I mentioned a fund raising idea on my blog that our guild did and one of the Quilting Board members here suggested that I post about it here for others. At each December guild meeting, we have a member auction where we will auction off a day with that member. A few months prior to the December meeting, we ask that any interested "auctionees" submit a proposal of what a day with them would entail, such as a day with them in their studio working on a surprise kit with them, and includes lunch together, etc. Then at the December meeting we have an auctioneer come in and auction the member off to the highest bidder (the auctioneer is a professional who is friends with a guild member so donated his services for free, too)! The auction is a lot of fun and we have our Christmas party potluck at the same time. So much fun!
One of the members, Jim, that was auctioned off last December is a man and he added a twist to his proposal - whoever won him could also bring 11 of their friends! Wow, the bidding got hot and heavy for him!! I was lucky enough to be one of the 11 friends that was invited to go, so last Saturday was the date. We carpooled to his house and took the tour - it is like a virtual museum - he collects all kinds of things -- petit point purses, buttons (millions of them!), wooden spools, mobiles hanging from the studio ceiling, I could go on and on. But it was fascinating going through his home and just looking at all the wonderful things.
Then we had lunch. Gracious dining it was! Crystal, silver, linen napkins, etc. He had a good friend come help him prepare and serve the food and as we ate he told us a lot about the history of some of his crystal and silver items in the dining room, the paintings, etc. Again, fascinating!
After that, we all retired to the studio for an afternoon of sitting, sewing, and visiting together. A delightful way to cap off the day. :)
So, this might be something your guild could consider as a fundraiser. It was certainly a great day for all of us that got to go, and raised money for the guild, too!