Reunion Auction

The reunion is coming up fast and there has been some discussion on possibly changing some of the ways we do things for the reunion, more specifically, the auction.  I wanted to present some of the ideas that we have been tossing around and see what everyone thinks about them so here it goes.

In our most recent discussion, we came up with some Pros and Cons of the auction.  Here is a brief list of what we came up with:


Pros

• Raises money
• Fun
• We get to make fun things, offer services, etc.

Cons

• Auctions do better with larger groups
• People don't bid on things they aren't interested in
• Not everyone brings items to auction
• Not everyone bids
• Possibility for hurt feelings
• No Money=No Fun (not everyone has disposable funds)

There are probably more pros and cons that aren't listed, but these are the ones that I remember from our discussion.

We came up with a different way of doing things that might reduce the number of cons.

• Have a Family Raffle instead of an Auction
• People can still bring crafts and items they may have been preparing for the auction and we will do a raffle instead.
• Each person will have 1 ticket in the drawing and there will be an equal number of prizes and participants.
• There is no financial tie to the raffle.  Everyone gets to participate for free.
• Everyone will be entered into a "Grand Prize" drawing.
• Kids Raffle with kid items (so kids don't get adult times and vice versa).  If we plan right we can just alternate 1 adult item then 1 kid item and have to jars to draw from.
• Fundraising will be done separately through anonymous donations
• Everyone will receive a blank envelope and can donate whatever they can/want.
• There can be a donation box to collect the funds.  
• People can discreetly drop their envelopes/donations
• Possibly conserve funds and have a larger reunion every few years
• Maybe have smaller, less expensive reunions for 2-3 years.
• Activities that are more expensive can be done every few years.

These are just ideas (despite my wording) and they are open for discussion.  I hope everyone will take some time to think about it and contribute you ideas.  I think we all love getting together and having these reunions, but they do cost money (especially some activities).  I would love to see us be able to raise funds year after year so that we can continue to do some of these exciting and fun actives.

Reunion 2012

This year's reunion is scheduled for July 26-28. We're planning to have the reunion here in Las Vegas. Joe and I should have most of our apartments vacant, and so we'll be able to house everyone who comes down (which we hope is everyone). These are our tentative plans:

Thursday--we figure most people will be traveling the first part of the day. Loose plans for Thursday night include the Bellagio fountains and garden, and snapping a family picture by the Welcome to Las Vegas sign.

Friday--Lake Mead, boating and beach time.

Saturday--Misc. morning activities. Joshua's baptism is at three o'clock (we're excited to incorporate his baptism into our reunion). After the baptism we'll head back to Cory's for pool time and a barbecue. We'll also have our auction and meeting that evening.

If anyone has suggestions or problems, please let Jason or me know. Also, please remember to plan to bring items for our auction. I realize times are tough for everyone, but please also come prepared to participate in the auction so we can replenish our reunion fund.

We're super excited for the reunion. It is a blessing to all be together, even if it's only for a couple days.