Description: Of all the good causes you are asked to support each holiday season, we hope this one will both capture your heart and help you out during the busy days ahead. The chaotic holiday shopping season is just around the corner, and this year The Conflict Center is helping you shop early by offering its first-ever Double Duty Holiday Shopping Auction! This online auction will allow you to purchase one gift and multiply the power of your shopping to give two gifts instead. What do we mean by this? Well, the majority (and, in most cases, 100%) of the profit from each item you purchase will go directly to The Conflict Center. So, for each gift you buy for someone else (or yourself!), you're also giving a most generous gift to The Conflict Center -- really, that's two gifts for the price of one!

This auction will provide bidders with the chance to shop online from the comfort of their homes and select from merchandise, gift cards, and experiential packages designed to please, donated by generous merchant partners and friends of The Conflict Center. The auction will begin on November 23 and will run through December 6, just in time to avoid those mall crowds and still receive your gifts in time for your holiday celebration.

Many area merchants have already agreed to donate items for our auction, and more items are being added to our auction site each day. Items in our auction include gift certificates, wine, getaways and much, much more!

TCC's Double Duty Online Auction also provides benefits for donors. This online auction enables TCC to provide donors with a valuable platform for visibility within the virtual community. You'll be featured on the auction home page, in weekly e-mail alerts, and in the online catalog where we can include a logo and/or picture, and a link to your own website. Donors will also benefit from reaching new markets and generating greater interest in your products/services because TCC will be sending out numerous weekly e-mail communications and using other powerful promotional vehicles to encourage our members' participation and support in spreading word about the auction. The greater the value of the donated items, the more opportunities for promotion and recognition an organization may receive. We hope you will take advantage of this unique opportunity and consider supporting our online auction!

Of course, every holiday season has a Grinch, and when it comes to TCC's online auction the IRS plays that role. According to IRS rules, an individual who purchases an item from a nonprofit fundraiser may deduct the difference between the fair market value of the item and the amount they paid as a charitable contribution. Merchants or friends of TCC who donate an item to our auction may deduct the full value of the item as a tax-deductible contribution. Please consult your tax professional for the final word on this.

Please visit our online auction site at https://www.cmarket.com/auction/AuctionHome.action?documentId=99112990 to preview the ever-growing assortment of items which will be available. Remember the fun begins on Monday, November 23, at 8:00 am, and bidding will close on Sunday, December 6 at 8:00 pm. The auction website accepts Visa and Mastercard. Information about our online auction is also available on our website, www.conflictcenter.org, or if you have questions you may reach TCC at (303) 433-4983.

Good luck and happy bidding!