Silent Auction to benefit translation expenses and the general Annual Conference budget

From the Program and Arrangements Committee

The Program and Arrangements Committee is once again holding a silent auction at Annual Conference in Grand Rapids this summer. The idea emerged during a discussion about how we could intentionally contribute to the vitality of and increase traffic in the Exhibit Hall. However, it also offers us an opportunity to raise some additional funds.

Proceeds for this year’s auction will be split between a special fund to offset translation expenses related to Annual Conference, as we seek to expand our welcome, and the general operating budget for Annual Conference.

You can help!

Contribute an item to the auction. We are requesting donations of items to be included in the auction. Potential items fall into three categories:

Experiences: Included in this category are things like tickets to events, use of vacation homes, trips, classes, a living room concert, and so on.
Gift baskets: Baskets could be assembled around a theme (perhaps a retreat or family game night), organizational “swag,” books (perhaps a recommended reading list), regional products, food, and so on. Be creative.
Arts and crafts items: Included in this category are quality and unique hand-made items like woodworking, pottery, fabric art, paintings, drawings, and so on.

A Facebook post about the Silent Auction at the 2024 Annual Conference invites contributions, featuring the first donation received this year: a hand-made wooden toy train made by Hobert Harvey of Shenandoah District.

Items being donated must be registered in advance. No unregistered items will be accepted onsite this year.

To register a donation, go to https://cobrethren.wufoo.com/forms/x1qs84mi0a84v4x/ to submit your contact information and a description of the item you wish to contribute. Online submissions must be received by June 1. Actual items must be onsite at Annual Conference no later than 10 a.m. on Wednesday, July 3. Arrangements can be made to ship them to the Annual Conference office in advance if you are not planning to attend Annual Conference.

Volunteer to assist with the auction. We will need volunteers to staff the auction throughout Annual Conference. Volunteers will assist with receiving and staging auction items, registering bidders, and identifying/notifying winners. Anyone interested in volunteering can sign up for a shift at www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0945AFA722A4FCCF8-annual.

Visit the auction and bid—over and over again. Once onsite at Annual Conference, attendees are encouraged to visit the silent auction to bid on your favorite items (and browse through the exhibits while you are there). Make sure to return throughout the week to see if you have the winning bid or if you need to enter a higher bid. Bidding will open at 12 noon on Wednesday, July 3, and end at 2 p.m. on Saturday, July 6. Winners will be announced by 4:30 p.m. that day and will have until 7 p.m. to return to the Exhibit Hall to pay for and pick up their items.

Find out more about the 2024 Annual Conference at www.brethren.org/ac2024.

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