What Can I Donate?
MasqUUerade – the 2023 UUCF Auction Party – is right around the corner. All kinds of events, services and goods are needed to make the Auction a success. 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. This Top 10 List gives inspiration for what you might offer. 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, starting in 2023, the Auction team CANNOT accept donations of artwork unless it is made by a UUCF member or 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 2023 UUCF Auction Donation Form to submit your donation. Here are some ideas to get you started:
Need More Inspiration?
Peruse past Auction Catalogs for ideas: 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017.
Vacations
Do you own a vacation home/condo? Donate a weekend’s stay! As the weather gets warmer and we enter the vaccination phase of the pandemic, UUCF folk are especially eager for a change of scenery.
Eat, Drink & Be Merry
Some of the most popular Auction items gather UUCFers for social events. NOTE ON SCHEDULING: After the last couple of years, social events hosted by UUCFers will be highly valued. 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, Socially Distant 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 a corn hole tournament. 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
Learn From the Masters
Use your expertise to offer valuable knowledge. Set up a seminar/consultation, in person or on Zoom. Could you take the lead in one of these areas?
- Writing projects
- Art Project
- Cooking Class
- Tutoring
- Music lessons
- Legal consultation
- Yoga
- Mixology
- Wine Tasting
- History of __________
- Do–It-Yourself ________
- Anything else?
Musical and Performance 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.
- Your own musical performance
- Gift certificates for local theaters
- Tickets for local performance
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?
- Pet sitting
- Dog walking
- Home repairs
- Yard work
- 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.
- Fancy bars
- 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
Playing Games
Game nights are great ways to inject a little fun into your normal routine. Host an in-person or virtual game night or donate some family fun activities:
- Assemble a Family Fun Night Basket (e.g. Twister, dominoes, card game, poster coloring sheets, s’mores making ingredients, and a pizza gift card)
- Host Jackbox Online Game Nights plus delivered/pick-up snacks
- Assemble a Busy Box (e.g. games, snacks, jigsaw puzzles, crossword puzzle book, etc.)
- Lead a virtual Dungeons & Dragons session on Roll20
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 chair
- Massage gift certificate
Fine Arts, Crafts & Creative Endeavors
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! Or host an event where your guests create something they can take home.
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.