Tree Donor FAQ
We're thrilled to have such a wonderful crop of tree and wreath donors for the 2019 Festival of Trees & can't wait to see what you all create! We are lucky to have so many applicants to donate auction items, but we aren't able to take them all. There are still many ways to get involved with the 2019 Festival and we'd love to hear from you to make sure you're on our list to receive information for next year. Please contact us at festival@theshelterinc.org!
Since we have some new faces joining us this year, we wanted to point out some tips and tricks from our seasoned tree decor vets who are sharing some of our Frequently Asked Questions:
1. Why the 7ft height restriction?
We have wonderful partners for moving day in Professional Moving & Storage, so the trees must fit in their vans. We also want to make sure the trees fit through a traditional doorway. We are able to take a few larger trees each year, so if your project is topping that height, please reach out to the planning committee at festival@theshelterinc.org.
2. I’m considering putting in a live tree, what do I need to be aware of?
Trees need to be able to survive under the hot theater lights for 7 days. We may call on you to assist with watering throughout the week. Delivering live trees is also challenging for our volunteers as they are much heavier than artificial ones so we may ask for your assistance.
3. Can I deliver my own tree to the buyer?
Yes! Tree wrapping and delivery are handled by volunteers, who will take the best care of your tree as possible, but if your tree is especially fragile, heavy, or has intricate setup instructions, we would love your assistance in getting it to the buyer’s final destination. Just let us know in your profile form and on setup day if this is your plan.
4. We have 4 hours on Setup Day to decorate, I’ll just do it then.
Please don’t! We highly encourage donors to bring their tree to Liberty Hall decorated and just apply final touches onsite. In our experience, the trees and wreaths that are most successful take careful planning and time making the tree look great and, equally important, make sure it travels well!
5. My tree has several parts or props, will they stay with it once it gets delivered?
If your donation has a topper that gets removed, several parts under the tree, or any other moveable pieces or special instructions, please provide an inventory sheet on setup day. A Festival of Trees committee member will help you with check-out before you leave setup day so please make sure to mention these.
PLEASE NOTE: your tree will be wrapped and delivered by a team of volunteers that may have never seen your tree before. While we do our best to communicate the specific needs of each tree, it is important that we make this as straightforward as possible so all items go with the right tree.
6. How can I help make sure my tree gets to the buyer in good condition?
When you bring your tree into Liberty Hall on setup day, we have 40+ teams responsible for their individual donation. On delivery day, we have the opposite, about 3-4 teams assigned to a delivery truck full of trees, paired with volunteers to run them into houses or businesses. We work efficiently and carefully, but accidents do happen. This is why we ask that everything going on the tree is wired on securely and that we have an inventory of anything that is not attached (detaching toppers, anything under the tree, etc). A reminder that you may deliver your own tree if you prefer and you may be asked to deliver your tree if it is especially fragile or heavy.
7. I have an idea for a donation, but it’s not a traditional Christmas tree, do you take other items?
We’d love to talk to you about it! We have a “nontraditional” tree category and encourage our donors to “think outside the tree.” Space is an issue for the lineup, so we would need to know early-on about the dimensions of your project, and it would need to be holiday-themed. Check out our Facebook photo albums for some examples of some great nontraditional “trees” we’ve seen in years past.
Do you have another question we haven’t answered here? Let us know at festival@theshelterinc.org! None of this would be possible without our generous & creative tree and wreath donors, thank you!