2010 Auctions

The silent auction and the live auction are both great ways to raise funds for the cohousing movement. Come with your wallet, and win some great items. All proceeds support 501(c)(3) non-profit associations, so contributions are tax-deductible to the full extent allowed by law.

Auction Contributions Invited

In addition to coming with your wallet, please consider making an auction donation to help make the auctions even more successful..

Silent Auction

The 2010 silent auction is available on tables next to the conference bookstore and is held in addition to the live auction at the Saturday night banquet. Previous silent auctions have featured such items as massages, yoga classes, artwork, clothing, food, and home-stays at cohousing communities. Some auction items appear in the auction catalog.

Visit early, and bid often! Please bring your wallet and have fun as you “play” with other attendees.

Proceeds from the silent auction will be split between the Cohousing Association of the United States (Coho/US) and the Fellowship for Intentional Community (FIC). This is your chance to get some unique and amazing bargains – and to support two great causes at the same time. Please bring your wallet!

If you have items to donate to the auction, please contact Adam Robinson, the 2010 Auction Chair (auction [at] cohous [dot] org) or stop by the bookstore if you are interested in contributing at the conference itself.

More auction specifics will be announced at both the Friday night and Saturday morning large group sessions. A list of winners will be available on late Saturday afternoon shortly after the auction closes.

Live Auction

Held Saturday night as part of the fundraising banquet, the live auction is a true conference highlight.

Kevin Benedict returns as our professional auctioneer. A gifted singer/songwriter, Kevin makes the live auction a fun, high-energy affair. One of Kevin's newer auction fans says, “It was such fun to see Kevin perform – his energy was infectious, and the whole room had a ball.” Check out the video to see Kevin in action at a recent charity auction.

At the live auction, you can win some great items while supporting the cohousing movement. This year, the auction features several packages created especially for this cohousing conference. Some are fabulous, most are unique, and others are just plain funny. Some items may be such bargains that the savings alone could cover all of your conference costs. Some could also help you realize your vision of creating your cohousing community.

This year, many of the auction items are quite special – and you may want to consider them before the actual auction. Featured items include coho-expert visits, coho-vacations, fun stuff, and more. During the auction, you need to decide in the moment about making a purchase, so you’ll want to be prepared. You may want to share these items with others in your community or forming group. In the past, people have "gone shopping" for friends and neighbors and others in their community or forming group. Groups might even pool funds to purchase select auction items. To better enable this, you can see some of the items now in the online auction catalog, look at them near the bookstore when you arrive at the conference, or check them out at the banquet itself.

Auction Rules

For all the details about the auctions, please see the auction rules.