When is it? This year s event will be on Saturday, April 8th from 6pm until 11pm at the Byzantium, 2747 Riva Road, Annapolis, MD 21401

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1 AUCTION FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS: What is the Saint Andrew s Auction? The auction is the school s biggest fundraising event, raising over $122,000 in the past two years. Not only does it raise funds to support important programs that benefit all of the students at Saint Andrew s, it is a wonderful night out for parents, teachers, administrators and school supporters to help strengthen our school community. We are going back to the roaring 20s for this year s auction. The 2017 auction, Kicking it Up for the Kids of Saint Andrew s, will be a 20s themed, black and white affair. Start looking for your black and white, fun cocktail attire with a 20s flair! When is it? This year s event will be on Saturday, April 8th from 6pm until 11pm at the Byzantium, 2747 Riva Road, Annapolis, MD Who is invited? Everyone! This is an adults-only event that is open to all Saint Andrew s parents, teachers, staff, neighborhood, friends and family. How can I purchase tickets? As of February 1st, you can purchase tickets to the auction on our auction website: We will send a reminder when the ticket sales are open!. What should I wear? This is a fun and festive party! Most folks wear fun, cocktail attire. Because of a new plan we have for this year s auction, we are encouraging everyone to wear black and white with a 20s flair. Trust us, you will blend into the room beautifully. But I already give so much to the school, why should I go? First off, this is a really fun event! This is a chance to have a great time, meet the parents of your child s classmates and interact with the school s teachers and staff. Secondly, just attending the event, even if you don t bid on anything, is a contribution to the school. The more parents that go, the more fun it will be for everyone. Bring your friends and come enjoy a wonderful evening. Why does the PFA need to raise money? The staff of Saint Andrew s does an incredible job creating an amazing learning environment for our children on a reasonable tuition compared to the other private schools in our area. The money raised at the auction gives the school funds outside of their operating budget to allow for targeted improvements. Every Saint Andrew s student benefits from the money raised through the auction.

2 Where will the money raised go this year? After two years of the auction funding the school s technology initiative, this year the administration is focused on campus enhancements at Saint Andrew s. The first priorities are a robust security system installation, and improving the garden program s facilities. After those top priorities, any remaining funds will support more campus upgrades. What is new about the auction this year? In an effort to keep things fresh and exciting, the auction committee is incorporating several new ideas and initiatives into the auction this year. The auction committee is working hard to put together dynamic packages, community building auction items, and exciting new surprises to make the evening a roaring great time: 1. In an effort to alleviate the number of requests on our families, we will no longer be tracking donations by grade and making the donations drive a competition. Instead, we ask that you come out on auction night and participate in making the event a smashing success with your presence. 2. All ticket sales will be online this year, through our auction website: Tickets go on sale February 1st. We will send you the link so you are ready to reserve your auction seats at that time. 3. We are really excited to try out a new type of auction item this year called a sign-up party. Please read the next FAQ for all of the information. 4. Mobile bidding! Come to the auction armed with your smartphone! We are ditching the pencils and paper, and entering the 21st century. We are very excited about this new option. You will get updates on your phone if you are out-bid, and can re-bid on the spot! 5. We have some new ideas that we are keeping secret until the night of the event. We promise they will tug on your heartstrings and make you smile. You have to attend the auction to see what we are talking about! What is a sign up party? Can I donate one of those? A sign up party is an event, potentially hosted by a school family or multiple families together, where we sell buy now/fixed price slots on the night of the auction. The event will have a specific time and place already secured by the auction so you can plan accordingly. Here is a real example of a sign up party that will be available at this year s auction: A school family has agreed to rent out the AirSoft Arena in Glen Burnie for a night of adult only AirSoft fun. Additionally, the family has access to prior military folks who will come teach close quarters battle (CQB) techniques to those who attend. Come out and run around like a kid again! We anticipate selling slots to this event at $75 dollars each. There will be a limited number of slots available online before the auction, but most of the slots will be sold the night of the event. You

3 do NOT buy this entire event--you buy one or two of the available slots so that the event will be a mix of friends and new faces. We would like to replicate this idea with all kinds of events, ranging from adults only, some for parents and kids together, and some just for the kids. We are excited about the idea that each party represents a community building event when it brings groups of different folks together. An array of sign up parties will also offer a wide selection of items to bid on at a the auction itself. We will only make some of the slots available on the online auction, so being at the auction in person will make a big difference. WE ASK YOU TO CONSIDER IF YOU COULD HOST ONE OF THESE SIGN UP PARTIES! Here are some ideas: 1. Fitness classes (are you an instructor or a gym regular, and could you get your gym to donate their space while you teach a class?) 2. Group sports lessons (do you have access to a golf/tennis/sup paddleboard/tumbling/horseback riding/etc instructor?) 3. Dinner gatherings (would you host a dinner in your home or at a restaurant for a group size of your choosing?) 4. Wine tasting events 5. Private tours of unique places like NASA, The White House, etc. 6. Anything else you can think of that might fit this model! Please let us know if we can answer any questions about this new type of event! What if I have an item that I really want to donate? We 100,000% welcome all donations of auction items that you would like to give. Every item you give is a huge help to the auction committee. Please put on your thinking caps and consider any thoughtful donations you could give, or solicit, that will generate even more excitement at the event. In the past, gift cards, vacation homes, jewelry, sporting event tickets, wine/beer and other similar items have been hot bidding items. The deadline for all donated auction items is March 8th. You can input your donation on the webpage by clicking the DONATE button: If I can t attend, may I still donate? Yes, there are plenty of ways for everyone to donate, even if you are not able to attend the auction event. Instead of attending you can donate an item or sign up party. You can also participate in our online auction that will open on March 27th. Finally, you can make a cash donation to the

4 event by clicking the GIVE button on the auction website: My kids grandparents/family/friends want to contribute, what is the best way? That is so fantastic that your family and friends would like to contribute to Saint Andrew s. The best way for the family and friends to help support the school is to consider making a cash donation by clicking the GIVE button on our website,, or participating in our online auction that will start on March 27th. We would love for you to reach out to the uncles, aunts, grandparents and friends. Here is a sample if you would like to cut/paste it and send it out to your friends and family: Hello XXX! <Insert Child s Name> s school s auction is coming up on April 8th. It is the school s biggest fundraiser and all proceeds go to programs that help make every student s learning experience the best it can be. While you may not be able to come to the actual event, I d love it if you could help out by donating today. All donations are 100% tax deductible. Please consider purchasing a ticket for a teacher to attend or making a cash donation. Also, feel free to join the bidding fun that starts online on March 27th, We hope to make this year s fundraising effort the biggest one yet! Please know that every little bit counts! Thank you! How can I help? We need all of the help that we can get to put this event on! Helping out with the auction is a great way to meet new Saint Andrew s faces and get involved. No experience is necessary! We need help in advance of the event with gathering auction items, setting up the event, and making the behind the scenes magic happen. On the day of the event, we ll need volunteers to help us run the event. Please pfa@standrewsum.org for more information or to offer to help. What are grade themed baskets? Your room parents have already collected the necessary funds as part of your class dues for each grade to create a themed basket that will be auctioned off. Unlike in the past when each homeroom made a basket, this year there will be one basket per grade. What are teacher outings? Some of our most popular items each year, our fabulous teachers donate their time to plan and host an activity with a student(s). In years past, teacher outings have included pizza and movie parties, picnics with pets, ice cream visits, historical reenactments, boat rides and so much more. These outings are hotly contested among the students, so get ready to bid! What will the art projects be for this year s auction?

5 Mrs. Soreff, the middle school art teacher, is leading the art projects for this year s auction. Unlike in years past where each homeroom had its own art project, this year we are combining classes for some of the projects. There are even a few projects that encompass the entire school s work. We are very excited about these new pieces of art. Keep an eye out as we will tease some of the masterpieces as the auction approaches. Will there be an online auction? This year s online auction will kick off on March 27th, the day school opens after Spring Break. In a new twist from previous years, all items (other than the live auction) will be available in the online auction. All of the existing online bids will transfer to the live auction on April 8th. So if you want to be sure you have the winning bid, come join us on the evening of the auction. What if I know a business who wants to help? Our auction committee is working hard to get sponsorships for the event from both inside of the school community and in the Annapolis/Baltimore/DC area, as well as items donated for the auction. If you are a business who would like to donate financially or contribute in-kind items, please get in touch with us at pfa@standrewsum.org. If you have business contacts or ideas for sponsorships, we want to hear from you! the auction committee directly at pfa@standrewsum.org. Are the donations tax deductible? Yes, donations to the Saint Andrew s auction are tax deductible. After the event, we will send you a thank you note that will serve as the necessary tax documentation. Any questions we haven t answered? the auction committee at pfa@standrewsum.org