What Are Effective Items to Donate for Charity Raffles?

[babywings76]

I'm thinking out loud here, so please bare with me. I'd love any other ideas or suggestions you guys may have.

I have a past host who is close friends with a mom whose daughter has cancer and is undergoing major treatments. They are doing an online auction on their blog and have asked people to donate things or bid. I was thinking of donating something, but I'm not sure what to do. I have some things on hand that I could put together. I can take a photo of it and they can add it to the blog. I will be responsible for shipping it to the winner.

Do you think it's best to just donate things I already own and pay for the shipping when it's time? Or should I buy something new and put it on my small catalog show I'm throwing together w/ Christmas gifts I'm getting for people this year (teachers, etc.) and have it direct shipped to the winner when it gets announced on the 20th? Or buy something now on this catalog show and get it submitted by the 15th so it can go towards earning the apron, and then ship it later.

This is a donation, so I'm just not sure how much to spend and I also want to make sure I'm doing it the simplest way.

My other question is, what do you think would be a great thing to donate for a raffle basket? Because I'm also doing one for my daughter's dance team. They are doing a Christmas show as a fundraiser in conjunction with a raffle of prizes to raise money for Make a Wish foundation. I'm torn on what would be a big draw for people. For the dance school, people pay for tickets and drop how ever many tickets they want to enter in the box for the drawing. But the Kash for Kami (little girl w/ cancer), I want lots of people to want it to make their bids go high.

 

[3girls]

my husbands club every year has a raffle on items....I usually donate $100 worth of merchandise that I collect through out the year...Usually because a host doesn't want their special, so I will pick it up and then I make it a consultant gift so that I may tax write it off at the end of the year.If you are able to donate a baker somehow, that would be great....you can put it down as a co-host item on your show or any show and have it direct shipped...again mark consultant gift for payment so it shows up on your end of year reports. Think about the dollar amount your want to donate and go from there.....The special for this month is great with cookie sheets.....everyone loves to make cookies....or at least I do.....Good Luck!

 

[DeannaK1022]

i've donated a couple of things.. A large bar pan w/ Season Best. A "pizza kit" with the mix and stone. Both times there were for silent auctions so I had to have them first and make them "pretty" in cellophane and such. I added catalogs and "you've also won a FREE holiday cooking show!" letter with each. - neither have come through on that.. but that really wasn't the point.. but i though I would try :O))

 

[raebates]

I donate items to charity events often. I generally collect items when I host my own shows. I use the FPV to get things that I know will be welcome. Remember, too, to get a receipt for the item you donated and to take a tax deduction for it.

 

[minirottie]

We sell Silent Auction/Raffle items through my dog rescue...both times a popular one was the Pizza Gift Kit..We also did smaller items like a microcooker with items in it, but the pizza stone was popular!When you say "things you already own" do you mean new in package items?

 

[babywings76]

We sell Silent Auction/Raffle items through my dog rescue...both times a popular one was the Pizza Gift Kit..We also did smaller items like a microcooker with items in it, but the pizza stone was popular!

When you say "things you already own" do you mean new in package items?

Oh yes, definitely! I have the HWC Microfiber Dots towel and the Pink Twixit's pack that I could match up with the Sweet Cinnamon and Sweet Caramel sprinkles. Those I could do for the Kash for Kami event. For the dance one I was thinking of copying one of the holiday sets that are on our PWS.

I like the ideas of using the host special as the gift. If I have enough orders from the other things and it counts as a show, I think I'll do that. It'll cost me less. The cookie sheets and cooling racks w/ the cookie press would be really nice to package up for the dance raffle.

 

[gailz2]

are there thoughts for or against donating a gift certificate to be redeemed through you? Perhaps they'd place an order then.

 

[babywings76]

are there thoughts for or against donating a gift certificate to be redeemed through you? Perhaps they'd place an order then.

Yeah, I wondered about that. I wasn't sure if people would think that was boring or as if I'm doing it just trying to get a new customer. KWIM? I think the idea would be great because then they can get whatever they want. But I don't want people to think it's tacky.