A new normal doesn’t mean a totally new Auction

Please don’t let our “think out of the box” mantra for this year make you not donate something you have always given. We are taking your regular donation to the auction, even though we are online this year. Your CSA boxes, jams, fudge, artwork, and handcrafting are all welcome! We’re also taking services like snow shoveling (you never know), yard raking, deck cleaning, car washing, toilet repair, and math tutoring. And we’re looking forward to that pumpkin bread!

But there are a few new procedures

If you are donating items, there are a few different decisions for you to make this year. Are you comfortable keeping the item(s) at home and having the winning bidder pick it up from you? Do you have the ability to take and upload good pictures of your item(s)? If the answer to either of these questions is “no,” we’ve got help for you. You can store your non-perishable items at FUUN or have them photographed.

To provide a safe way to drop off your items for storage or photography while the camplus and offices are closed, we’ve set up signup.com drop-off events on several days between October 3 and 14. Do not plan to randomly drop your item off, as there will only be people there to receive it on the specified days. Check that out here: https://signup.com/go/NGrizhQ.

If you’d like to have your items photographed, you can sign up for a time to do that here: https://signup.com/go/FBSezCY. Most photography will take place on October 14, but spots are limited if you’re not storing your items at the church. The deadline to sign up for photography is October 13.

And an earlier deadline than usual

To give your auction team time to make this online auction the best it can be, the donation deadline  has been moved back. And it is rapidly approaching. Get your submissions in by Saturday, October 3. Donate here: https://charityauction.bid/FUUNAuction. 

It’s been a tough few months, especially if you’re an extrovert. Figuring out if you can visit with others has been a struggle and the auction committee has been thinking about this, too. While many of the events we normally look forward to are impossible this year, socializing in person is possible. Let’s build a new normal for being together!

Consider your tolerance for risk before offering these or similar events and check out our guidelines for social events here. 

I know, you’re wondering “what on earth can I donate to the auction this year?” This is the first in a series of posts with some ideas for you. Hopefully, you’ll find inspiration here or in one of the next posts.

Let’s talk about virtual socializing. Sounds intimidating to some of us, right? And others are old hands at it. If you think you might like to try it but don’t feel confident in your tech skills or your tech, we have people willing to help in a socially safe manner. You can also team up with a tech guru to offer your event. 

On to the inspiration!

Offer a How-to Class

Are you an expert at something? Have you learned a new skill during the pandemic? Offer a how-to class!

Cooking

Do you have a special recipe you’d love to teach others? Gather via zoom (or other virtual meeting services) and get cooking!

Host a Game Night

Move your favorite games online! Some games are already available online, others you can get creative with and play on zoom.

Dungeons and Dragons

Dungeons and Dragons role-playing games are easily transferred to a virtual meetup. Set up your dice, get your character sheets ready, and play!

Team Trivia

Let’s Roam has a great set of options for playing online trivia with friends. Check them out and offer the one you think will work best for you!

Netflix Party

Netflix Party is a new way to watch Netflix with your friends online. Netflix Party synchronizes video playback and adds group chat to your favorite Netflix shows.

Image Attributions in order of appearance: 
Man Streaming Cooking Designed by Freepik  | diy creative workshop Designed by Freepik  | digital png from pngtree.com | Instant Gaming Tabletop Simulator  | House vector created by vectorpocket – www.freepik.com | Background vector created by katemangostar – www.freepik.com | People vector created by vectorpouch – www.freepik.com | Music vector created by gstudioimagen – www.freepik.com | Technology vector created by Kerfin7 – www.freepik.com | Banner vector created by macrovector_official – www.freepik.com |

Support FUUN with a phone call or two

This year we’re adding local business donations to our Fall Auction. We have some folks who’re working with businesses in Green Hills and several cities outside of Nashville, but most of the Metro Nashville area is open. If you have a favorite local shop that you think more FUUN people should know about, ask them to donate to our auction. Keep reading for more information.

More Information

Thank you for considering asking local businesses for donations to our 2020 Fall Auction. Here are the critical details you’ll need to help you make your request.

1) Here’s an editable Letter of Request and Donation Form that you should personalize for the particular company you are contacting. We’ve put the Church’s Tax ID# in the footer of the document. Leave the Letter of Request with them and bring the filled-out donation form home with you if you meet your contact in person. If you work with them over the phone, email them a copy of the letter.

Our Auction software, Auctria, will send a donation receipt to your contact’s email address, so make sure the address is correct.

Because we are offering to highlight the company in our Auction catalog and with any social media advertising that we do that is associated with their donation, please make sure to get their social media tags.

2) We will accept donations until October 3.

3) The Letter of Request contains the dates of the Auction and some of the community work we do. Of course, if you are involved in a particular FUUN program that impacts the community, please share that.

4) You’ll be responsible for entering the donation into the Auctria Software. If you need help with that process, please let me know auction@thefuun.org.