What if I want to make a financial donation?

Auction How To’s: How to Log in and Donate. Watch the video here.

Entering New Donations

1. Pick the most appropriate category for your donation.
   • Good Stuff = crafts, gently used art, jewelry, housewares, and clothing.
   • Food, Fun & Frolic = dinners, specialty foods, excursions, and vacation rentals.
2. Craft a catchy title with important words capitalized and numbers spelled out.
3. Upload a picture (help available if needed).
4. Write engaging descriptions with dimensions, colors, materials, etc.
5. Place a minimum value of $15.00 or greater on physical items.
6. Enter a date and time if you are hosting an event. Especialy if your event has more than 4 guests!
7. Choose delivery method for physical items.
8. Indicate if the donation is a “green” event or item.
9. Select “Save.”
10. Putting in a picture of your item is very, very helpful.

Welcome! Our auction is an important fundraising event for the church and a great way to bring people together. Do you have a special talent, skill, or a unique service to offer? Can you host a dinner? Then you've come to the right place. If you have questions about the auction, you can reach us at auction@firstuucolumbus.org.

<	Item No.	Donor	Featured Item	Date	Qty	$ Each	>
	F1	Susan O'Donnell	Celebrate Mexican Independence with an Authentic Dinner ¡Viva la libertad!—Sopa de tortillas, albóndigas, arroz con frijoles, ensalada Cesar, y flan. ¡Viva Mexico!—Tortilla soup, meatballs, rice, beans, Caesar salad, and traditional custard served with Mexican beer and sangria.	Sat Sep 17, 2022 - 6:00 PM	6	35.00

How to make a repeat donation

To repeat donations from prior years, you can use the "Offer Again" link next to those items on prior year's statement. Starting from this year's statement, click the "2020" inside the "Other Years" box to see your last year's statement. (You can go all the way back to 2006)

If you aren't sure what to offer, browse the catalog to see what others have offered. You can view prior years there too. Pictures from prior auctions are on the church's main website.

Even though we have some limitations due to Covid-19, as resilient UUs we have what it takes to make this year’s Auction a success.

Changes to this year’s auction include:

• We’ll be all online this year, with different items featured over the first 3 weeks of February. A few live auction items will be available at the zoom party on Sunday, 2/21/21, 7:30 pm. We need your creativity and generosity for a successful event!
• Larger events may be offered in 2021 if and when it becomes safe to have indoor gatherings. Stay tuned for that.

What might auction offerings look like in a time of social distancing?

• Homemade desserts, soups and meals
• Handcrafted items
• Works of art made by our community
• Lessons & classes that can be offered online. The Auction team can help you plan a successful event.
• Small outdoor gatherings where attendees can be safely spaced apart.
• Outdoor excursions with a limited number of attendees.
• Virtual (online) social events – musical performances, games, share a topic of interest, book discussion, etc.
• Offer the use of your vacation home

With your help, this year’s Auction will raise the funds needed to support the good work of the First UU Church and continue to build a beloved community that will sustain us throughout the coming months. We hope to hear from you soon!

Suggestions from Members' Wish List for 2021 Auction Donations

Fellowship Activities

• Gathering for games such as cards, dominoes, charades, etc.
• Bike ride
• Tour of an interesting business followed by social time
• Tour of a favorite place (art, garden, county, something unique --nearby or day trip)
• Birdwatching at Scioto Audubon Park or Greenlawn Cemetery
• Combination meal and program/speaker/activity with educational value
• Nature excursions of your interest and design

Dinners and Anything Related to Food

• Help at dinners you offer
• Piano music or other entertainment at home dinners
• Creative and themed dinners (i.e. favorite food of famous UUs)
• Join with someone else to provide a simple meal for a set price
• More vegan and vegetarian meals
• Meal prep & delivery
• Prepare pastry, wine, cookies or whatever your specialty is
• Gift cards to ethnic and casual restaurants

Entertainment

• Language lessons
• Dance lessons
• Home concert (with hors d’oeuvres and dessert)
• Concert or play tickets
• Spa packages (no fixed dates)
• OSU football tickets

House and Yard Help

• Handy-man
• Home decorating
• Feng shui
• House cleaning
• Window cleaning
• Room painting
• Power washing
• Gutter cleaning
• Yard work
• Garden planning
• Lawn care
• Mowing while you’re on vacation
• Fence repainting

Children's Activities

• Organize a visit to the Ohio History Connection's outdoor village
• Take kids to the Ohio State Fair
• Native wildflower hike
• Potluck picnic at a metro park on a weeknight with beverages, games & prizes planned by your family (reasonable set price)
• Red White & Boom (or other similar) picnic

Professional or General Services

• Financial
• Legal
• Auto services
• Furniture repair
• Home improvement
• House sitting
• Baby sitting
• Pet sitting
• Help with specific things for "x" number of hours
• Rides to airport
• Computer trouble-shooting
• Organizing help
• Career advice
• Job shadowing for a really interesting job
• Car pool opportunities
• Photography lessons
• Kayaking or canoeing lessons
• Massages
• Car detailing

Very Specific Ideas

• Historical walking tour starting with neighborhood of FUU Church's original location, giving context to area at that time, followed by a tour of the neighborhood of the current location
• Morning visit to a farmer’s market, followed by a cooking lesson
• Apple or other fruit picking, followed by pie baking
• Organizing group for a Columbus Food Adventure Tour
• Creating a food tour of several ethnic eateries or taco trucks
• Select a Columbus Landmark Tour and invite several guests
• Organize a tour of Ohio State House or Ohio Supreme Court
• Table at Picnic with the Pops
• Hire Jim McCormac for a speaking event or hike

Vacation Rentals

• More of these (a few nights or a week)

A Bit Unusual

• River Cruise
• Mud Wrestling

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a fair minimum bid? - Based upon previous years, here are some basic pricing guidelines for popular auction items.
• Hikes with snacks – minimum bid, $15 - $20
• Lunches/Brunches – minimum bid, $25 - $40
• Dinners - Informal – minimum bid, $25 - $35
• Dinners – Formal/multi courses/unique - minimum bid, $40 - $75

Things to take into account with setting value and minimum price:

Traveling distance – Are you meeting locally and then carpooling or are people having to travel on their own a fairly long distance? Offering to drive people or arrange to carpool will make people want to bid higher.

Uniqueness of the event – When offering an event, whether it is a brunch, hike, dinner, game night, etc., think about what works for you. A pizza and game night is great fun and a wonderful way to get conversations going but will bring in a lower bidding price, which is fine! An event based upon your travels to an exotic locale where you are sharing your unique experiences and special recipes will bring a higher bidding price because of its uniqueness. However, don’t be unique just to be unique; hosts need to enjoy their own event and be comfortable with what they are serving/offering.

The number of places offered – Offer the number of places that makes sense for you; however, items with only a few spots will generally have a higher value and minimum bid than items with lots of spots.

Value – We have a tendency to undervalue our offerings. This is a fundraiser and your generous donation is the backbone of this event. You are offering a service or event that includes your time and resources. Make sure your generosity is appreciated by setting an appropriate value. The auction team goes through values and minimum bids and will help you set prices.

Services – Services need to be valued by the time and resources being offered. Remember, your time is valuable and this should be reflected in the price.

Why is a specific date required? - If you are offering a one-on-one item (genealogy, counseling, and handymen services) you can figure out the date with that one person. However if you are offering a dinner for eight, it is akin to herding cats trying to find a date that works for all. By specifying the date in advance, people can check their calendar and know that they are available.

Still not sure what to offer? - Go through the past catalogs that are on-line. See what has been offered in the past. Talk to the auction team or to the host of an event you have attended. Bat around ideas and see what you come up with.