EVENT & FAQ
What is a Dream Auction?
The Dream Auction is GRU's yearly fundraiser, and one of our best parties. Members and friends donate experiences, services and items, and the rest of us buy them or bid on them. It usually raises about $10,000 for the congregation.
It's also a great way to get to know people. Buy a seat at a chili dinner and you spend the evening with your host and the other guests. A paddle down the river, a poetry reading, even a pie delivered to your door: each one is a conversation you might not have had otherwise.
It only works with both donors and buyers, so think about what you could offer. Here's how it all goes.
Key dates
Friday, Nov 20, 7 pm: online sign-ups and bidding open
Saturday, Nov 21, 7 pm: the party, in Whitton Hall
Sunday, Nov 29, 5 pm: online bidding and RSVPs close
Questions? Jump to the FAQ.
Before the event
Submit your Dreams. Use the SUBMIT DREAMS page to offer an experience, a silent auction item or a live auction item. It's best to arrange dates and locations before you submit. The auction team reviews each offering, and once it's approved it appears on the DREAMS page automatically.
Need a location? If you're an official GRU member you can reserve the building for Dream Auction events for free. Email Kristen at manager@grandriverunitarian.ca with the room, the date and time, the number of people expected, and that it's for the Dream Auction. Please do this before you submit your Dream.
Log in. You need to be logged in to your member account to RSVP for experiences and to bid in the silent auction. No account yet? Use Log In at the top of any page to sign up.
Friday, November 20: online sign-ups and bidding open at 7 pm
Experiences: open an experience on the DREAMS page and RSVP. Seats are first come, first served. When an experience is full, you can join its waitlist.
Silent auction: open an item and enter your bid in whole dollars. Each bid must be at least $1 more than the current bid. Every bid is shown with its time, amount and name.
Saturday, November 21: the party
Join us in Whitton Hall for a family-friendly party with food, a fun live auction and great tunes from talented GRUsters. Doors open at 7 pm and the live auction starts at 7:30 pm.
Live auction: some items are auctioned live, in person only. They're listed on the DREAMS page under LIVE AUCTION but can't be bid on online. If you can't attend, contact us about bidding by proxy.
Tech support: if you need help logging in or bidding, a volunteer can help you before the party starts.
Sunday, November 29: online bidding and RSVPs close at 5 pm
All silent auction items and Experience RSVPs close at the same time. The highest bidder wins each item.
After the auction
The committee will email each purchaser a list of the Dreams they won and an invoice. See HOW TO PAY for ways to pay. Each host will receive a list of participants for their Dream, plus the waitlist.
If any of this is confusing or you have questions, please use the CONTACT page.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need an account? Yes, to RSVP for an experience, bid in the silent auction or offer a Dream. Use Log In at the top of any page to sign in or sign up. You can browse the Dreams without one.
How do I pay? After the auction you'll get an invoice listing the Dreams you won. You can pay by Interac e-Transfer, cheque or PayPal; see HOW TO PAY.
What does the waitlist mean? When an experience is full you can still RSVP, and you join its waitlist in the order you signed up. If a seat opens, the host decides whether to offer it and the auction team will contact you. A waitlist spot isn't a guaranteed seat.
Can I cancel? You can't cancel an RSVP or a bid online. If you need to, use the CONTACT page and the auction team will sort it out with you and the host.
How do I offer a Dream? Log in and fill in the form on the SUBMIT DREAMS page: the kind of Dream (Experience, Silent Auction or Live Auction), a title, a description and a photo, and for an experience the date, place, number of seats and price per seat. The auction team reviews it, and once approved it appears on the DREAMS page.