Thank you all for your responses! I will definitely look in to getting volunteers from the colleges around here for runners, or any other help I may get from them.
Ademom- I went to 6 banquet halls around here and the cheapest one was Galloping Hill Inn, so that's where we're going to have it I think. I even tried the KOC and the total cost for the hall rental, bartender, roomsman, and catering would have cost us $38 per person, not including gratuity and tax. Unfortunately no one in the school has an "in" with any of the halls, or at least no one spoke up and offered an idea. I'm hoping to come up with quite a few ideas for "extras" we could give to those who attend so they feel they are getting their money's worth.
At those prices, we'd have very few attendees in our area.
The last few charity auctions I've been to (for regular folks, not the economically gifted)that were more along the formal lines served heavy appetizers with cash bar, not dinner. Is there any way you could talk him into this? It could be a nice, upscale event but still affordable.
doodlebug-
Saw your profile and it states you are from Union County, NJ. That is where I grew up so I know the area well. You can't find anything for under $30/person?? Maybe one of your parents has an 'in' somewhere and can help you negotiate a lower price.
We have our runners on 1 hour schedules so that they can work a bit but sit down for the rest of the evening and enjoy it. See if you can recruit teachers to be callers / runners as well. Maybe your principal can persuade them, as the money generated directly benefits them.
We always give away a free sheet of tickets with the admission ticket. We also give away free tickets to families that make a donation to the auction. Goody bags are a nice idea as well, though they are alot of work to put together. Some schools sell chocolate bars for $1-2.00 each. Inside the wrapper is a prize (something small that didn't work in any basket and we mixed in some big prizes with it). We made a quick $1000 doing this last year and the bars sold out in 30 minutes. This is the money we used for gratuities.
Most importantly, I think is that if you are going to charge each person $30 AND expect them to spend another $50 on raffle tickets, the event should give the attendees a sense of value.
Good luck.
If you can't have high school kids, what about maybe college kids, if there are any in the area? Maybe some of them do community service and can help out?
