Dear Auction
Superheroes,
It’s almost time to
be gearing up for Auction! Let's talk expectations...
In order to keep the Da Vinci Academy community’s
philanthropic focus on completing the Annual Giving Campaign,
I’ve been working behind the scenes
with a limited number of Volunteers. One change that many Auction Veterans have
asked for is an earlier start to the Procurement Process. Therefore, I would like to invite everyone
who is interested in understanding more about what to expect for the Auction and, in particular, the
Procurement Process to join us for a Procurement
Committee Meeting this Friday 12/13 at 3:15 pm in the Kindergarten Room. This is immediately following the PA Meeting and remember that you will not be charged for aftercare to attend Auction
Meetings. Please see more details about
what to expect for this meeting below my signature line.
To help set your
volunteer readiness expectations, in early January please watch for more
specific details as we launch the rest of the Auction Preparation
Process in earnest. There are several opportunities still available to
provide leadership to a committee so please let me know if you are
interested. Also, below the
signature line is a note regarding “Dollars for Doers” programs from
employers to reward
employees who volunteer with nonprofits.
I’m looking forward to a spectacular Auction experience with so many
wonderful people offering to help. Have a
joyous Winter Holiday Season and thank you all for stepping up to support our school
community’s next big fundraising effort – the Annual Benefit Auction!
Hope to see you Friday!
Jen
Auction@DVAcademy.org
Procurement
Planning
To support a soft open
to the procurement effort, all those interested in being a part of the
Procurement Committee (or even those who just want to be in the know) are
invited to a meeting on Friday, December 13 at 3:15 pm in the Kindergarten Room. Several new tools will be introduced that
will influence our Procurement Plan. We
will clarify our goals, discuss our strategy, assess our timeline to be able to
set our deadlines, and divide responsibilities.
All interested Auction Superheroes are welcome to attend! For those who cannot be with us in person but
wish to participate, we can explore including you via Skype – just contact Jen
Strohl by noon Friday to make arrangements.
Note: Attending the procurement meeting is a great
opportunity to “get your feet wet” with the auction because the procurement process
impacts so many of the other elements of the Auction. We have a number of Veteran Procurement
Superheroes who are willing to share their knowledge of this Superhero Power so
that we can cultivate it in others who will impact and shape the future of Da
Vinci Academy long after our Veterans have moved on from Da Vinci. We will be talking about skills and
techniques that are also transferable to other settings, perhaps even your work
environment. Many a good friendship has
been forged over shared procurement experiences. Who knows, maybe there’s more in it for you than
meets the eye…
“Dollars for Doers”
As you prepare to spend some of your personal time
volunteering for the Auction, please keep in mind that many companies have
programs to not only match your financial contributions to nonprofits, but they
also often recognize and support your volunteer efforts. Many companies in Chicagoland have programs
known as “Dollars for Doers” where for every hour that you volunteer, the
company will donate cash to the organization where you volunteered. Microsoft, Cisco, Exelon, JP Morgan Chase,
and Morgan Stanley are just a few of the companies offering this benefit. Please check either this link
that is a good list of such companies from Taproot.org or with your HR Department to see if
this benefit is available to you. Every
dollar matters!
