Whether you are asked to donate a quilt (or any other item) or speak, there is time and money involved. I was frequently asked to speak to groups about quilting for free and then felt guilty when I said no. Then I came up with the solution. I decided to do two (pick your own number) freebies a year. When those were committed, then I said to call early the following year to schedule me. This worked for both me and whoever was asking. I wasn't put in a position of feeling guilty and the person/organization understood. You could carry this forward to supplying quilts also. It works.
SandyQuilter

I agree with Prism99 that a silent auction can be a give away for all that work.

I think this is a wonderful idea. I doubt you would donate to a benefit you know very little about. Benefits are usually advertised in different medias that give a reason behind it. If your morals don't agree with the benefit, generally your heart tells you not to give. Yes, there are scams out there.
I guess I think differently about making and giving things for benefits than others do. But, I bet I am in a huge group that will take the time and my expense to contribute towards a benefit. If I am giving, the labor and costs to me are minimal compared to what the benefactor may be facing. Doesn't matter if it is an individual, a family, a group, a cause, a community, etc. If I stand behind and believe I can do some good, my 'costs' matter very little.
Pillowcases are a great idea, as well as a nice basket of quilting supplies and/or a kit or two. Many would bid on those ideas. I have been to these silent auctions where there are minimum bids written on the first bid line, with a name of the giver as the bidder. You wouldn't need to apologize for not doing a quilt, simply offer another item and ask if they would accept it. If we can make a small difference in the lives of others, isn't that what it is all about?

I feel a whole lot the same way. Plus people that couldn't otherwise afford to pay full price for a lovely, hand made item get a chance to own something nice and help out a cause at the same time.

Whaat about cute scrappy potholders for sale? You might make some money that way also.

In our area if you have something like that put on silent auction they put a minimum starting $ figure. After all, it is for charity and people realize that here. Usually I have seen someone get up to the mike and start an bid auction and some people buy it and donate it back to be sold again. sometimes 3-4 times. Good luck so the charity gets more money.

I have adopted this for my charitable quilts... I have $$$ amount set aside in my "charitible budget" and a time allocation . When its consumed .. I am done.

For a silent auction I would go with tote bags, table runners, place mats keep it simple you just don't get enough money to make it worthwhile for a quilt. Save your quilts for raffles where they have time to sell the tickets. Good luck!

I pretty much agree with every almost answer on this thread. I do donate quilts for benefits but I have guidelines that make me feel better. Like bus quilts I have donated for a boys' choir that travel a lot and uses their bus for resting between practices with the orchestra and the performance.

I figured in cost of thread, fabric, batting, each quilt's share of yearly maintiance on my machine, but not my labor (I am retired). These 42x60 (their recommened size) go together fast because I use polyester batting with stickem on both sides and like to use panels of fun motifs mixed with more serious musical designs. The cost, I figured of each (just before the price of fabrics shot up) was $70 and I told the school that was what it cost me, w/o labor (i have made enough that I can do so in a matter of 4 hours), and that if the quilts did not go for at least that I wanted them back. They priced them at $100 each and they all sold.

Before I was donating them, now they can make money off them and get the quilts donated by the buyer (there is no option, they have to be given to the boys' bus). I had a little example of a label that said "Donated by (your name here) to (choir's name here) but no one cared... and they were asked. What they wanted were that these quilts be on the bus for the boys to use. Since I do a lot of charity quilts anyway (most of us do) I consider it a win/win situation.

I agree. I know this from my own sad experience.