HoundsGood: Chronicles of a Virtual Volunteer

I was looking for more ideas for auction items for a few upcoming charity auctions, both silent and live. I have been to a few where there were gift baskets, but they didn’t generate a lot of interest. I think it was because they were filled with items that were basically advertising specialtiessuch as mugs and mousepads with the logo of the business that donated them, or the items were very unrelated. The ones that were the bigger hit were those that featured liquor, or were nice enough for the winner to give as a gift to someone.

I found some inspiration over at Giftwish. The baskets feature a very tight theme, and the contents of some of them are quite luxurious.  What I never thought of before was making up or buying a gift basket that wasn’t actually a basket at all.  It could be a platter or a suitcase as well, like the one at left.   The site has other possibilities, too.  You can construct your own gift basket from the ground up, or you may buy all the different items individually. If you have ever received a gift basket, and then wish you had gotten more of a particular item, there is your chance.

Surely, there are items that you can pick up at your local better grocery store, but there are truly some things that the recipient might not normally try.  There are artisan cheeses, for example, that are very afforable.  The selection greatly expands on what might be available at the local store.  Also, sometimes folks are hesitant to commit to buying a large portion if they don’t like it, or don’t know what to try.  There are assortments that will make the process easier.  Of course, you can also buy one at a time.  How about putting a certificate up at the charity auction and then the donor buys three cheeses of the winner’s choosing?  That sounds like a gourmet would bid it up.

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