"I've got
questions!
Why Isn't there a contact email address listed on this website?"
 Note
from Jenna: It must be frustrating not to find
an email address to send questions to listed on our website. I apologize for
that. For two and a half years, I had an email address listed, and I replied
to thousands of emails from people like you. But, truth is, the volume just
got to be too much. We have closed the email account that we used to use,
but we have built up our areas of our business to compensate for this gap in
customer service.
Hopefully, you can get your questions answered
in one of three ways: 1. through the expanded content on our website and
improved navigation, 2. from the FAQs below, or 3. by contacting the Soaring
Adventures of America Call Center at (800) 762-7464. Our Call Center
business hours are Monday through Friday from 10am to 6pm Eastern Time. Most
likely, you will talk to Roberta, Gail, Mary Jo, Dellie, Sophia or Frank.
They are all terrific, and have been with Soaring Adventures of America for
many years. Each of our representatives is very knowledgeable about our
FundraisingRides.org services.
Below is a list of our
Frequently Asked Questions. You can either scroll down the page or click on
a specific question and jump to that answer.
Questions About the
Live and Silent Auction Kit
Is the Balloon Ride refundable?
What should I use for a
starting bid?
What if no one bids on the ride?
How many non-profit organizations have used the Live and Silent Auction Kit?
Why do I have to order the ticket within 21 days of the close of my auction?
Do I have to identify the location that the winning bidder will take their
ride?
How long have FundraisingRides.org and Soaring Adventures of America been in
business?
Questions About the Balloon Ride
How long
do the winning bidders have to take their ride?
How do the winning
bidders schedule their ride?
How far in advance does the winning bidder need to call and schedule their
ride?
What if the winning bidder needs to cancel and re-schedule their ride?
Does the winning bidder have to take the ride himself, or can he give it as
a gift?
How long is the balloon ride?
How frequently are the rides
given and what times of day do they launch?
Where are the balloon ride
locations?
Is the Balloon Ride refundable?
Yes. We have a full refund policy for 60 days from the purchase of the
ticket.
What should I use for a
starting bid?
Most people use our non-profit prices as the starting bids. That way, there
is no risk you will lose money on the item. So, for the balloon ride for two
people, the starting bid would be set at $240. For the balloon ride for four
people, the starting bid would be set at $480.
What if no-one bids on the ride?
Then you do not have to purchase the balloon ride. We just hope that you
will try our service another time!
How many non-profit organizations have used the Live and Silent Auction Kit?
As of December 2007, more than 10,000 balloon rides from
FundraisingRides.org had been used as fundraising tools for non-profit
organizations. We do have a lot of organizations who use our services for
every auction they have. We don't have an exact number of organizations, but
you can view a list of more than five hundred of them by visiting our
500 Participating Non-profit
Organizations page.
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Why do I have to order the ticket within 21 days of the close of my auction?
We
are sorry to be so definitive on the 21-day policy. Unfortunately, we had to
enact this policy because many organizations auctioned off our rides and
forgot to buy the tickets. We received hundreds of calls from winning
bidders wanting to take their balloon rides, only to find out the non-profit
organizations never purchased the tickets. It is embarrassing for us as well
as the non-profit organization. We either had to put this policy into
effect, or require pre-payment of the rides--which we did not want to do. We
hope you understand our position on this. As long as you are on top of
placing your order after your event, it should have no impact on using our
Live and Silent Auction Kit.
Do I have to identify the location that the winning bidder will take their
ride?
No. The winning bidder--or whomever the winning bidder gives the balloon
ride to--can take their ride at any of the 150 Soaring Adventures of America
locations around the country. A complete list of the locations with the
pilots' names and scheduling phone numbers comes with the balloon ride.
How long have FundraisingRides.org and Soaring Adventures of America been in
business?
FundraisingRides.org is the division of Soaring
Adventures of America, Inc. that is dedicated to providing non-profit
organizations with fundraising opportunities. A family business founded in
1980, Soaring Adventures is America’s largest and most-trusted provider of
recreational aviation rides.
In 2002, The founder’s daughter, Jenna Wilkinson Roche, created
FundraisingRides.org to formalize its support of non-profit organizations
nationwide, and provide convenient and widespread distribution of its Hot
Air Balloon Ride Tickets for use in live and silent auction fundraisers.
Today, the FundraisingRides.org Live and Silent Auction Kit is used
by hundreds of non-profit groups annually—raising thousands of dollars for
worthy causes.
How long
do the winning bidders have to take their ride?
The balloon rides can be taken any time through November 1, 2009.
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How do the winning
bidders schedule their ride?
The balloon ride ticket comes with a list of the 150 balloon pilots' names
and scheduling phone numbers.
How far in advance does the winning bidder need to call and schedule their
ride?
We recommend that the winning bidder calls the pilot three weeks before they
would like to take their ride.
What if the winning bidder needs to cancel and re-schedule their ride?
No problem. The winning bidder just needs to call the pilot 72 hours in
advance of their scheduled ride so that he/she has time to fill their spot.
The winning bidder can then call that pilot or any other pilot on the list
to schedule their ride on a future date.
Does the winning bidder have to take the ride himself, or can he give it as
a gift?
The tickets are fully transferable. About half of the tickets are actually
bid on as gifts for a family member or friend. They make terrific holiday
gifts!
How long is the balloon ride?
You are in the air for an hour. The whole experience including the inflation
of the balloon and the soft drink/champagne toast at the conclusion of the
flight takes about 3 hours.
How frequently are the rides given, and what times of day do they launch?
The flights are twice daily at sunrise and sunset. The balloons fly seven
days a week, weather permitting. For areas of the country that have a very
cold winter, the season typically runs from April 1st through November 1st.
Where are the balloon ride
locations?
The rides launch from 150 locations around the country. You can see a list
of locations by clicking through to our Ride
Locations page.
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