Charity Auction Regret

Poppops

fluffnutter wrote: »

When you've been trying for a baby for years and years and years, you learn not to put your life on hold. It's heartbreaking to think 'Let's not do *this* just in case I'm pregnant' then do the test with the inevitable negative result. You start off turning down job offers, and holidays, and house moves (and charity auctions perhaps) all with the expectation that there'll be a baby along soon. In the end you just get on with your life.

Well OK. I take your point. But I still think there is a difference between not putting your life on hold in terms of moving house or going on holiday and bidding £1300 for a dinner for two!

Surely that amount of money should only be bid if it could be managed in any circumstance?

Obviously everyone is different. I wouldn't have been heartbroken to miss out on the dinner for two

MallyGirl

I was treasurer for a charity for a while. We organised a charity dinner/auction event in aid of another charity - proceeds to be split 50:50. Someone won 2 big ticket auction items and agreed to pay by cheque. The cheque bounced and by the time we eventually gave up trying to get the money out of the winner all options for trying next highest bid were long gone and we had paid out 50% of proceeds to the other charity. We ended up barely covering our costs. No more cheques accepted from then on.


I am glad you paid up but maybe you can find a way of selling on/recouping some of the money.
Congratulations on the baby.

Jagraf

MallyGirl wrote: »

I was treasurer for a charity for a while. We organised a charity dinner/auction event in aid of another charity - proceeds to be split 50:50. Someone won 2 big ticket auction items and agreed to pay by cheque. The cheque bounced and by the time we eventually gave up trying to get the money out of the winner all options for trying next highest bid were long gone and we had paid out 50% of proceeds to the other charity. We ended up barely covering our costs. No more cheques accepted from then on.


I am glad you paid up but maybe you can find a way of selling on/recouping some of the money.
Congratulations on the baby.

Disgusting behaviour :eek:

Slinky

MallyGirl wrote: »

I was treasurer for a charity for a while. We organised a charity dinner/auction event in aid of another charity - proceeds to be split 50:50. Someone won 2 big ticket auction items and agreed to pay by cheque. The cheque bounced and by the time we eventually gave up trying to get the money out of the winner all options for trying next highest bid were long gone and we had paid out 50% of proceeds to the other charity. We ended up barely covering our costs. No more cheques accepted from then on.

That's despicable. I hope whatever goes around comes around for the person who cheated your charity.

jackyann

koloko wrote: »

It's a "heaven or hell dining experience" for 8 people. If only i had some friends that weren't also the parents of infant children I could charge them to come! It will make s good story when he/she is older

I phoned up and paid the charity the outstanding amount this morning.

Well done! And best wishes for this pregnancy, and for the baby.

Ames

I wonder if the replies would have been different if the op said 'I put a cheque in the post to a charity then found out my wife's pregnant, should I cancel it?'

Fireflyaway

I would go ahead and pay. Its a one off payment - you can celebrate your good news together and it won't be a while until your wife has to start maternity leave anyway.

You obviously could afford it or you would not have bid, so financially nothing has changed at the moment.

To find out there is a baby on the way after 5 years is amazing, but its not suddenly going to ruin your financial position overnight.
Enjoy the dinner, feel good that you helped a charity and start planning for the future.

DigForVictory

Why not ask the chef if he would kindly do you a Christening meal?

Rousing congratulations on the baby, hoping all goes smoothly throughout the pregnancy with an easy delivery on you all at the end!

Marktheshark

I would not mix drink and charity auctions ever again.

SavingPennies_2

I don't think approaching the next bidder will work. Surely part of the reason people bid these amounts is to have thier names read out in front of a whole room of collegues so everyone knows how generous/rich they are. If the next bidder took it off you they wouldn't get any of the glory. I don't mean to sound cynical I think you have been very generous but I just think that is part of the reason people bid in these events.

How about you arrange for close family to come round and make it a celebration evening?