Tips on Tricky Tray Donations
A tricky tray auction is an enjoyable way to earn money for a cause. Patrons buy tickets and put them into raffle boxes for items they desire. The person with the winning raffle ticket takes home the prize for the small price of a raffle ticket. You can include singular prizes for each tray, such as an appliance, or you can bundle items into themed lots, such as a matching set of glass antiques.
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Setting Donation Standards
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Setting clear donation standards for the auction items can save you a lot of trouble when hosting your tricky tray fundraiser. For example, you could make it clear that anyone donating an item must purchase a donation item above a certain price, it must be new and the donation must come with a receipt. This prohibits people from donating old clothes or out-of-date merchandise they just wanted to see disappear. Adding a stipulation that all donations are final is also a good idea.
Advertise Early and Effectively
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Once you have donations and prizes piled up, it's time to start advertising. Search through your prizes to find some of the most enticing pieces in your collection. Feature the top three most compelling items on your advertisements for the tricky tray event. For example, your fliers could say, "You could win a hot air balloon ride and much more!" Giving your target audience an idea of what they could win helps catch eyes and increase interest.
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Plan Ahead
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Despite your best efforts, weather divination and telling the future are often difficult tasks. This can make planning a tricky tray auction difficult. Plan your tricky tray auction for two locations in case a problem arises. For example, if you schedule the tricky tray auction for an outdoor park, your plans can go awry if it rains. Having a backup location can save your auction. Choose a backup location close to your original location. Leave instructions or an assistant at the original site so auction patrons can find your backup location.
Be Vigilant
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Unfortunately, some dishonest people in the world may try to cheat the tricky tray system. Post a volunteer near each ticket box to help prevent ticket fraud. Ask auction patrons to provide all of their tickets to an assistant for verification before the volunteer puts the ticket in the raffle box. This prevents ballot stuffing, which would give one auction patron an advantage over the others. The volunteer can sift out counterfeit tickets and keep the auction fair.
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