You may have heard by now that the 39th Annual Civic Auction will be completely online this year. After 39 years of successful in-person auctions, we had to make the difficult decision to switch formats for the safety of everyone involved. Our typical auction draws about 800 attendees and takes more than 100 volunteers to pull off. Given the restrictions on mass gatherings, we knew we couldn’t resume with our normal format.
So, what does this mean? For one, it means that we are venturing into completely new territory and must do everything we can to make it successful. This is our primary fundraiser, after all. Funds raised go back into the community through scholarships, community events, small business support, school district support, community beautification and more. Our staff and solicitation team members are working diligently to secure donations. We are also coming up with creative ways to spread the word about the online format.
Here’s how it will work. The auction will consist of three parts: the raffle, a 5-day online auction of items that would typically be included in our silent auction, and a 1-day online auction of large-ticket items.
The raffle, sponsored by American National Bank of Texas, is open now. You can purchase raffle tickets for one or more of five items: Tory Burch Taylor Tote and matching wallet, Remington model 700 gun, Xbox One S, Realtree 12V Truck, and a Liquor Bar Cart. Raffle ticket prices vary based on the item. To purchase tickets, you must register as a bidder (more info on that below). The raffle drawing will take place on Monday, October 19.
The online silent auction will open on Monday, October 12 and close on Friday, October 16 at 10 PM. Thanks to the generosity of our donors, we expect to have nearly 500 items up for bid during that time. You’ll be able to begin previewing items the week of October 5.
The one-day online auction with the larger ticket items will open the morning of October 17 and close at 10 PM that same day. These are items that would typically appear in our live auction format and we expect to have around 50 items.
After you register to bid, you can easily bid on items using any device with an internet connection like a smart phone, tablet, laptop or desktop. To bid on an item, you have the option to select the next incremental bid, bid a different amount, or set a max bid in which the system will automatically bid on your behalf until that amount is reached. You will even have the option to Buy It Now. Each time you are outbid, you will receive a text alert with a link to that item so you can easily bid again if you wish. To make it easy to keep up with the items you’re interested in, the interface allows you to search for items by name or number, filter by category, star your favorite items, filter no bid items and more.
Registering to bid is free. Visit www.terrelltexas.com. On the home page click the “REGISTER TO BID” button, which will take you to the auction website. Click on “START BIDDING” and then the green “CREATE ACCOUNT” button. First, you’ll provide your email address. Once you verify your email, you’ll finish setting up your account which will require your name, mailing address, cell phone number (so you can receive text notifications during the auction), and credit card information.
If you’ve never participated in one of our auctions, this new online format is the perfect opportunity to see what it’s all about. If you are a business owner or manager in the area and wish to donate, it’s not too late. Contact us at 972-524-5703.
As always, we couldn’t be successful without our volunteers, supporters and sponsors. We’d like to thank this year’s sponsors: AutoZone, Film Alley, J.S. Helwig & Son, Madix, Nucor, Oldcastle BuildingEnvelope, the Platinum Collection of Dealerships, U-Rent-It Sales & Service and our raffle sponsor, American National Bank of Texas.