Est. 1998 — 27 years of woodworking knowledge
Need charity donation ideas
Paul Woolson
Hi all,
Looking for ideas of some larger-ticket items to donate for a silent auction. Of course, time is somewhat limited so I don't think a grandfather clock, etc would be in the cards.
My first thought was a lovely humidor but this auction is for Gilda's Club (a cancer support network) and promoting tobacco might be taboo.
Something that would sell for $500-1000 would be ideal.
Thanks, Paul
Re: Need charity donation ideas
Bill Tindall, E.Tn.
my family seems to have a robust apatite for various sized chests of drawers. Coffee table. Hall table.
Speaking of clocks . . .
Yonak
I made a mantle clock for an auction one time and it was very popular with the bidders.
Re: Need charity donation ideas
Don Stephan
Hat/wig stands likely won't be in that price range, but might be appreciated.
Re: Need charity donation ideas
JL
A computer "desk" or station is one thought.
An entertainment "center"/TV stand is another - the large units need a place to hold the speakers and the subwoofer.
Re: Need charity donation ideas
Dick Coers
Do you expect old money or new at the event? New money is no place to sell a clock. I've watched grandfather clocks sell for $150 on Facebook Marketplace. Hard to even give away Grandma's clock these days. I'd go for a bigger necklace/ jewelry box. Nice Asian styled tea boxes are popular. Natural slab anything is a big deal these days, especially coffee tables.
Re: Need charity donation ideas
Barry Irby
A hall table might be a good idea. It's a single piece and does not have to match anything else
Live edged stuff is popular. A guy I watch who produces them says his biggest sellers are ones for a coffee table. Maybe a live edge coffee table would be a good idea.
Nice jewelry box. Maybe one on a stand sort of Krenov style.
I donated a copper trellis some years ago and was shocked at how much it brought. About ten times what I thought it would.
Also donated dog houses to animal rescue places and those went well.
Re: Need charity donation ideas
Clementine
I built two Stickley serving tables, one of used pine and fir and one of maple and oak. We have in our area fund raisers for people with cancer and the like, so I will be donating one of the tables to that effort. I got the plan from "Making Authentic Craftsman Furniture," page 66. A simple build with many uses, and the dimensions are easily adaptable.
yes to jewelry box
Bill Tindall, E.Tn.
The craft shops in our area, Southern Highland Guild for example, all have versions of jewelry boxes from cheap to $500. The fact that these shops stock these items suggests the is good demand for them. Two $250 boxes might sell quicker than one $500 coffee table.
How about a Tea Box
Keith Newton
Since I've had to give up drinking beer, I've taken to drinking tea, and have a good assortment of boxes in my cabinet. I was just thinking about making a box dedicated to contain tea-bags. You might even buy some teas to put inside for display during the auction.
Re: Need charity donation ideas
Ralph Lipeles
See if anyone in the group has a boat that they no longer use and are willing to contribute.
Booze and massages
GolfSteve in Calgary
Handmade anything is not usually a great way to raise money for the effort put into it. I've seen beautiful handmade full-size quilts that only get a $25 bid, maple burl bowls that sell for nothing, etc. etc.. A friend of mine spent a year making an authentic icon and it sold for $125.
If times are good people might spend bucks for a hand-made item but few people really know the worth of hand-made crafts. They know the price of factory produced stuff (which is okay) from the local mall.
Best bang for your charity bucks is to donate a bottle of Scotch, a wine basket, or a spa gift certificate. People pay a premium for that stuff.
Save the lovely jewelry box for your granddaughters.
Re: Booze and massages
paul in AZ
Agree with Steve. Over the years I have made a variety of things for charity auctions. Generally the [presumably] higher ticket items do not sell for the money you would think. Remember that these are impulse purchases.
The most successful items are lower priced things like cutting boards of all things. Easy to make from multi colored woods and they sell well. Most cooks have room on their counter for a new cutting board. Not unusual to have a board sell for $100 or more.
Another thing that works is booze. Not scotch or something with a retail price that a bidder is familiar with. I have donated vintage port as an eg. A 20 or 30 year old bottle of port can get bid up well past it's store price. And if you choose to you can get a tax deduction for the cost of the bottle.