Need Help with Selection for Auction

[AcadieLibre]

Look good, yes shooting a photo in glass is a pain but well done. Again I hope it does well in the auction, should be proud you did some very nice work.

[casil403]

So I send an email on last week asking if they are still interested in the photo for their auction. They reply back saying yes they are so I go ahead and get all the framing done etc. So I send them back a reply saying I have the photo ready and if it's not too much trouble, in lieu of a tax receipt, can I please get a couple of Tix to the event so I can go and see what it ends up going for....didn't think that was too much to ask.
I get a reply back saying "We are really happy to have your donated photo. Unfortunately, I am not able to provide free tickets at this point (value $75.00) because we are not at our break-even point. I do have some volunteer work if you are interested in coming out to help, and perhaps you can have a nice glass of wine and appetizers while you are assisting us. What do you say?"
I reply back with:
"I think I will pass on the volunteering. I think donating a photo (which cost me ($100) to the cause is more than enough for me."
Let me know when you can come by and pick it up."

This is after telling me I can either drop the photo down at the park or she will come by and get it...where do I live.

So after telling me that she will be by Wednesday evening...which she never did sending me an email later (8:27pm) which stated she was too busy to come and probably won't be by to pick it up after all???!!!
She ends with this:
" I may have to forego picking up your donation altogether. I might be able to swing by on Friday morning but I’m not optimistic as there is still a lot of getting ready stuff to look after for the event. So, that being said I probably won’t make it. But thank you very much for offering to donate the Fish Creek photograph. Perhaps next year we’ll have a similar event and you can donate it then. "
A donation next year???? I highly doubt it. WTF?
No worries...plenty of other charities who would love a photo.

[Greg_Nuspel]

I don't think she knows what a wonderful photo she is passing on

[AntZ]

WTF indeed. I can understand perhaps that someone organising an event like that could quite easily run out of time, but I would hope that they could find someone to collect if for them.

It is quite possible that this person does not understand the expense of printing and framing a photo. I know the first time I went to frame an image I was surprised.

I hope you find something to do with your hard work. Maybe now you have it framed you could try to show it or sell it somewhere. I thought it looked great framed by the way.

[casil403]

Thanks...lol...I'm not even remotely bothered by it...just strikes me as rather odd and unprofessional...no wonder they can't make the ticket quota.
C'est la vie...

[Bambi]

That totally sucks Casil!! If I were you I would write to the committee and outline what has happened. It may be a matter of incompetence of the entire committee or just one. I have served on volunteer boards and had to work hard to off-set the damage done by one idiot. Either way they should know what happened.

[casil403]

LOL.... it looks fantastic hung on MY wall above the fireplace! That's where it will stay until I decide what to do with it!

[Mad Aussie]

If nothing else she motivated you to seek assistence (from A.L) and learn how to go about framing and now have a couple of your own framed to be proud of.

[AcadieLibre]

Well you have beautiful photos for you home you can be proud of. I would not donate once they backed down on the original offering. I would keep one of each for your home and since you two of the one keep your eye open for a worthwhile charity who will appreciate your donation. I do have a feeling like most charities it is very cliquish and if you were one of the clique she would have gone out of her way to pick it up. I just think they gave all the tickets to their friends. I have never dealt with a charity who could afford to pass on a donation.

I would write both the Director Tom Jackson and cc Phil Greer the treasurer and explain that you went out of your way to try and help raise money for the foundation and you were told that your donation was wanted and you spent all that time and money to have it ready for the auction and the last minute your contribution to the silent auction was snubbed and that in the future you will not support their efforts in fund raising. If you let it slide you allow them to do it to others, it takes a few minutes to send off an email and to voice your disappointment with how you were dealt with. I would just let them know that these action are what will hurt their donation drives in the future and you were more than willing to help raise funds but it seems that your effort, time and money were wasted and you were only trying to help and all it led to was disappointment and that any future fund raising you will not partake as it seems they do not need donations and that to pass on donations such as yours it seems that you will see no need to tell friends and family to donate as they are so well off financially that they also need not donate. I would not let it go, but thats me but just with a single email than I would drop it.

PS: I would do it tonight so it is the first thing they see in their inbox in the morning.

PS: Find a Children's Charity, Hospice, Woman's SHelter or a home for the Aged to donate to, they can always use the help.

[casil403]

Well you have beautiful photos for you home you can be proud of. I would not donate once they backed down on the original offering. I would keep one of each for your home and since you two of the one keep your eye open for a worthwhile charity who will appreciate your donation. I do have a feeling like most charities it is very cliquish and if you were one of the clique she would have gone out of her way to pick it up. I just think they gave all the tickets to their friends. I have never dealt with a charity who could afford to pass on a donation.

I would write both the Director Tom Jackson and cc Phil Greer the treasurer and explain that you went out of your way to try and help raise money for the foundation and you were told that your donation was wanted and you spent all that time and money to have it ready for the auction and the last minute your contribution to the silent auction was snubbed and that in the future you will not support their efforts in fund raising. If you let it slide you allow them to do it to others, it takes a few minutes to send off an email and to voice your disappointment with how you were dealt with. I would just let them know that these action are what will hurt their donation drives in the future and you were more than willing to help raise funds but it seems that your effort, time and money were wasted and you were only trying to help and all it led to was disappointment and that any future fund raising you will not partake as it seems they do not need donations and that to pass on donations such as yours it seems that you will see no need to tell friends and family to donate as they are so well off financially that they also need not donate. I would not let it go, but thats me but just with a single email than I would drop it.

I have been thinking of sending an email but I wanted to word it in a way that didn't come across as angry or upset....which I am not...even in the slightest...as I said, it's just bizarre.
I just think the higher ups should know that this is not the way to promote an auction or fundraiser or anything involving raising money actually.
Thanks for the support and the encouragement everyone...I think I will write a letter this weekend.