TJ's inaugural online auction gives the community a chance to initiate positive change. graphic by Andrew Seidenstat
From April 15th through the 20th, Thomas Jefferson High School will host its first annual online auction.
On April 15th, 2017, Thomas Jefferson High School will launch its first annual online auction in order to raise money to help better the TJ community. The auction will go live on April 15th and will close on the 20th, but in the meantime, there is plenty that students, faculty, staff, and parents can do in order to contribute to the cause.
Earlier this year, TJ parent Megan Perkins formulated this innovative fundraiser with the help of TJ’s Parent-Teacher Organization (PTO) committee. The inspiration for this fundraiser was derived from the Slavens Elementary and Middle School online auction, as Perkins is a former Slavens parent. She took notice of the success of that fundraiser and decided to refurbish the idea of an online auction to suit TJ’s needs. Additionally, Perkins was inspired by the extensive work that the TJ community put into other fundraisers; however, she wanted to do something that would bring in a greater profit while requiring less maintenance. Perkins stated, “I saw how much work was put into the Art Fest and I thought this would be something we could do that wouldn’t be quite as much work logistically and would result in bringing more money in for you guys at TJ.”
While this fundraiser is being run by the PTO, other important members of the TJ community are willing to go to great lengths to ensure the success of this fundraiser. Additionally, there is still plenty of assistance that the student body can provide to alleviate some of the maintenance behind the fundraiser. Perkins explained, “We need a lot of help getting acquisitions. The acquisitions are what we will be auctioning off, things like gift cards to restaurants, items from stores, anything like that. We like to think of it as things that people would buy.”
In the time leading up to the auction, the PTO will be collecting items to auction off. All TJ students and staff are encouraged to donate items, which must be dropped off in the main office by April 7th. Additionally, donations can be submitted online through the PTA Pal website. Donations can vary from tangible objects such as gift cards and gift baskets to events such as themed parties, sports games, or concerts. Megan Perkins and PTO Chairs Spring Hericks and Debi Kelley set a goal to raise $20,000 for the TJ community as a result of the online auction. Due to Perkins’ extensive background running auctions, she’s witnessed the immense success of an online auction as opposed to a live auction. “The benefit of having an online auction as opposed to a live auction is that you don’t have to take all of those items to an event. It can turn out to be a lot more competitive when it’s online because two people may be sitting online watching the same item, so then they increase their bids to get that item. We found that it really brings in a lot more money when it’s online,” Perkins explained.
Ultimately, the auction is a very simple way for students, staff, prospective Spartans, and parents to give back to the TJ community. Any contribution, at any level, is greatly appreciated and will undoubtedly benefit TJ in a positive way.
