What Can I Donate?
The 2025 UUCF Auction Party is coming May 3. It’s what congregants donate that makes the Auction great! If you have a vacation home to lend for a weekend, great! If you can make a batch of your famous cookies, also great! If you have offered a successful Auction event in the past, please consider donating it again this year, perhaps varying it slightly from the past to keep it interesting.
- Historically, events for all ages and interests (such as dinner parties, winery tours, pool parties, family game nights, tickets to sporting events or performances) donated by congregants have raised the most money by far.
- Anything vacation related, such as a week at your mountain cabin, is also a great Auction item.
- Consumable items, such as wine gift packages, gourmet meal delivery, breads and cakes are popular with Auction goers.
- Services ranging from home improvement to tutoring and pet-sitting are also popular for our busy congregants.
Also historically, non-consumable tangible goods (like previously owned art, home decor, jewelry and fashion items) have been hardest to sell. So, the Auction team CANNOT accept donations of artwork unless it is made by a UUCF member or friend expresses a UUCF theme (such as a chalice). We do encourage donations of any goods handmade by UUCF members; art, crafts or food. We may respectfully decline donations of some used tangible items if we do not think they will be effective for the Auction. Because themed gift baskets also sell well, we may combine your tangibles with other donors’ items, to maximize the value of your donation.
Once you’ve decided what you would like to donate, use this 2025 UUCF Auction Donation Form on the Auctria Auction website to submit your donation. Here are some ideas to get you started:
Vacations and Local Tours
Do you own a vacation home/condo? Donate a weekend’s stay! Donate a gift card to your favorite winery or host a day trip to a flower or car show for a change of scenery. Give an opportunity to explore a new or local community.
Eat, Drink & Be Merry
Some of the most popular Auction items gather UUCFers for social events. Here are a variety of in-person and virtual ideas:
- Prepare and deliver a full dinner (e.g. Soupapalooza, Taco Fiesta, BBQ Bonanza, etc.)
- Host a themed dinner in your home (e.g. Stuff on Sticks, Outdoor Pizza Party, Sunday Dinner, Italian Comfort Food, etc.)
- Host a virtual or in-person cocktail party
- Host a virtual or in-person wine, beer or spirits tasting
Outdoor Events
Do you have expert knowledge of birds or other creatures native to this area? Do you know your town’s historical background? Can you teach families to make fairy houses with materials found in their back yards? Consider leading an event or class. Or perhaps you want to organize an afternoon of biking. Outdoor activities are a great way to celebrate the return of spring.
- Host a Corn Hole Tournament
- Lead a Nature Walk/Historic Walk
- Lead an outdoor Art Project class
- Create and host a local Scavenger Hunt
- Send someone to your favorite winery with a gift card
Create and Learn Gatherings
Use your expertise to offer valuable knowledge. Share your hobby or interest with others. Set up a seminar/consultation, in person or on Zoom. Teach a class, or offer an in-person event where guests learn from you, and make something they can take home. Could you take the lead in one of these areas?
- Writing projects
- Art Project
- Cooking Class
- Tutoring
- Music lessons
- Yoga
- Mixology
- Wine Tasting
- History of __________
- Do-It-Yourself ________
- Anything else?
Musical, Performance, Sports, or Other Events
We have many talented musicians, poets and actors at UUCF and in our local community. Share your gifts by creating events to showcase your talents or donating tickets to local performances or seats to pro sports events.
- Your own musical performance
- Gift certificates for local theaters
Services
Can you fix things? Do you like pets? Can you rake and mulch yards? Do you offer your services as a professional? What else can you do that someone else might pay you to do for them?
- Legal consultation
- Pet sitting
- Dog walking
- Home repairs
- Yard work
- Coaching
- Christmas decorating (outside/inside)
Delicious Offerings
Prepare something delicious and donate for bidding! You can deliver it at the Auction (e.g., for tomorrow’s breakfast) or provide home delivery at a later date.
- Sourdough bread of the month club
- Cookies
- Cupcakes
- Homebrew roulette
- Prepared meals (breakfast, lunch or dinner)
Gift Cards and Gift Baskets
So many choices! Nowadays you can get a gift card for almost anything, and you can combine items into a themed gift basket. We may also decide to group your items into gift packages or baskets to improve their sales potential at the Aauction.
- Coffee shop gift certificate or coffee themed gift basket
- Restaurant gift card or food gift basket
- Winery, brewery, or distillery gift card or basket
- Retail or grocery store gift card
- Apple, X-Box, Nintendo, Steam gift card
- Online store gift cards
Family-friendly Finds
Help your kids plan a favorite event you can share with other families. Design an item or event that brings together people from all generations.
- Assemble a Family Fun Night Basket (e.g. Twister, dominoes, card game, poster coloring sheets, s’mores making ingredients, and a pizza gift card)
- Design a fall celebration making scarecrows and jack o’lanterns
- Pull together a Busy Box (e.g. games, snacks, jigsaw puzzles, crossword puzzle book, etc.)
- Host a pool party
Playing Games
Game nights are great ways to inject a little fun into your normal routine. Host a board game night or evening tournament:
- Host Jackbox Online Game Nights plus delivered/pick-up snacks
- Lead a virtual Dungeons & Dragons session
- Host a charades and cocktails party
Go Green
Help others fight climate change by donating an environmentally friendly item, event, or service.
- Donate a bird feeder and birdseed
- Teach a class on composting
- Offer to plant a selection of native plants
Spirit, Mind & Body
What is your favorite wellness, spirituality or self-care routine? Why not create baskets or package any of the following:
- Pamper Yourself baskets (e.g., bath products, scented body products, herbal tea, sleep mask, chocolates, etc.)
- Meditation, spirituality or self-care book set
- Yoga set including book, mat, wheel, foam rollers or other equipment
- Massage gift certificate
Fine Arts & Crafts
We have many skilled artisans in the UUCF community. Is there a piece you can donate? Or, use your skills to create an original item for bid. Hats, notecards, knitting projects, wood-burning, garden decor, you name it!
Monetary Donations
If you have donated and purchased all the Auction items and events that interest you and you still have room in your budget, please consider a monetary donation to the Auction. The funds donated here will be applied to UUCF’s current program and budget. Any amount helps.