I've learned that unless you're a quilter you do not appreciate what goes into a quilt. So while I still do quilts for charity puposes I am very, very selective - I prefer they go to sick people or hospital wards instead of auctions or raffles. I also fairly regularly donate fabric to groups that quilt for fund raising purposes. In short I've felt your pain and found some ways to still donate but avoid the disappointment.

I learned the hard way, also. Now I just write a check, ends up better for me and means more money for the cause!

The only consolation is this: to hope that whoever the lucky person was who won your beautiful quilt was giddy with joy at getting it for such a steal. If I won one like that, I would have been doing the happy feet dance and calling everyone I knew to come over and see my new quilt.

A very similar thing happened to me the one and only time I donated a very nice quilt for a raffle. I made the quilt to appeal to the interests of the people attending the raffle and it was beautiful if I do say so myself. ;) I was very dismayed to stop by and see that that the quilt was not even unfolded and that it was practically buried amongst at least a dozen other raffle items (baskets of bath products, etc.) When I last saw it, it only had about 5 dollars in its accompanying jar.
At least the organizers did not call me to cheerfully tell me know how little it brought in. You had every right to feel upset about that!
Oh those dratted "Lessons learned the hard way"! I've decided from now to only make quilts as gifts for people who will love them. I'll donate in ways that did not take so much of my heart and time.

Same thing has happened to me. I know how you are feeling. Still sad. Hugs from Iowa.

I've donated and this is what we did. Set a minimum.

You can tell them, "A good minimum for this would be $$$, I've got more than that in materials in it."

I donated a twin size quilt for a benefit once with a minimum bid and if they didn't get it to return the quilt to me. I didn't want it to go for less than it cost to make it. It was an Iowa Hawkeye quilt appliqued and hand quilted. I had at least $100 in materials in it. They didn't reach the minimum and did return it. I hung onto it and a few months later I was approached by a different group (a co-worker with stage 4 cancer)and was asked for the quilt. It went for the minimum which was less than it was worth,but that was ok. At least it was worth doing it and helped the person the benefit was for. The co-worker lived a few months more and even returned to work. But the cancer won and took her.

I have noticed this too. If the one running the auction is interested in it, has a family member/friend that did it, it gets promoted. Others will just get placed and "here it is".
I would give them $$ if I thought it was a worthy cause, otherwise say "oh so sorry..."

Wow, how rude. People DON'T understand what effort goes into these quilt's.

How lucky I was ... my niece asked me to make a quilt for her children's school auction. Annually they had a quilt to auction but no one had come forward so she asked if I would make it ... it was at the last minute and I was new to quilting. The quilt was made with scraps and all the students in the class had signed it but $20 is about what it was worth !! Long story short: the quilt sold for $425 ... however, the winning bid was made by my niece's brother in law! So ... that quilt with all the newbie's mistakes "came back home" :wink:

I know how you feel. Next time I would give a cash donation.