Creeping Auction: A benefit for disaster relief

Art to the rescue!
So many of you have been in touch about donating art to help benefit disaster relief in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, who are suffering an incomprehensible humanitarian crisis in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria. Millions of our fellow Americans have been left in 90 degree heat without electricity, clean water, fuel, or communications, with no end in sight.

The Creeping Museum is organizing a “Creeping Auction” for artists who'd like a way to donate their work to support the relief efforts. You can participate from wherever you are in the world, and you don’t need to send the art to us. We’ll all be connected via the hashtag #creepingauction, and The Creeping Museum will help you promote your auction.

Just follow the steps below:
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1) CHOOSE one of these three vetted nonprofit organizations working to provide relief to the victims of Hurricane Maria. If there’s another organization you’re passionate about, please feel free to donate to them instead. Charity Navigator is a great resource for vetting nonprofits.

• Unidos Disaster Relief Fund, by the Hispanic Federation (a fund set up by the Hispanic Federation and NYC-based elected officials, including the mayor and members of Congress, to benefit local community and civic organizations)
• UNICEF (currently mobilizing to get emergency survival kits to the children of Puerto Rico) -
• Unidos por Puerto Rico (created by the First Lady of Puerto Rico to leverage the funds and resources of the private sector)

2) POST an auction on Instagram with a photo of your artwork. Hate writing posts? Not sure what to say? Here’s an easy template for you! (Feel free to write your own post, or customize this template to suit your needs - including a personal statement on why you're participating is always helpful.)

I am auctioning my artwork [title of piece] as part of @thecreepingmuseum's #CreepingAuction to benefit disaster relief in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. 100% of proceeds from this sale (minus [reasonable shipping charge] to cover the cost of shipping and handling) will be donated to [name of the nonprofit you've chosen] to support their disaster relief efforts.
[Brief description of the piece]
Bidding starts at [set a price that’s not so low that you’d be sad if the piece sold for that amount!]. Please bid in the comments in increments of $5, and tag the person you outbid. The auction ends at [date and time, including time zone]. Payment is due within 24 hours of the close of the auction. 

Please be sure to tag @thecreepingmuseum and use the hashtag #creepingauction. If your account is private you're absolutely welcome to participate, but I won't be able to see or share your post.

4) COLLECT payment from the winning bidder and SHIP the artwork to them. Each artist will coordinate payment and shipping with the winning bidder directly; The Creeping Museum will not be a part of the payment or shipment process.

5) Once the buyer has paid and you have shipped the art to them, please DONATE the funds (minus your shipping cost) to one of the three nonprofits listed above, and send a screen capture of your donation receipt to [email protected].

There is no deadline for participation in the Creeping Auction project; sadly, disaster relief funding will be needed in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands for years to come.

Thank you for using your art to raise money for an important cause! I'm happy to help and answer your questions, but please keep in mind that I’m just one person who’s volunteering my time, so it may take a while for me to respond.