there silent auction is that people donate baskets they have made. You buy a basket and fill it with whatever you want. Make it very appealing or attractive. For example one year I did an Irish basket. Everything in it was irish. Food, movie, beverage etc. You bake so you could make a basket with cookie sheets, recipes for you favorite cookies, cookie cutters, flour, sugar, vanilla etc. I think something like that would be a great idea. I would certainly buy it. Use your imagination and make it look really nice and I think it would be a big hit. Other ideas could be a movie night basket, ladies basket with lotions etc. Good Luck and enjoy your school auction.
You could always fix some type of gift basket. I have done this numerous times. pick up an inexpensive "used" basket at goodwill etc. for a couple of bucks and pick a theme. pick up items that go with your theme..at Big Lots, Walmart, Target or the Dollar Store. fill it up..they also sell "basket bags" at the dollar store so that you can seal your gift basket. Just think of the types of things you like and put them together.
Birthday party basket....(Dollar store)....Muffin tin, cake mix, frosting, cupcake liners, candles, plates, goodie bags, table cloth, invites, thank you cards. balloons. A party in a basket would make a lot of parents happy! Good luck! If you go to Dollar Bills (in Montgomery or rt 59) with everything for a dollar you could easily make it for $15.oo with that much savings you could even pick out party favors to add the basket.
Have fun!
You could offer to bake a dessert each month for a year for the winner.
Sounds like you are good at baking cookies, lots of people would pay good money for some homemade cookies..maybe you can make serveal dozen batches of your favorite kinds to auction off! I'm sure it would be under your budget, and some people will really appreciate it, I would..my grandma isn't around to make her aweseome cookies anymore!
Are there a couple of businesses that you frequent often. Ask for a Manager or Owner and tell them that you love their store and shop often. Then ask for donation whether it be large or small to contribute to a theme you have thought of. If it is in Feb maybe 2 glasses, a certificate for a bottle of wine(most schools will let you put in a certificate for pickup at your home or stores will do the cert., a box of chocolates and a floral certificate, and maybe a dining certificate(if you don't get donations WBIG1280 has cheaper certs.) If you want time and not bucks offer up plant/pet/house siiting with a fresh baked goody waiting for them on return. Offer the planning of a birthday party or event. Offer of services such as picking up dry cleaning for a period of time or ability to call on you to do an errand, like shopping for birthday gifts. Doing child Taxi service for a month or for an activity.
People who have had to resort to 2 people working don't have time, it's a great gift that people want on the cheap.
Good Luck.
There are some really great ideas here. But whatever you decide to do, research local stores to purchase the products. Then talk to the manager/owner and explain what your donation is for and ask if they would be willing to match your purchase price in donated goods. If they say no, find another place. You would be surprised how many businesses would be willing to help out the local schools. You can then attach a postcard to the donation to acknowledge that business.
Dear Siobhan,
My kids school is having an auction and I can't even afford the $50. So I have asked my friends and family to help volunteer there time or products. For example my one friend is making a gift cert for 10 hours of free spanish lessons. My sister is giving a gift cert for a free massage. I am giving a free day of daycare. My other friend is making a blanket to have actioned off. Every little item is helpful. So maybe see if your neighbors would help you out. Do you know someone that plows, mows, etc. Maybe you know of a business that would help donate. But baking is also great, I never thought of that. Maybe do a little basket full of stuff for $50.
Siobhan, i was in the same situation when my children were little. We did not have much money but I wanted to donate something. I donated four hours of cleaning time for someone's home and my more creative idea was packing a child's lunch for two weeks. I was going to have the family tell me what the child liked to eat and I would pack the lunch and bring it to the child. It was auctioned off but the person never collected. Ann
Baking cookies is a GREAT talent that not everyone has!!! How about a Cookie-of-the-Month Basket for the Auction. You could include a gift certificate good for 2-3 dozen homemade cookies, personally delivered by you each month! You can make it for 6 mos. or 9 mos., etc and even include a "menu" of what to expect each month. In addition, for a few $ you could make up a cute basket or cookie platter with a fresh batch for the Auction Table. I think it'd be a very popular item! Good luck.
draw upon your talents. Are you a good cook? Could you give away a cooking lesson or something you can make. Maybe a certificate for a catered lunch or dinner. Other thoughts are a room cleaning, detailing a car, closet organization. What do people tell you that you are so good at. Maybe you could put together a scrapbook package or a bucket of items that might not cost much and call it a College Care package with a roll or ziplock bag of quarters for doing laundry. Or a group of stationery items and call it a Writer's Block. Good luck.
You might be surprised at how much cookies might bring. A couple of years I put several pie-a-month gift certificates in an auction and they did well. So, mmm a busy family might be willing to pay for oh a couple dozen chocolate chip cookies each month. :-)