Procurement Guidelines

 

Procurement Policy Reminder

Since the function of the auction is to raise money for the school’s general fund, it is important to the financial goals and spirit of the auction that the event retain as much of its revenue as possible. Therefore, when hosting or donating a party or an event, the host or donors will be responsible for funding or procuring all necessary items to hold the event. See www.holyfamilypdx.org for more details on this policy.

How do I get started?

Start with yourself! What talents, services or items can you give? Maybe you have a vacation home and can donate it for a weekend or more? Maybe you love to cook and could offer a dinner party or give away one dinner every other month? Maybe you like to rake, weed and mow and can offer to do several hours of yard work? Are you artistic? What are your hobbies? Remember that even a small item or service can be packaged with someone else’s item. You may not be able to supply the entire package, but your item or service may be just what we need to put together a great package! The next step is to look at your family. What can any of them offer? Items? Services? Vacation properties? Your friends are your next stop, followed by your employer and business associates.

Once you’ve fully explored these opportunities, stop in at local businesses you frequent and ask them for donations. Prior to approaching any business, please call the Holy Family Auction Office at 777-9071. Suzanne Cooney, our Special Events Director, can tell you whether the business already has a Holy Family contact.

 

The Initial Contact

Initial contact requires a friendly introduction of yourself and your school. Make a specific request—the more specific the better. The donor will let you know whether your request is possible; you can certainly negotiate for something else. If you receive a favorable response but they are not ready to provide you with the item or service that day, you can offer to send them one of our donor letters and let them know you will follow up with them. Follow-up within two weeks is appropriate, unless the donor tells you specifically when to contact them.

 

The Follow-Up Contact

It is your responsibility to follow up with a donor after you have made an initial personal contact, phone call or have sent a solicitation letter. If a follow-up appointment is required, call ahead and confirm. Make your follow-up visit with donor form in hand, filling out the necessary information and leaving the donor a copy for their records. Please use the Procurement Form for such items and enlist information from the donor in these cases. Please note: when procuring a service, such as a dinner or a vacation home, it is important to remember that ALL RESTRICTIONS MUST BE NOTED ON THE DONOR FORM to prevent misunderstandings.

 

Turning in Donations

Donated items with completed procurement forms should be turned in to the auction office as soon as possible. (Procurement forms with only gift certificates or no physical item can also be dropped off in the auction mailbox located in the school office.) You may obtain additional procurement forms at school or in the auction office. You may also download procurement forms and donor letter request forms on our website at www.holyfamilypdx.org and can then email them to hfsauction@comcast.net. (If you email a procurement form that has a physical item or gift certificate with it, please note this in the content of the email.) The auction office is located in the Parish Center at 3732 SE Knapp St. If the donated item is oversized, please contact Suzanne Cooney at the auction office (503) 777-9071 and she will help you deliver your item directly to the auction storage room located in the Parish Center basement. Last year, there were over 1,000 donations to process, catalogue and prepare for 

display at our auction!

 

 

It is never too early to submit your donations.