The main portion of our program related to the kick-off of our new On-line Auction Fundraiser. Co-chairs Jim Phillips and Candi Harrington led the program.
To give us a feel for an auction, Bill Proctor auctioned off two offerings (contributed by committee members). The first was a selection of 6 or 7 Australian wines, purchased by for $150 by Karen Redman. The second was an Irish and a Scottish whisky, purchased by for $125 purchased by Alistair Douglas.
Jim provided us with the background that this fundraiser was intended to replace our long-running golf tournament. It is being held in conjunction with the Milton, Oakville Trafalgar and Mississauga Lakeshore Rotary Clubs. This event has been running for several years, and several committee members have attended joint meetings to learn from the experiences of these clubs.
The Kitchener committee has met monthly for the last five or six months. Jim cautioned us that the Committee will be here to guide us, but will not be in a position to solicit all product and advertising.
We will earn whatever our contributed items sell for, and will share common costs.
Jim introduced the section leads, Candi Harrington (Marketing), Gary Parker (Procurement), and Jim Brown (Logistics).
Candi advised us of how to get to the material and webpage. We are also on Facebook and Twitter.
Our auction page can be linked through our home page or at:
Gary noted a corporate letter that was available, and that in the case of product, all details on the Online Auction Response Devise Form must be completed.
Jim noted that he and Ron Hill will be touring a space offered to us free through ZeVest this afternoon. It is anticipated that most of our product will be inventoried there. Mary Reilly has offered us secure space for gift cards, tickets and jewelry. In general, we will be storing Kitchener product at these locations. When the sale is over, items sold to other locations will be transported there, and items sold by other participating clubs into the K-W area will be brought here for pickup.
The success of the program will depend on the participation of all members, through solicitation of product and sponsorship, and encouraging family and friends to log onto the site and to bid during the auction.
Please refer to the FAQ pages, and contact section chairs and committee members if you have questions.
Our goal will be to secure product having a retail value of at least $35,000 for our first year. Hopefully this will generate profit of perhaps $15,000.
