Water For People
Silent Auction – How To

Kelly Simpson, Chair  

The Water For People Committee started hosting a Water For People Silent Auction during the Annual Conference in 1999.   Following are suggested guidelines on how to organize and conduct the Auction.  

Objective:  To raise money for the Water For People Organization.  Specific projects/country for this money to be allocated to are to be determined by the Illinois Section Water for People Committee.  

Three months prior to conference:  Contact by email, phone, mail or fax the exhibitors that have signed up for the Annual Conference.  Contact additional vendors for silent auction items to be donated (i.e. Crowne Plaza overnight stay, local food establishments, etc.)

One month prior to conference:  Confirm silent auction donations via email and reconfirm instructions of where to pick up sign up sheet, when to discontinue bids and where to take items and bid sheets.

At conference:  Arrange to have some type of identifying “flag” to bring attention to the bid items on site Monday.  Set aside with the assistance of the MAC Committee Chair a secure area to display additional items available for bid.  Suggestions are dowel rods with large cut outs fastened to the tops, like big water drops, or helium balloons. 

Wednesday at 11:30:  Locate the MAC Committee Chair and ask him/her to announce at 11:45 that bidding has ceased on the Water For People Auction items and request that items and bid sheets be brought to the registration desk. Offer committee volunteers to walk up and down the aisles offering assistance in collection the donated items and bid sheets. 

Wednesday at 11:45 :  Have a committee member at the Conference Registration Booth recording winning bids and items on a master sheet for historical purposes.  Be sure that all donated items have business cards attached identifying the contributing booth name. 

Conference Registration persons will accept cash, check or credit card for payment, mark paid on bid sheet along with name, address and phone of successful bidder.  Receipts will be sent for tax deductible purposes by the Executive Manager.  

Thursday at 7:30 am :  Have a committee member assist in bringing all unclaimed donations to the breakfast.  The Executive Manager or a volunteer will serve as auctioneer asking for live bids on unclaimed merchandise.  

Followup:  Send thank you notes to the people/companies that donated items.  Possibly send them information on the project/country that the funds will be used for.

Future Growth:  Search out “matching donations” from outside philanthropic organizations to match money raised at silent auction.  Develop an aggressive recruitment from public businesses (i.e. hotels, food, gas cards, clothing, etc.)

Water For People
Silent Auction Listing Form
Illinois Section AWWA Annual Conference

 

Water For People  is a nonprofit, charitable organization in the United States and Canada that helps people in developing countries obtain safe drinking water. We work with local partner organizations to provide financial and technical assistance to communities, depending on their needs. Our commitment is to help people help themselves.

We are asking exhibitors and contributors to donate an item to be listed in a silent auction for Water For People.  The items should be displayed in your booth as soon as you complete set up.  Bidders sign up at your booth for items.  We ask that items have a value of over $25.00 and the minimum bid start at $10.00. 

Listing sheets for recording bids can be picked up at the Conference Registration Desk.  Be sure to attach your business card to the item in order to insure that the donating company can be identified at any time.

Bidding opens as soon as your booth is setup.  Bidding closes at 11:45 am on Wednesday and winning bidders are announced at lunch.  At 11:45 all bid sheets and donated items should be brought to the Conference Registration Desk.  An announcement will be made at 11:45 over the public address system to direct you to mark your highest bid at this time.

Successful bidders will be requested to pick up items and pay for them Wednesday afternoon at the Conference Registration Desk.  Any items not picked up by breakfast Thursday morning will be re-auctioned at the Thursday morning breakfast via live auction with the highest silent auction bid as the starting point.

If you would like to donate items for the Auction and are not exhibiting, an area will be set aside for Water For People Donations to also be included in the silent auction.

We thank you for your participation.  If you know ahead of time the item that you will be donating, we would be happy to list an electronic picture of the items on the Illinois Section AWWA website.
Send pictures of donated items via email to:

 

Name:

Company:

Address /City/ State :

Phone/Fax/Email:

Item to be donated:


Minimum Bid:

Please fill out this sheet and fax or email to:  Kelly Simpson, Illinois American Water Co., 100 N. Water Works Drive , Belleville , IL   62223 .

email:  ksimpson@illinoisamerican.com 
Phone:  618-239-3261   Fax:  618-277-7498