Contribute to Auction

We welcome additional contributions to the auctions - see Auction Catalog to see what's already available. What makes our auctions fun are the many creative and interesting contributions that people like you decide to offer.

Items donated to Coho/US will be put into the Live Auction if they seem more likely to sell well or are particularly fun. The Live Auction can only present a limited number of items. The Silent Auction is better suited for smaller items and those which require more thought and consideration before making a higher bid. The LIve Auction requires you to make purchase decisions on-the-spot, in real-time. Silent Auction buyers have the time to think about how much they really want something... you can even give friends and family a call to decide if you want to share in the cost of a buying a Silent Auction item. In addition to auction donations, we also seek some specific types of items for the Dessert Dash and the Restaurant Frenzy - other parts of the Saturday Night Fundraising Banquet. See below on contributing a dessert or items for the Restaurant Frenzy.

Auction Solicitation

The following is the web-version of a solicitation letter that has now been sent out to thousands of people.

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From: Craig Ragland <craigragland [at] gmail [dot] com>
Subject: Please donate a product or service to Coho/US and FIC for our Fund-Raising Auction

Over the years, a great many Cohousing Supporters have made some
amazing donations--including many from folks who were unable to attend
the auction. Not only is this a great way for Established Communities,
Forming Groups, Cohousing Professionals, and Individual Supporters to
support the Communities/Cohousing Movement, but it is also draws some
attention to you/your group/company--from a very large gathering of
Cohousers.

The following request is from Laird Schaub, who some of you know as
the Executive Secretary of the Fellowship for Intentional Community
(FIC). Like Coho/US, FIC is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit with a mission to
help grow the Intentional Communities movement. Laird is the Benefit
Auction Solicitor for the 2009 National Cohousing Conference--a role
he's also done for some of our past auctions. These have proven a lot
of fun and a great way to share some of our resources while supporting
a couple of vital nonprofit organizations.

Craig Ragland
Coho/US Executive Director
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As has become a regular feature at Cohousing conferences, we will be
holding both a high-spirited Live Auction and a bargain-filled Silent
Auction at the national event coming up June 24-28 on the campus of
the University of Washington in Seattle.

The Live Auction will occur after dinner Saturday evening (June 27).
The Silent Auction will open as soon as the conference begins and
continue until after lunch on Saturday. There are two ways you can
help make this a resounding success:

a) Donate to the auction--products (how about a jar of Aunt Polly's
award-winning cherry preserves, or a bottle of vintage wine), art
(maybe a silk batik, soapstone carving, or set of hand-turned wooden
bowls), services (anything from a site plan review to a Tarot reading;
from financial planning to a Feng Shui consultation), or vacation
opportunities (perhaps a weekend stay for two at your luxurious home).
Use your imagination!

We'll decide which items are offered at the Live Auction and which
will be available at the Silent Auction.

b) Bring your wallet--there will be hot deals galore!

Proceeds will be split between Coho/US and FIC. As both organizations
are 501(c)(3), the value of your donated products or services can be
treated as a tax deduction, and we'll be happy to send you a letter of
recognition to that effect.

We are expecting a boisterous crowd and this could be an easy way to
promote what you do or things you support, and at the same time help
two great networks finance more of their programs. It's a relatively
painless way to help us help others find community.

If you have any questions or would like to discuss the best way to
offer something, please contact me at your convenience. Here's what
we'll need from you to present your offering to best advantage:

1. A complete description of the product or service.

2. If it's a service or usage, please give us acceptable times for
when the offer is good.

3. Your phone number (in case the winning bidder needs to contact you).

4. If it's a physical item, will you bring it with you to Seattle, are
you willing to ship it to the conference, or will you mail it to the
winning bidder?

5. If it's not a physical item, do you have an electronic color image
we can use to promote the item, or perhaps a brochure describing it?

Thanks for considering lending a hand. I hope to see you in Seattle.
Together we can have a good time and make a difference.

In cooperation,

Laird Schaub
FIC Executive Secretary & Benefit Auction Solicitor
laird [at] ic [dot] org>laird [at] ic [dot] org
660-883-5545

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Restaurant Frenzy

Do you go out to eat? Why not buy some restaurant gift certificates (from both local favorites and national chains) to help out the association? Its relatively easy for Coho/US to get donations from restaurants, so why not help us out by pre-paying for a meal in the Restaurant Frenzy. The gift certificate from different restaurants have values from $20 to $100. Winners just pay the face value. There is a catch - to win, you must be the first to get our auctioneer's attention, so Whistles, Props, etc. are both encouraged (and fun).

If you would like to provide a gift certificate for the Restaurant Frenzy, please Val at organizer [at] cohous [dot] org.

Dessert Dash

You’ve heard of singing for your supper… well, no need to go to those lengths. However, to get the best desserts, you need to chip in with others are your table to pay for it. Each table will pool its bids and the table raising the largest amount has first choice from the scrumptious desserts donated by some of Seattle’s best bakers and confectioners. Tables get to select their desert by "dashing” for their dessert as they are called, in an order established by the amount of the table's total contribution… The table contributing the least will “win” a plate of twinkies, unless one of the more generous tables picks that first (as if).

If you are an excellent cook and would like to provide a dessert for the Dessert Dash, please Val at organizer [at] cohous [dot] org.

Thank you

Thanks so much for thinking about making a contribution to the 2009 Fundraising Banquet. Your donations help make the event a lot more fun - and delicious!