Donate An Item to the Chicago TARDIS Charity Auction

(Photo by Gordon Dymowski)

Yes, it's that time of year again...I'm running the Chicago TARDIS Charity Auction, and I'm looking for donations! Two of my friends have already made their intentions clear (and they know who they are), so I thought that as a public service I would highlight (via my personal blog) exactly what you need to do!

So in other words, here are the donor guidelines for the Chicago TARDIS charity auction:

2017 CHICAGO TARDIS CHARITY AUCTION DONATION GUIDELINES

DONATIONS 

Note: Chicago TARDIS will no longer collect canned or non-perishable food items during the convention. If you wish to make a monetary donation, please donate directly to Northern Illinois Food Bank via http://bit.ly/ChiTARDISAuction and send the receipt to auction@chicagotardis.com

• Chicago TARDIS must receive notification of donations by November 18th, 2017 at 11:59 pm. Walk-in donations without prior registration will not be accepted
• Arrangements for delivery of donated items must be made by November 23rd, 2017. Incomplete items will not be listed or displayed.
• Donations may be delivered to the convention site starting the evening of November 23rd at the Auction Director’s discretion.
• When registering donations online, please clearly list any restrictions, such as expiration and blackout dates as well as total retail value.
• Tax information will be mailed to all donors following Chicago TARDIS upon request. 
• Items that meet a minimum retail value under $200 will be included in the silent auction, and those over $200 will be included in the live auction. 
• Some items under $15 retail value may be categorized as “Buy Now” by Chicago TARDIS Auction staff. 
• All displays included with donations will be kept by Chicago TARDIS (and/or the high bidder) unless the donor notifies Chicago TARDIS in writing that they wish to have the display returned. If the donor wishes to have the display returned, they must pick up the display onsite after the close of the silent auction 

Photo by Gordon
Dymowski

DONATION ITEMS - GUIDELINES

To maximize your exposure and bidding, below are a few tips and types of donations that have been popular in the past: 

• Items related to Doctor Who, related media from cast and crew, spin-off media, and British science fiction (Blake’s 7, Red Dwarf). Memorabilia from other science fiction franchises like Star Trek may also be considered.
• Tangible items that a bidder can touch, feel or smell can market themselves and are good ideas to include with gift certificates.
• Handcrafted items: Paintings, sketch art, knit scarves, and other fan-created crafts. 
• Collectible Items such as action figures, books, audio dramas, DVD boxed sets, etc. However, we have found that some practices work best: 
• One-of-a-kind handcrafted items (like paintings, fan art, and knitted items) always bring in major donations; 
• We know that carrying items when traveling can be a challenge; if you are thinking of purchasing items specifically for the auction, it may be easier to simply make a cash donation; 
• Our ability to authenticate specific items is limited, so we ask that you keep this in mind when donating. (We can authenticate signed photographs, though)

 All proceeds benefit Northern Illinois Food Bank whose mission is to lead the northern Illinois community in solving hunger by providing nutritious meals to those in need through innovative programs and partnerships. Northern Illinois Food Bank is the source of nutritious food, innovative feeding programs, and hope for more than 71,000 people each week. If you have questions regarding the silent or live auction, please contact Gordon Dymowski at auction@chicagotardis.com or use this personal contact form