Well, we did it! The grand total for the 2024 #Dominicstrong auction is $11,727 - the most we've ever raised in a single event.
It took so much behind the scenes work to pull off, and was not without its challenges.
Planning actually started last year, when one organization informed us that a month's notice was not long enough - so I asked for the next year's auction and they said yes. Then a news story prompted one woman to donate five huge, framed Ducks Unlimited prints. We had a pretty good head start.
Procrastination is a strong point of mine, so it's common that we only start asking for auction items a month out. This year we got going six weeks ahead of the auction, which was a huge help. It gave time to come back to potential donors and not seem pushy, and as a result we got new donors involved.
Our friends rose up, too. Krista, Nicole, and Kelsey all found donations, with Kelsey getting the feature item, a cornhole board adorned with the iconic #Dominicstrong word art thanks to a donation from City Signs and Canvas Shop.
It was all setting up to be a record. In 2017 we raised $10,921, but crossing the five-figure mark has proved difficult in recent years. It's OK - we aren't going to do this forever, and every penny helps. But all the new energy this year - spurred in part by going to Ignite/Extra Life United in Kansas City - definitely helped.
So now what?
Well, we've had a fantastic year with Superhero Night, Ignite/Extra Life United, and now the auction. But Extra Life's main event is the 25-hour game day, and that's happening Nov. 2-3!
Similar to last year, we're doing our marathon as a private event. It's basically a big house party, and we live-stream the whole thing on my Twitch channel (@gomerstraw). As always, we'll take donations to roll the 20-sided dice and do whatever crazy thing we assign to each number. I can also tell you we'll have some great prizes to give away to donors this year - stay tuned to our Facebook page and a game day blog post right here for details.
Thanks for your support! Heading into 2024 we'd raised US$244,254.52, and if you include where we're at today our total is beyond CDN$350,000. We couldn't have done it without you.
