April 21-April 28

Good Times Together

Auctria website for online catalog and bidding: fundraiser.bid/UULansingApril2024 ; click ‘auction’ for catalog.

For assistance, contact auction.uucgl@gmail.com

Updates:

Online bidding will end Saturday April 27 at 3:00pm. Auction Team members will then enter online bidding results into the Auctria software to prepare bisheets to be available for in-person bidding on April 28 at church, in both the Social Hall and Atrium. . If needed, you can get a bidder number at the information table in the Atrium starting at 10:00am. Bidding/signup is open 10:00-10:30am and after the service until 12:30. Volunteers will be available to help or answer questions. If you are taking an item home that you won by bidding or sign-up, please check in at the Information Table so we have a record of who has what at the end of the day.  Payments can be made at the Information Table by check or cash, or you can wait to pay after receiving an invoice. Plates of cookies for $10 each (signup with bidder number) will be available at a table in the Social Hall. If you cannot be at church on April 28, but want to signup or place a bid on an item, contact auction.uucgl@gmail.com

Auction Information Table:    If you are taking an item home that you won by bidding or sign-up, please check in at the Information Table so we have a record of who has what at the end of the day.  Payments can be made at the Information Table, or online on our church website (click on the large red circle on the homepage) or by mailing a check to our church office with ‘auction’ in the memo line. You can also pay by cash or check on Sundays in May at an Auction Table.

General information

The annual auction is the largest fundraiser benefiting our church operating budget, and it is also how many of us get to know one another through mutual enjoyment of meals, parties, learning experiences, and sharing of our skills and talents. These activities bring communal joy, and the entire process enhances creativity and community in our church in multiple ways.

Each of the hundreds of items are classified either for bidding or signup types of purchase. The bidding process proceeds as for a typical auction – a minimum bid is specified and people enter a bid that must be higher than the previous bid. For some items, a maximum “buy-it-now (BIN)” price is specified and a bidder may enter the BIN amount at any time to immediately be the winner of the item. The signup process involves a specific price specified for each item (e.g. each seat at a gathering) and a bidder can “signup” and immediately be the purchaser.

Our silent auction will feature both in-person and online bidding/signup options. In-person bidding/signup in-person at the church will be available on Sunday, April 21 (11:30am – 12:30pm) and Sunday, April 28 (10:00-10:30am and 11:30am - 12:30pm). Online bidding/signup will be held between Monday, April 22, 6:00pm through Saturday, April 27, 3:00pm. Assistance will be available for online and at-church bidding as needed. Auction team members can take payments by check or cash on Sunday mornings. For most purchases, an invoice will be sent to winning bidders by email, and payments can be made by check or online before the end of June.

On-site help needed on Auction Sundays:  We have a number of volunteer slots to fill during Auction Sundays--April 21 & 28 (e.g., set-up, general helpers, clean-up, etc.).  You can sign up at the Auction Table each Sunday from now through April 14; or fill out an online form .

Attn: Cookie & Cake Bakers: 

Cookies: We're including a cookie sale on the 2nd Auction Sunday (April 28) - cookies to be delivered to church on April 27 or 28. Bid sheets will be available throughout the Auction week for people to signup ($10/plate) to take home a plate of cookies on April 28. People to bake cookies are being recruited - sign up at the Auction Table or fill out this online form.

Cakes and Cupcakes for Mother’s Day May 12: Also there will be bid sheets both April 21 and 28 for pre-orders for Mother’s Day cakes ($30 each) and/or 1/2 dozen cupcakes ($15) to be available at church on May 12 (Mother’s Day). A bid sheet will be available to signup for each cake or 1/2 dozen cupcakes. Donors will be notified if their item was sold; if so donors should deliver items to the church on May 12 (if delivery that day is not possible, Auction Team members can assist).  You can sign up to donate a specific type of cake or cupcakes at the Sunday Auction Table, or fill out this online form.

AUCTION CATALOG: An online catalog will be available April 19 on the Auctria website, link to be provided in the April 19 newsletter and posted here. A downloadable pdf version will be provided here on April 19.

DETAILS and WHAT TO EXPECT:

Bidding, Buy-It-Now, and Sign-Up:  There is a difference between “bidding” on items and “signing up” for items. Sign-up: you sign up and pay a set price. Quantities can vary from item to item, so be sure to choose how many you want to purchase.  Bidding: A minimum bid is listed, bids are raised in set increments, and the highest bidder at the end of the auction wins the item.  For some items, a buy-it-now (BIN) is listed.  If you list your bidder number at the pre-set BIN price, you will win the item immediately.  

April 21 at church - Bidder Number:  You need to have a bidder number to participate.  Bidder numbers and print copies of the short form catalog (no description) will be available at the Information Table in the Atrium beginning Sunday April 21 at 10:00am.  You can get a new number, or volunteers in the Social Hall can look up your number from last year.   Bidding/sign-up will occur 11:30-12:30 in the Social Hall and Atrium.  You will enter your bidder number on a bid sheet to bid or sign-up for an item. Volunteers will be available to help or answer questions. If you are taking an item home that you won by bidding or sign-up, please check in at the Information Table so we have a record of who has what at the end of the day.  Payments can be made at the Information Table by check or cash, or you can wait to pay after receiving an invoice.

Online bidding at the Auctria site between Monday April 22, 6:00pm, to Saturday April 27, 3:00pm: You will need to be registered on Auctria to sing-up or place a bid on an item. If you were a bidder last year, you are already registered. If you got a new bidder number on April 21, you will be entered into the system as a bidder by Auction Team members between 12:30 April 21 and 6:00 April 22. You can also register yourself as a bidder if you were not at church. The volunteers will also enter all of the bids from April 21 into the online system. People can then start or continue bidding online, and can reach out for help at auction.uucgl@gmail.com. After online bidding closes, Auction Team members will print new bid sheets for reflecting online signups and bids for use on Sunday April 28.

April 28 at church - If needed, you can get a bidder number at the information table in the Atrium starting at 10:00am. Bidding/signup is open 10:00-10:30am and after the service until 12:30. Bid sheets will be distributed in the Social Hall and Atrium. Volunteers will be available to help or answer questions. If you are taking an item home that you won by bidding or sign-up, please check in at the Information Table so we have a record of who has what at the end of the day.  Payments can be made at the Information Table by check or cash, or you can wait to pay after receiving an invoice.

Auction Information Table:    If you are taking an item home that you won by bidding or sign-up, please check in at the Information Table so we have a record of who has what at the end of the day.  Payments can be made at the Information Table, or online on our church website or by mailing a check to our church office.

Winning Bids:  For sign-up items, or items that you purchased at the BIN price, you are immediately the winner, and can take the item home immediately. For items with only one winner, successful bidders will be notified by email from Auctria (the auction software) as soon as possible at the end of the auction.  Some items are available for pick up at the church, while others can be picked up by mutual arrangement between donor and buyer.   

Payments:  Invoice statements will be sent by email to winning bidders the week after April 28. Payments can be made online on our church website or by mailing a check to our church office (5509 South Pennsylvania Ave, Lansing MI 48911).  Payments can also be made by cash or check at the Auction Information Table on Sundays in May.  No payments are made on Auctria.

Previous information:

Donations:  Most donations have been received.

Creative Collaboration Opportunities:  Would you like to collaborate with someone to offer a gathering?  Are you able to cook a dinner (or parts) but don’t have a venue for guests to gather?  Do you have a house/apartment to host a gathering but want help preparing an entire meal?   The Auction Team can help match people.  

Special Requests:  Is there something you need? This new category let’s you describe what you need and specify how much you are willing to pay.  When someone from the church community signs up to provide the service, you contribute the payment for your “special request” to the church.  Examples include:  window washing, power washing a deck, computer assistance of a specific type, a specific kind of help with your garden, a specific type of food, instruction or help for home repair, temporary use of an item such as a power tool or sewing/embroidery machine or log-splitter, music lessons, a poem or song written to your request, instruction to learn a game, etc.  

On-site help needed on Auction Sundays:  We have a number of volunteer slots to fill during Auction Sundays--April 21 & 28 (e.g., set-up, general helpers, clean-up, etc.).  You can sign up at the Auction Table each Sunday from now through April 14; an online form will be available soon.

Attn: Cookie & Cake Bakers:  We're including a cookie sale on the 2nd Auction Sunday (April 28) - cookies to be delivered to church on April 27 or 28. Also there will be bid sheets both April 21 and 28 for pre-orders for Mother’s Day cakes and/or cupcakes to be available at church on May 12 (Mother’s Day).  Items should be delivered to the church on the day of the sale (or, if freezable, can be delivered the previous Sunday).  You can sign up at the Sunday Auction Table; an online form will be available soon.

Reach out to the Auction Team at auction.uucgl@gmail.com with questions and suggestions, or if you are interested in helping with planning.