When is the 30th Annual Holiday Auction?

Sunday, December 3, 2017, at 5:00 pm.

Where will it be held? Where do I park?

The Holiday Auction will be held at the Sheraton Chapel Hill Hotel, which is located at 1 Europa Drive in Chapel Hill, NC. Parking is free on site.

How much does it cost to attend? How to I purchase tickets?

Tickets are $75 per person for a single ticket before the RSVP date or $125 for a donation ticket that includes an additional donation to the Center. You can also purchase a private table for 8 or 10 guests. Please note that we are required to issue tax-deduction receipts to the purchaser, even if your friends reimburse you for purchasing their tickets. If you would rather purchase tickets individually, please nominate a group leader and write that person's name in the "Group" field on the registration form. Please understand that while we try our best, we are unable to guarantee seating together for groups with individual tickets. You can purchase tickets here.

When is the RSVP date? Do you sell tickets at the door?

Please RSVP by Monday, November 21. After this date, ticket prices increase to $100 per person, and you will not be able to purchase private tables. Thank you for your understanding -- An advance headcount allows us to plan more accurately for catering, therefore ensuring lower expenses and more money going to the cause! 

We only sell tickets at the door if there are any left! It's best to get your tickets early.

What is Express Check-In and Express Check-Out?

When you register, we ask for your complete contact information. Filling this out completely for yourself and your guests will save time checking in at the event.

This year, we can save even more time by allowing guests to register for Express Check-Out when they purchase tickets. Check the box that reads, "I authorize Orange County Rape Crisis Center to use the credit card entered on the submission page at event 30th Annual Holiday Auction - 2017." Your credit card will be securely registered and attached to your bid number. At the end of event night, there's no need to check out - just pick up your items after dinner and go! We will charge all purchases to your registered credit card 1-3 days after the event and mail receipts shortly after.

You will not receive paper tickets for the event. Your name and your guests' names will be added to our guest list.

Are my purchases tax deductible? When will I get my receipt?

The amount of any contribution that is tax deductible is limited to the excess of any money over the value of goods or services provided. For example, single tickets cost $75 and are valued at $50, so $25 of that purchase is tax deductible. We will mail receipts listing all auction-related purchases after the event.

What is the attire?

Cocktail party, resort casual, business casual, your Sunday best... however you phrase dressing up nice, that's the way to go. If you're looking for fashion inspiration, you can check out photos from last year's auction on our Facebook page.

How does the silent auction work? What's mobile bidding?

We're excited to have Mobile Bidding for our silent auction again this year! No more old-school pen and paper bid sheets. You will be able to use your smart phone to bid once the auction goes live, so make sure to charge it up before you arrive. (But if you don't have or don't want to use a mobile device, rest assured that you will be able to use our Bidding Stations to place bids during the silent auction.) The Silent Auction and Live Auction item catalogs are available for preview and will be updated as we get new items in. Learn more about mobile bidding here.

The silent auction will close at 6:30, just before we move into the ballroom for dinner.

Please be sure to include each guest's cell phone number when you purchase your tickets so that each person can participate in mobile bidding. When the silent auction begins, each guest with a registered number will receive a text message with a link to the bidding site.

For couples who share a bid number, you will each be able to place bids from your own mobile phones using the same bid number in a joint account. Shared bid numbers with individual mobile phone numbers are recommended so you can both places bids without bidding against each other!

During the event, you will be texted by a third party app with notifications such as when bidding opens, when you have been outbid, and when bidding closes. Your number will be removed from this third party app after the event.

What is the First Buyer Frenzy?

The first bidder on each auction item will be entered into a drawing to win a $50 Visa card! You don't have to do anything except bid. The winner will be announced at the end of the event.

What's the deal with the grab bags?

During the silent auction, we have a table full of mystery gift bags. For $30, guests can take their chances on picking out a bag and getting a prize. Every bag is a winner, and one bag has a $50 Visa card!

How does the dessert auction work?

During the silent auction, be sure to view the desserts on display for the dessert auction. When the ballroom opens for dinner, each table will have a dessert auction bid card. Each guest at the table can enter an individual amount that they will bid toward the dessert auction. The table that collectively bids the highest will win first choice of dessert. The table that collectively bids the second highest will have second choice. And so forth. 

In the example here, table 12 collectively bid higher ($1,075) than table 5 ($600), so table 12 will get first choice of dessert from the display.

What is the drawing prize?

Win a night on the town: drinks downtown at the West End Wine Bar, dinner at Lantern, and a night at The Franklin Hotel. Check out the details of the drawing prize here. You can purchase drawing tickets at the same link as admission tickets. The winner will be announced at the end of the event.

How does the live auction work?

We will not use mobile bidding for the live auction. The live auction items will be available to preview via the mobile bidding platform, but not available to bid on. Instead, we will use our traditional method of bid cards and shouting out numbers. So get ready to raise your card for some awesome items! 

What's the deal with the Online Auction?

Sometimes people donate really great Auction items a little too late for us to include in the Silent Auction that occurs on event day. If that happens, then we host an Online Auction after the event to allow donors to bid on these items. The Online Auction is open to anyone, even if they didn't attend the Holiday Auction in December.

This year, the Online Auction will be live from 9am on February 23 through 9pm on March 11, 2018. View items and register to bid here.