FAQs

You can either donate your own items or you can solicit donations from businesses. Donations can be dropped off in the Parent Break Room at school. Please be sure to ‘tag’ your item either using masking tape or a tie so you will be properly credited. Write your last name and class (2am, 3am, 4pm) on the tag, then place in to the donation bin. You must complete the online Item Description Form before you bring in your donated item so we can track all of your donations.

How do I get a business to donate to the school?

A good way to start is to look through the CPNS Donor List located in the Parent Break Room at CPNS, or go online to our CPNS Donor List (you can access this list through a link that is posted each week in the Monday email. To protect the privacy of our donors, we will not post the link from this website). Sign up online at the CPNS Donor List for any of the businesses you would like to solicit. Write a letter using our Donor Letter template (found in the Yahoo Groups Auction folder), then follow up with phone call to the contact listed. A few things you might mention about CPNS when talking on the phone to encourage a donation:

CPNS is a non-profit co-op nursery school and all donations are tax deductible
CPNS is partially funded by the Sequoia Adult School, and has been severely impacted by the budget cuts in California’s education.

How do I know if the business I solicited has made a donation to CPNS?

Businesses often donate in the form of gift cards and gift certificates and are generally mailed directly to the school. We will notify you once we receive a donation ONLY IF you signed up to solicit the business from our CPNS Donor List, or you can check the CPNS Donor List online, which will periodically be updated once items are received. If you solicit a business that is not on our CPNS Donor List, please notify us by email the business you solicited so we can credit you for the donation once we receive it. Please note: you do NOT need to complete the Donated Item Description Form if we receive a business solicited donation by mail—we will complete the form on your behalf.

How much do I need to donate?

All CPNS families need to donate items that value in total to $250. You can donate (or solicit donations from businesses) as many items as you like to reach this value.

What happens if I don’t donate the required value?

Your contribution of $250 value to the auction is a requirement! We need every family to participate so we can keep the tuition fees low, our amazing teachers well-compensated, the cupboards stocked with supplies, and our facilities and playground maintained. Just like meeting your other CPNS membership requirements, if you do not meet your contribution amount for the auction your membership will not be in good standing.

What type of items should I donate?

Anything you think someone might buy! For a long list of ideas, visit our Ideas page on this website. If you are uncertain about whether an item should be donated, just send us an email and ask us!

Can I donate my used items?

Used items can be donated, but please only if they are in excellent condition. If there are any minor imperfections in your donated item, you must include this when you submit your Item Description Form.

Can I donate a service, such as babysitting?

Yes! Many services were donated last year and brought in quite a bit of money. Visit our Ideas page on this website to view the services that have been donated in past years for some ideas.

What if I only want my donation to be offered locally or to CPNS families?

We can accommodate you! If you are donating something that should only go to CPNS families, we can either offer it at the Silent Auction or restrict bidding by allowing only authorized bidders to place a bid at the online auction.

Why are there two Auctions (Silent & Online)?

We have divided the Auction in to two parts, the Silent Auction and the Online Auction, to get the most out of our fundraiser. The Silent Auction will showcase premier donated items (such as exquisite gift baskets and hand crafted items) and give our CPNS families a chance to socialize and enjoy some wine and chocolate fondue. At the end of the evening, go home and check out the launch of the Online Auction on eBay. By opening up the bidding of our remaining items to the entire world, we increase our bidding population and thereby maximize our chances of meeting our fundraising goal. The combination of the two Auctions allows us to both enjoy the community involvement fundraising provides while still reaching our fundraising goal!

How does the Silent Auction work?

The Silent Auction is done by placing your highest bid on a piece of paper in front of the item you are bidding on. Bidding can be done only during the class break and after class is dismissed until the Silent Auction closes at 10:15pm. The winners can pay with check or cash immediately, or pay later by credit card using our PayPal link. Items can be taken home that night! Only CPNS families are invited to attend the Silent Auction as this is a special event showcasing specialty items that were donated.

I’ve never used eBay or bid in an Online Auction. What exactly is it?

eBay is a website that continuously runs new and used items up for auction. In an Online Auction, the bidding opens at a price the seller specifies and remains on eBay for a certain number of days. Buyers then place bids on the item. When the listing ends, the buyer with the highest bid wins.

What do I need to do to get started?

You will need to register an account on eBay before you can bid on any of the items. We recommend you do this at least a week before the CPNS auction starts so you have a chance to get everything set up and check out the website before the CPNS auction begins. Just go to www.ebay.com and click the larger red ‘Register’ button on the home page. You will need to enter the following information to set up an account on eBay:

Contact and Personal Information: Your contact information includes your name, address, and phone number. Personal information includes your date of birth to verify that you are at least 18 years of age.
Your email address: You need to enter a working email address that you can check immediately, because eBay will send you an email with instructions to complete your registration. eBay will also use this email address to notify you when you've won an item, and to share shipping and payment information with the seller.
Read and accept the User Agreement and Privacy Policy: You must accept the agreement to continue registering. You can review the full User Agreement and Privacy Policy on the eBay website.
Choose a user ID, password, and secret question: You’ll use your user ID and password every time you sign in to eBay. Your user ID will protect your privacy as you place bid for items, so create an ID that won’t reveal who you are!
Check your email: You’ll receive a registration email from eBay after you submit the required information. Follow the instructions in the email to confirm your registration and complete the registration process.

Okay, I’m registered. How do I bid on an item?

Before the Online Auction is launched, we will send you a link that will allow you to see all of CPNS’s donated items and you can select which items you want to bid on. When you find an item you like, carefully review the item description. Once you’ve placed a bid, you have agreed to buy the item at the price you’ve indicated (if you win). Enter your maximum bid, and then click the Place Bid button. Bidding will increase in small increments beginning at the starting bid, so you may very well win the item for significantly less than your maximum bid. Keep in mind, someone else may enter a higher maximum bid than you and you will need to enter a new maximum bid if you still want to try to win the item. Review your bid, and click the Confirm Bid button. When the listing ends, you'll receive an email indicating whether you've won the item and an explanation of how to pay. If you will be picking up your item at school, please notify us when you receive this email, then you will NOT be charged for shipping and you will receive an invoice from us with the correct amount that you need to pay.

Any special hints or advice for bidding and winning on eBay?

Bidding is easy using eBay. If you wish to stick to a budget on an item, just enter the maximum amount that you want to pay for the item. As more bidders bid on the item, your bid will increase in small increments until it reaches your maximum bid. It is always a good idea to check on your item in the last hour of bidding to see where you stand. If the current bid on the item is close to your maximum bid, you may want to increase your maximum bid to make sure you win! Bidding usually picks up near the end of a listing, so be sure to be near your computer as the item draws to a close.

How do I pay for and receive something(s) I won?

CPNS families can pay either by check, cash or credit card. If you are paying by credit card, you will need to set up a PayPal account and make your payment through eBay. We will be holding a ‘pick up’ night at school once the Online Auction is closed and you can come by to pick up your items and pay with your check or cash. We will have records of those who have already paid by credit card. If you do not want to come pick up your item(s) we can ship them to you, although you will then be charged for the shipping fee.

How do I sign up for a PayPal account?

If you would like to pay for your purchases using your credit card, you will need to sign up for a PayPal account. You can do this through your eBay account or simply from the eBay website (just look for the ‘sign up for PayPal’ button). You will need to create a user name and password for your PayPal account, as well as add in the credit card information that you would like your purchases to be charged to. PayPal also accepts checking account information if you would prefer to pay by electronic check (although CPNS is happy to accept your paper check as well!).

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