Anthrocon Charity Auction/Raffle FAQ (2010 v12.0)

Overview: Anthrocon's selected charity for 2010 is Fayette Friends of Animals, a local dog & cat rescue/shelter near Uniontown, PA.

***Anthrocon raised $12,849 for Fayette Friends of Animals at the 2010 convention.***

• What is the Anthrocon Charity Auction/Raffle?
• What is the Charity this year?
• What is the background of the Anthrocon Charity Auction/Raffle?
• How can I help?
• What else do I need to know about donating items?
• What will happen to my donation at Anthrocon?
• Do you have any written rules for the Anthrocon Charity Auction/Raffle?
• Are there any deadlines?
• Will the convention handle the proceeds?
• Is this affiliated with the Anthrocon Art Show auctions?
• Who is arranging the convention and auction?
• What if I would just like to make a cash donation?
• Is my donation tax deductible?
• What is the Anthrocon Charity Auction/Raffle?

  The Anthrocon Charity Auction is an event on Saturday afternoon of the convention that offers items and products unique to the convention to bidders to raise money for a charity, chosen annually by the convention. The Raffle has the same purpose, but is a ticket-driven event over Friday and Saturday that accepts non-unique items and merchandise, with winners drawn and announced on Sunday. Higher value donations are sold at the auction. Lower value items are raffled at the charity's Dealers' Room table.

• What is the Charity this year?

  Anthrocon has selected Fayette Friends Of Animals to be our beneficiary for 2010. They are a no-kill dog & cat rescue in Uniontown, PA with shelter facilities and adoption programs. They will be at the Charity Auction and will also have a table in the Dealers' Room where you can meet them and some of their animal friends.

  From Fayette Friends of Animals' director, Laura Wiand:

  Fayette Friends of Animals began in 1995 as a very small no-kill shelter which rented a small space and had the ability to house a total of approximately 10 dogs and cats at any given time.  Through the active fundraising of our board of directors and the support of volunteers, membership and the community at large we have grown into an owned brick-and-mortar establishment on several acres with the ability to house a maximum of 125 animals at any given time.  As a still-small non-profit organization we depend significantly on volunteers and donations to keep the shelter running and the animals living in a humane, loving environment.
   
  Fayette Friends of Animals is a non-profit organization that believes in the humane treatment and humane quality of life for all animals. We are the only no-kill shelter in Fayette County, one of the poorest counties in Pennsylvania.  Our county is very large and the demand for animal placement is high; we generally receive animals that are under-cared for by owners or who have been found abandoned. The recession has significantly increased the need for placement but also decreased the number of adoptions our shelter has seen the past year. We are striving to end the practice of euthanasia as a means of controlling pet over-population in our county. Specifically, we provide financial assistance to low-income families to spay and neuter their cats and dogs, we do not adopt out any animal without it being spayed or neutered, and we strive to educate the public on the benefits of spaying and neutering.

  Yearly, we shelter and adopt out approximately 1,200 furry friends (in ’09 roughly 500 dogs and 200 cats were adopted however, pre-recession, this number was 850 dogs and 350 cats in ’08 with similar numbers in previous years). The average stay at the shelter for a large breed adult dog is 6-12 months. Currently 6 of our feline residents who have been with us 2 or more years, and 2 of our canine friends have been at the shelter over a year with several more of the dogs approaching the one year mark. With the help of amazing groups such as Anthrocon, grant writing efforts, and member and community donations, we hope to continue increasing services to our animals to make them more adoptable (creating a more enriching environment with agility equipment, walking trails, and secure play areas outside as well as obtaining training/correction for behavioral problems); we also aim to increase the numbers of animals we can save through spaying and neutering efforts by offering more low-cost programs to the public.

  More information about Fayette Friends Of Animals can be found at their website, http://www.fayettefriendsofanimals.net/. If you have any questions regarging FFOA, they can be reached at (724) 245-7815 or ffoa(at)winbeam.com.

• What is the background of the Anthrocon Charity Auction/Raffle?

  The Charity Auction at Anthrocon started when the convention began back in 1997. Over the years, Anthrocon has raised over $95,000 for various charities. Anthrocon's Charity Auction has consistently been among the highest performing fandom Charity events by dollar amount annually. In 2009, a raffle was added. Here is a breakdown of approximate (convention) totals by year:

  1997: Therapy Dogs - $2,200
  1998: Whiskers - $3,200
  1999: Great Valley Nature Center - $3,600
  2000: National Greyhound Adoption Program - $6,500
  2001: Reins of Life - $7,200
  2002: Canine Partners for Life - $13,200
  2003: Support Our Shelters - $8,300
  2004: Forgotten Felines & Fidos - $7200
  2005: Greater Philadelphia Search & Rescue - $6,400
  2006: Western Pennsylvania National Wild Animal Orphanage - $8,400
  2007: Animal Friends - $7,608
  2008: Pittsburgh Parrot Rescue - $13,154
  2009: Animal Rescue League Wildlife Rehabilitation Center - $8,992

• How can I help?

  If you are interested in donating to the Anthrocon Charity Auction or Raffle, send an email to charity-2010(at)anthrocon.org stating what you are donating, your name, your preferred email address if it's different, and details on the donation (what is it, medium, artist/donor, etc.). Your information will be recorded for the convention. This information is for approval purposes only - details should be provided with the required information card at the convention.

• What else do I need to know about donating items?

  If you are donating an item (artwork, sculpture, animation cel, etc), it must be G to PG rated (PG13- or R-rated items accepted only with prior permission). You may either bring it to Anthrocon if you are attending or you may send it via postal mail. Write to charity-2010(at)anthrocon.org to receive the address that postal mail items should be sent to. If delivered by mail, the item must include a 3x5 card with pertinent, legible information such as the donor, artist, medium, and any other important information a bidder or ticket-holder should know so that the item may be properly auctioned or raffled. If delivered at the convention, please do so at the charity's Dealers' Room table during Dealers' Room Setup hours on Friday. You will be required to fill out a 3x5 card with the aforementioned information for display and/or auction purposes. Items donated for the auction must be unique - they cannot be available anywhere else at the convention. And please: we appreciate your generosity, but do not donate multiple copies of the same item!

• What will happen to my donation at Anthrocon?

  Your donation will be on public display at the charity's Dealers' Room table. Less-expensive items will be raffled, with drawing results given on Sunday. High-value items will be auctioned one at a time at Saturday's auction event. Once the convention is over, you will be emailed with the price your item sold for if you have provided an email address.

• Do you have any written rules for the Anthrocon Charity Auction/Raffle?

  The new, revised rules are available on the Anthrocon webpages at www.anthrocon.org/rules-charity. They cover many small details of the Auction and Raffle that are not covered in this FAQ.

• Are there any deadlines?

  We will need all mailed donations to arrive not less than two full weeks before the convention (no later than June 12th). Any donations sent after that date may be returned to you unsold.

  If you plan to bring your donation to the convention, you may drop it off at the charity's Dealers' Room table during Dealers' Room Setup hours on Friday.

• Will the convention handle the Charity Auction's proceeds?

  Except for cash donations sent before the convention date, no. Unless the Charity is unable to attend the convention, a representative from the Charity will be present at the Charity Auction and their Dealers' Room table and will collect the funds as the items, services, and tickets are purchased. The proceeds will, at no time, be in the possession of Anthrocon staff.

• Is this affiliated with the Anthrocon Art Auction?

  Only in that it is at the same convention. The Art Show auctions will feature only items entered in the Art Show. The Charity Auction/Raffle items on display are being solicited and auctioned with no affiliation to the Art Show. You may submit art to the Art Show and merchandise to the Charity Auction/Raffle independently.

• Who is arranging the convention and auction?

  Dr. Samuel Conway arranges the convention and you may direct questions concerning the convention in general to him via the convention at anthrocon-2010(at)anthrocon.org.

  Brian Harris arranges the Charity Auction/Raffle, and any questions involving the Charity Auction/Raffle at Anthrocon should be directed to charity-2010(at)anthrocon.org.

• What if I would just like to make a cash donation?

  If you would like to donate to the charity before or after the convention, please visit their website for instructions. If you wish to make a cash donation at the convention, the Charity will be present in the Dealers' Room during scheduled hours.

• Is my donation tax deductible?

  If you have made a donation that has a cash value, it may be. Please contact the charity at the email address on their website for the tax-exempt information, if it is available.

If you have any further questions, have no hesitation about contacting us and you will receive a quick reply. If you know anyone else who would like to donate to the Anthrocon Charity Auction, please pass this information on. Thank you for helping us constructively help others, assist our community, and provide an enjoyable convention.

- Brian Harris
Anthrocon Charity Director