Basket ideas
Pesky
member
I have to coordinate the basket for DD's kindie class for the silent auction coming up. Which apparently means I have to choose the theme. 2 questions:
1. would you open it up to get money donations only and just buy the stuff or let people buy the stuff and donate it towards a set theme?
2. what kind of theme? I like the idea of "Day Out, Night In" because it opens the basket to a lot of things like frisbee, outdoor game, bubbles and sidewalk chalk (and I found a great book on things to do in CO for a family) or even passes to a local zoo or museum and night in could be things like DVD, family game like dominoes, popcorn, movie candy, even a pizza GC. But someone pointed out that it could end up being a mishmash. Would I be better off with a Fairy Garden basket which could include gardening tools, fairy house, figures, little fairy items, some plants and a book on fairy gardening? Just wondering if I should go more specific or broad.
TIA!
DD -- 5YO
DS -- 3YO
Re: Basket ideas
1. I would def have one person doing the buying with an agreed upon theme. Too many cooks...it gets crazy.
2. I'd go with a more narrowed theme (unless you're the only one doing the buying then it can be broad but not wildly broad).
HTH
People donate, one person buys! I'd narrow down the theme, too. Like Angry Birds. Or cooking with your child. Board game night is always popular. Or pizza and a movie, where you put all the stuff to make pizza and then a redbox gift card.
No on the fairy garden basket - a gardening in general basket would be fine but putting a theme on a garden basket really limits who will bid on it. I have done a few silent auctions and general class theme baskets for a variety of things. The baskets that get the most money tend to include - wine and parents night out themes, game themes (board games, outdoor games, etc including electronic games) and depending on the age group - any type of arts and crafts type theme baskets.
At our schools bingo night, they did a raffle for class baskets and the baskets that I remember included:
a pasta basket with a variety of pastas, a few bottles of wine, a variety of sauces and a pasta cook book.
They had a movie night one that had a bunch of DVD's, candy and popcorn
A few shopping themed baskets just had a bunch of gift cards to hot and trendy stores in our area
Spa basket had a gift card to a fun spa close by and also included a Starbucks gift card
Eat out - another had a bunch of gift cards to local restuarants
I would come up with a theme and then ask for donations around that theme or money/gift cards so you can go shopping.
What everyone else said!
How about a basket full of tickets for fun stuff like the Butterfly Pavilion, Denver Zoo, Children's Museum, Lakeside Amusement Park, go-cart racing, water park, etc.
Or maybe a train themed basket with tickets to the Georgetown Loop or Pikes Peak Cog Rail.
Restaurant---Casa Bonita gift card plus a stuffed gorilla, ha!
I'd buy the train basket! Recently, we bought a basket that had real syrup, pancake mix, kitchen towels, and a gift card to a more upscale grocery store. All were used.
And I like the fairy theme.
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The school where DD attends Religious Ed. did themes by age... DD's class ended up with "Italian" and people donated items.. We donated candles/holders, lots of people donated pasta, sauce mix, take 'n bake bread (it was that weekend), wine, etc. They had so much stuff they broke it up into a few baskets so got a decent amount.
When it comes to DS's daycare, oddly enough the baby gift baskets are always the ones that fetched the most money even from way back when DD went there. Quite simply, especially the kindie class, lots of people are either expecting or know someone else who is that they need to purchase a gift for. Who doesn't like to buy baby gifts, especially ones that are already done and all you need to do is give them to the recipient. You could ask for "neutral colors" to help broaden the audience but also for "must have" items they never thought they'd need/want before kids...
The only way I could see having everyone buy their own donation is if the theme were broad but the donation narrow. If you were to send a letter home asking people to buy something say, relating to their favorite Saturday activity with their child or their favorite date night activity. But that would probably be more work than shopping alone with monetary donations.
And I could see your first example being more popular than the second. I would bid on it.