My friend Lori posted that as a response to my Facebook page yesterday. She's been a very involved parent volunteer herself, and so I knew she meant it in camaraderie. But still, it made me think a bit. The perception of the Auction Chair position is that is an ENORMOUS job; one which you have to be a little crazy, or a superhuman, to volunteer for.
Now, I've chaired two school auctions before, and through my work at SchoolAuction.net I've talked dozens and dozens of other chairs through their events. I've worked as a volunteer at roughly 30 fundraising auctions per year over the past 4 years. So I think I have a pretty decent handle on what the job entails. And while I certainly don't want to turn down the gratitude of the PTA for stepping up to the plate this year, I also know this little secret: it's not that bad.
Yes, the last two weeks leading up to the event can be hectic, as you realize all of the little details that somehow slipped through the cracks. Yes, recruiting volunteers requires asking people to help, which can be un-fun. And yes, procurement requires a certain boldness; you are asking for free stuff from people who would really rather sell it to you. And yes, there are probably tasks to do that you've never had to do before, like setting up a credit-card processing account, or getting a raffle permit.
But really, none of it is Rocket Science. It takes some dedicated time, and a system for tracking the to-do lists, and a couple of good lieutenants with a sense of humor. A case of wine and a room where you can store the procured items helps. My perspective this year is that I need to set up just a few Big Things here in the beginning, and then I'll be fine. I'll post on those over the next couple of weeks, and tag those posts as Big Things.
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