Saturday, August 29, 2009

Auctions, blogs, and answers

I'm finally wrapping up the loose ends of the auctions. Most everyone has gotten their loot! And I would definitely call it a success! Thanks to all who contributed in whatever form you did! Thank you also to those that have been ever so patient as they wait on e-mails from me. Still tackling a bunch each day.

Through this process, I have gotten asked a lot of the same questions, so I thought I would share the answers here with you.

FAQ

1. What made you decided to do this?
  • I wanted to help make an impact. I am not one to be apathetic or complacent with things I believe in. I'm also not one to join the thinking of "what difference can one person make?".

2. How did you think of doing an online auction?
  • I did not invent or dream up the idea. I have been following the blog of a mom of 6 in Iowa who adopted twins from Sierra Leone Africa. As you can imagine that was quite an expensive (and worth it!) adoption. To help fund the expenses, she used her blog to auction off some really cool items . I saw that people were willing to bid large amounts on these items because the money was going toward something they believed in.
  • I decided to try out the whole auction thing on my own blog . I wanted to raise money for a couple different things I strongly believe in. One was an organization called International Justice Mission. They rescue abused and oppressed people around the world including child sex workers and indentured slaves. They do amazing work using the legal system to bring justice to these oppressed people. The next "charity" was for family friends adopting twins from Uganda. Again, I wanted to help raise funds to get their sweet 5 years olds "home".
  • The auctions were fun, although done on a very small scale. The items for bid were mostly things I had made, or were handmade by friends. I thought the idea could work on a larger scale, but I didn't know if I had the means to take it to the next level. But I was willing to try.

3. How did you get the auction started, and how did you get donations?
  • I started with people I knew. I first listed our own 2 family owned businesses (ironically they are the only ones who didn't get bids I think!) I asked a friend who owns a Meal Swapping business if she would donate a delivered dinner. I thought if I could at least show the model of what the auctions would look like, then maybe more people would participate. Eddie Papa's was the first well-known local business I solicited. Eddie was fast to reply and was so generous, he really motivated me to keep trying. Before I knew it, people were contacting me to give donations! Before the first group of auctions even closed I was getting tons of e-mails from people who wanted to donate something. I sent out e-mails to everyone I knew in Pleasanton telling them about the auctions, and asked them to tell their friends and neighbors.

4. How did you do it all?
  • I'll be the first to admit that I had no idea how much this auction/blog would snowball and how big it would become. I also had no idea how much time it was going to take to keep it going. I quickly got in over my head. Another Pleasanton mom who was a complete stranger to me - Andrea Green stepped up to help me. She took the bull by the horns and started getting even more donations left and right. Which was awesome! But I was still swamped on the communications end. Every single auction listed took a massive amount of communication (mostly e-mails) to get. I did have some offers to help, and I fully anticipated taking up those offers. But in the end I felt like the amount of time it would take me to get someone else up to speed to help, was just not possible. So I have been doing most of the communications myself - which has meant a long lag time for responses sometimes =(.

5. Would you ever do this again?
  • I have jokingly told people that if I even considered doing this again, my husband would leave me! The real answer is - I might do it again, but definitely not in the same fashion. I learned A LOT in this process. I would consider doing something with a TEAM of people. I certainly can't handle trying to get donations, writing them up and photographing them, listing each one the blog, actually getting the items to store at my house, keeping track of who made donations, getting all the info from the winners, then delivering the items to the winners. And ALL the communications in between...which there is a lot of.

6. How did you keep track of who made donations for their items?
  • I worked closely with PPIE and PSEE to find out who made their donations for their auction items.

7. Were you happy with the results?
  • I was really blown away by the generosity by so many people. The variety of things that people came up with to auction off was truly amazing. Some of my favorites were services by P-Town teachers.
  • I also thought the bidders did a GREAT job of bringing the bids up! So many items went for more than their market value. Very cool.
  • I think my only disappointment was in the overall ILPS campaign, and how little came in to support the programs. While $14,000 was an impressive amount to raise, I knew it would be a drop in the bucket of the $2.8 mil we were aiming for. But I thought a lot more people were going to give just to give, and that my little auction would help be a gap filler and motivator.

8. What now?
  • First I will get every last bit of auction stuff done. Then I will focus my energy on what I love and care about. I have joined the PFC Board at Valley View this year, and hope to make a difference at my children's school. I will also continue to work on projects that speak to my heart - like helping to provide access to clean water to villages in Africa , feeding the hungry and caring for orphans . Sounds lofty right? But the truth of the matter is that what's a little bit to us, can go a looong way halfway around the world. And in my dreamiest of dreams, I hope to combine the two. I hope to bring a connection between our neighborhood, community and/or school and those suffering globally. As much as I believe in keeping Pleasanton schools top-notch and something to be proud of, I deeply desire to see our community reach out to those who are suffering. To those who not only don't have a school to go to, but don't even have their basic needs of food/water/shelter/medical care met. More than I want my kids to have low teacher/student ratios, reading specialists, counselors, and music, I want them to have compassion. I want them to see beyond themselves. And I want them to DO SOMETHING.
  • So you might still see some auctions, bake sales, and lemonade stands in my neighborhood. But the proceeds of these will hopefully be going to help those that are fighting for life.

Thanks to everyone again! Hope I answered all your questions!

~Amy





Sunday, August 16, 2009

Shout Out!

I just wanted to give a quick shout out to some of my "helpers"!

Andrea Green did a tremendous amount of work collecting donations of goods and services!

Brian & Chris Walder came in at the end to help secure some big ticket items!

Amy Gofron helped with post-auction duties (spreadsheets & e-mails)

And there were lot's of you that OFFERED your help, but I was simply in too deep to figure out HOW to take advantage of it!

Thanks to so many of you that came forward with goods & services for the auctions. I am overwhelmed with gratitude over your generosity.

And thanks to the BIDDERS! YOUR donations made a DIFFERENCE in our kids educations.

The cool thing about this auction is that everybody played an essential part. I have gotten lot's of pats on the back, but the truth of the matter is that without the donators of the stuff, and without the bidders, there would be no auction!

I will follow up shortly with some answers to "Frequently Asked Questions". So check back in a few days. In the meantime, I am taking a much needed get-away with my family (who may or may not remember who I am!)

Signing off with a huge

THANK YOU!!!!!!

~Amy

Saturday, August 15, 2009

Thank you Dreyer's!


Thank You Dreyer's for donating ANOTHER bus certificate! We seemingly had a bit of a grey area on the auction ending time and ended up with 2 winners! Uh-oh!

Dreyer's saved the day by donating another certificate so they could both be winners!

Thank you Dreyer's!!!

Friday, August 14, 2009

WINNERS!!!!

Thank you SOOOO much for participating in the auctions!
If you are a winner, this week, or prior, please make your donation ASAP! Preferably you would make an online credit card payment immediately. If that's not possible, please drop a check by the PPIE office tomorrow (not sure if Debi will be there, but likely will).

Click below to make an online payment:





Twisted Silver Hoops & Bangle (Silver)

Auction Ends: Friday August 14th at 10pm
Estimated Value: $35
Opening Bid: $20

Twisted Hoops silver

Classic hoops with the edginess of tarnished silver lets everyone know you’re Twisted!

Whisper Bangle Silver

Alone, it’s just the faintest subtle whisper of a bangl

e to add an understated accent. Stack up several

in silver and gold and cause a fashion commotion!

Element: Silver finish on brass
Weight: .25 oz
Size: 2 1/2 inch bangle



****Please leave your NAME & e-mail address with your bid.

Twisted Silver Beatnik Necklace - Gold

Auction Ends: Friday August 14th at 10pm
Estimated Value: $50
Opening Bid: $35

Beatnik Necklace Gold

This bohemian version of diva necklace features a vintage Chanel inspired chain. As versatile as you are, this can be a necklace or a triple wrap bracelet.

Element: Gold finish on brass
Weight: 3.5 oz
Length: 18"
Design Size: 1/2" wide links
Convertible Options: Necklace to a triple wrapped bracelet

****Please leave your NAME & e-mail address with your bid.

Twisted Silver Tag Earrings

Auction Ends: Friday August 14th at 10pm
Estimated Value: $25
Opening Bid: $15

Twisted Tag

Go on, tell the world you are a bit TwiSteD with this little drop!

Element: Sterling silver
Weight: Medium (.2 oz)
Drop Length: 3"
Design Size: 2"


****Please leave your NAME & e-mail address with your bid.

Twisted Silver Beatnik Bracelet in silver

Auction Ends: Friday August 14th at 10pm
Estimated Value: $30
Opening Bid: $20

Beatnik Bracelet in Silver
Vintage Chanel-inspired chunky chain, the Beatnik bracelet is simple yet unique. There's a reason it's a Twisted best seller!
Also available in gold and antiqued silver

Element: sterling silver plate
Weight: 1.1 oz
Length: 7" to 8" adjustable
Design Size: 3/8" links



****Please leave your NAME & e-mail address with your bid.

Twisted Silver Serenity Earrings

Auction Ends: Friday August 14th at 10pm
Estimated Value: $40
Opening Bid: $25

Serenity Earrings

With serene movement, create a unique "dressy bohemian" look that will have your girlfriends talking!

Element: Brass 
Weight: .4 oz 
Drop length: 1 1/2 inches 
Design size: 1 1/2 inches

****Please leave your NAME & e-mail address with your bid.

Twisted Silver Antique Silver Beatnik Necklace

Auction Ends: Friday August 14th at 10pm
Estimated Value: $50
Opening Bid: $35





Beatnik Necklace Antiqued Silver

This bohemian version of diva necklace features a vintage Chanel inspired chain. As versatile as you are, this can be a necklace or a triple wrap bracelet.
Element: Antiqued silver finish
Weight: 3.5 oz
Length: 18"
Design Size: 1/2" wide links
Convertible Options: Necklace to a triple wrapped bracelet


****Please leave your NAME & e-mail address with your bid.

Handmade Tea Pot by Roger Yee

Auction Ends: Friday August 14th at 10pm
Estimated Value: ???
Opening Bid: $35


Up for auction is another beautiful piece of handmade pottery by Roger Yee.  This piece is approximately 10" tall, including handle

About the artist...
Roger has been doing ceramic art for over twenty -five years and has been teaching ceramics in the Bay Are for eight years, two of which were at Amador High School, until he got laid off.
   
"My work is mostly utilitarian work.  I find a great satisfaction in producing personal items that the user can live with and incorporate into their life.  How people use my work is the greatest satisfaction and the most rewarding part of creating these clay objects."


****Please leave your NAME & e-mail address with your bid.

Custom Sports Mouthguards by Dr. Will

Auction Ends: Friday August 14th at 10pm
Estimated Value: $50
Opening Bid: $50

Dr. Will Schlicher is an orthodontist in Pleasanton and future Pleasanton schools parent (his son Elliot is 6 1/2 months old). He is donating 10 custom made mouthguards for the first 10 bidders who bid at least $50.  Required by an increasing number of sports, these custom mouthguards are more comfortable and more effective than traditional store bought guards.  
 
Dr. Will recently took over the practice of long time Pleasanton orthodontist Dr. Ford Roberts and he wants to do his part to make sure that these schools remain some of the best in the state.  See our website at 
www.pleasantonortho.com for our location.


What a generous donation from Dr Will.  Thank You!  

****Please leave your NAME & e-mail address with your bid.

3 Nintendo DS Games

Auction Ends: Friday August 14th at 10pm
Estimated Value: $90
Opening Bid: $30

Kim Pengrilly donated 3 BRAND NEW Nintendo DS Games by Electronics Arts:


 DS Games:


1.       Scrabble

2.       Spore Creatures


3.       Skate IT





****Please leave your NAME & e-mail address with your bid.

4 Wii Games

Auction Ends: Friday August 14th at 10pm
Estimated Value: $200
Opening Bid: $50

Kim Pengilly has donated some great BRAND NEW Electronics Arts Wii games:

Wii Games:


1.       Tiger Woods 2010

2.       Grand Slam Tennis 2010

3.       My Sims Racing

4.       Boom Blox Bash Party



****Please leave your NAME & e-mail address with your bid.

Thursday, August 13, 2009

Chili's

Auction Ends: Friday August 14th at 10pm
Estimated Value: $20
Opening Bid: $5



Chili's has donated four (4) $5 dollar Be Our Guest Certificates.  The certificates are good for food and drink only.  Gratuity not included.

****Please leave your NAME & e-mail address with your bid.

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

J'aime Bridal #2

Auction Ends: Friday August 14th at 10pm
Estimated Value: $100
Opening Bid: $50
Jamie Zile of J'aime Bridal on Main St (they just moved!) has graciously offered another $100 gift certificate to the highest bidder!  Not only does J'aime Bridal carry wedding dresses, and bridesmaid dresses, they also carry shoes, flower girl dresses and tuxedos for little boys.  

Thank you Jaime!
****Please leave your NAME & e-mail address with your bid.

Mathnasium Tutoring #3

Auction Ends: Friday August 14th at 10pm
Estimated Value: $250
Opening Bid: $100


Mathnasium  located on First St in Pleasanton, is offering a free diagnostic and 1 month of tutoring!  They also have locations in San Ramon, Union City, Walnut Creek, Alameda, Oakland, and a few other places as well.  Their program is for children from pre-K through 12th grade.  Please go to their website for an overview of their program and method.


*Good for first-timers only
****Please leave your NAME & e-mail address with your bid.

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

2 Nights & Breakfast at Hilton Pleasanton at The Club

Auction Ends: Friday August 14th at 10pm
Estimated Value: $250
Opening Bid: $100


The Hilton Pleasanton at The Club has generously donated 2 nights stay at the hotel and breakfast at The Players restaurant (in the hotel).  This is good for Friday-Saturday night stay only.  

This would be great for a little "stay-cation",  or maybe you have some guests coming into town but want a little space =).




****Please leave your NAME & e-mail address with your bid.

TGI Fridays

Auction Ends: Friday August 14th at 10pm
Estimated Value: $96
Opening Bid: $15
 
YEAR OF DESSERT AT TGI FRIDAY'S
Courtesy of TGI Friday's in Pleasanton, the winner of this auction can have a year worth of dessert.  This auction item is twelve (12) cards good for a free dessert at TGI Friday's.  The cards may be used one per party, per visit.  So help the Pleasanton schools now and get a sweet reward once a month for a year.  

****Please leave your NAME & e-mail address with your bid.

Time Share at the Newport Coast Marriott

Auction Ends: Friday August 14th at 10pm
Estimated Value: +/- $2550
Opening Bid: $1400

A Valley View family, the Kirimli's, have oh-so generously offered their TIME SHARE for the auction! This is a one week stay - December 18-25, 2009 in a 2 bedroom/ 2 bath villa at the beautiful Newport Coast Marriott.  *Note:  You may be able to purchase another night directly through the Marriott if you want to stay through Dec 26th.

Some of the amenities include:
  • Fully equipped kitchen, living/dining area, washer/dryer and private balcony/patio.
  • 4 outdoor pools, 3 whirlpool spas, fitness center, tennis courts, and activity center with game room









































This  lucky winner will have a very Merry BEACHY Christmas!



Start the bidding!

***Leave your NAME & E-MAIL address with your bid in the comments section

Dreyer's Bus

Auction Ends: Friday August 14th at 10pm
Estimated Value: $1,000+
Opening Bid: $200

The bus can be used on any day that is available (good to book in advance) and can be used by the auction winner for any event - up to 8 hours!

 

Ideas –

·         All day use for a Livermore Valley Wine Tour (winner to arrange tour) Sell tickets for tour, to make it into another school fundraiser?


·         Win this auction and provide to your child’s class and/or school for use during a fieldtrip


·         Book the bus for a child’s birthday party/event/class outing


·         Black Tie Bus Driver included


·         A Black Tie certificate will be provided to allow for bus scheduling and coordination


·         Seats up to 44 adults or 66 small children



Can be redeemed any time this year ('09) or next year ('10).  


HOW COOL IS THIS?????  My mind is going nuts thinking of all the options of what one could do with this bus!


****Please leave your NAME & e-mail address with your bid.

Scrapbook Layouts by Christie Carnahan

Auction Ends: Friday August 14th at 10pm
Estimated Value: Preserving your memories.....Priceless!
Opening Bid:  $30


Christie Carnahan, 1st grade Dual Immersion teacher at Valley View is donating her amazing talent at scrapbooking AGAIN!    She is donating  3 (2 page) layouts (so really 6 pages).  She will supply the paper (12 x 12), embellishments and journaling.  The layouts are worth approximately $12-$15 per page including labor & materials, so around $75 for all 6.    

Below are a few examples of layouts she has done.  However, the auction winner would not be limited to those layouts - Christie is oozing with creativity.





What a fun way to preserve your precious photos!

Start the bidding!


****Please leave your NAME & e-mail address with your bid.

WCOGA Birthday Party & Leotard

Auction Ends: Friday August 14th at 10pm
Estimated Value: $300+
Opening Bid: $100

West Coast Olympics Gymnastics Academy of Pleasanton has donated a birthday party for up to 15 children!  
Party Package Includes:
  • 1 hour of gym time with coaches
  • 30 minutes in party room for food & gifts
  • WCOGA sports bottle for each child
  • Invitations
For more party details check out their website 

Also included:  An adorable leotard in size small (maybe 4-5 yrs?)

If the party is not for a little girl, don't worry!  Save the leotard to give as a gift to a special little girl in your life!

Certificate expires 9/10/2010

****Please leave your NAME & e-mail address with your bid.

Kid's Party

Auction Ends: Friday August 14th at 10pm
Estimated Value: Priceless!
Opening Bid: $30

“Kid’s Birthday Party”               

       

Kid’s party planners are in town …If you want to plan an exciting birthday party for your prince or princess – this is a unique opportunity, not to be missed.

 

Up for auction is a one-of-a-kind birthday party that is exciting for the kids and relaxing for the parents, which everyone can enjoy. It can be arranged in the convenience of your backyard / indoors or at the park.

 

The offer includes:

  • 1.5 to 2 hours of party time for 10 kids
  • Cheese Pizza & drinks (for kids)
  • 5 to 6 age appropriate games/activities to keep the kids entertained. Including the materials needed for the activities.

 

Best of all, the parents don't have to do a thing J.

 

They can come to your home or party location anywhere in the Pleasanton, Dublin or Livermore area. The party dates will have to be mutually decided.

 

Information about the planners: They are Pleasanton moms and have 9+ years of experience arranging memorable birthday parties. It is their passion & they love doing it.

 

If you have any questions please feel free to contact them via email at kidsparty_planners@yahoo.com

**Please note: They will be providing the entertainment & pizza only, not the location, invitations, cakes, etc.




****Please leave your NAME & e-mail address with your bid.

American Harvest

Auction Ends: Friday August 14th at 10pm
Estimated Value: $60.50
Opening Bid: $25


Sharon and Rodger Mattern of American Harvest have joined in to help PPIE by donating a beautiful tray and three (3) beautiful coordinating pictures.


****Please leave your NAME & e-mail address with your bid.

Kathy's Healthclub

Auction Ends: Friday August 14th at 10pm
Estimated Value: $120+/-
Opening Bid: $30

Kathy Barney, owner of Kathy's Health Club, has donated a three month membership at Kathy's Health Club.  The certificate expires on December 31, 2009.

****Please leave your NAME & e-mail address with your bid.

Zachary's Pizza

Auction Ends: Friday August 14th at 10pm
Estimated Value: $30
Opening Bid: $15


Zachary's Chicago Pizza of San Ramon has donated a gift certificate for $30 dollars.  I have to warn the bidders that their pizza is truly addictive!  The winner of this item will also get 3 Zachary's postcards and 4 stickers.


****Please leave your NAME & e-mail address with your bid.

Monday, August 10, 2009

Trader Joe's Goodies #2

Auction Ends: Friday August 14th at 10pm
Estimated Value: $40.97
Opening Bid: $20


Trader Joe's has put together another bag full of goodies for our auction!  Included are:


  • A reusable TJ bag
  • Nacho chips
  • All fruit bar  ends and pieces
  • Go Raw Trek Mix (10 indv. Bags)
  • Almonds (13indv. Bags)
  • Fusilli pasta
  • Roast beef hash
  • Bottle balsamic vinaigrette
  • Bag of peanuts, berries, and almonds
  • 4 indv. Mixed fruit cups
  • Box chicken noodle soup
  • Fruit jellies candy
  • Chocolate convered mini peanut butter crackers



Start the bidding!

****Please leave your NAME & e-mail address with your bid.

Saturday, August 8, 2009

Cookie Lee- Tortoise Shell

Auction Ends: Friday August 14th at 10pm
Estimated Value: $47
Opening Bid: $20

Up for auction are Cookie Lee Tortoise Shell Hoop Earrings and a Triple Strand Bracelet!  

Start the bidding!


****Please leave your NAME & e-mail address with your bid.

Signed Jerry Rice framed photo & signed book

Auction Ends: Friday August 14th at 10pm
Estimated Value: $150
Opening Bid: $50

The Erickson's, a Valley View Family, has donated a signed Jerry Rice (with the Raiders) 8x10 picture mounted on a thick gray plaque with a signed book.  
(The framed picture is in plastic, that is why my photo is not super clear.)




****Please leave your NAME & e-mail address with your bid.

Friday, August 7, 2009

Raikes Collectible Bears

Auction Ends: Friday August 14th at 10pm
Estimated Value: $850
Opening Bid: $400
Vintage Hills teacher Teresa Huk has GENEROUSLY donated her Raikes Bears, collectibles by Robert Raikes. "Rebecca" 5447 (C6813/7500) comes with  Certificate of Authenticity, and is valued at $600.  Sebastian 5445 is darling, although he does have a small scuff on his left foot (as seen in picture).  He is valued at $250.

A truly collectible series of fully jointed bears with finely carved wooden faces and paws of select cypress.  Each Raikes Original is carefully detailed.  Imbued with a distinct personality that is as unique as the intricately detailed clothing that each wears.    















If anyone would like to view these bears in person prior to bidding, please contact me via e-mail @ amy.taylor2@comcast.net

****Please leave your NAME & e-mail address with your bid.