Setting up and running a Paddle Raise

With the Auctions app, you can run a paddle raise during a live event: define the giving levels you plan to call, activate each level as the emcee reaches it, and record every commitment as it comes in from the room. Totals update as you work, and everyone else running the same auction sees your entries immediately.

To open the Paddle Raise tab:

1. Open the Auctions Manager.
2. Click the title of the auction you want to manage.
3. Click the Paddle Raise tab.

Setting up giving levels

Set your levels up before the event. Each level is one amount the emcee will call.

To add a giving level:

1. Click Add Level.
2. For Level Name, enter an optional label such as Gold, Silver, or Bronze. Leave it blank to identify the level by its amount alone.
3. For Amount, enter the currency amount for the level.
4. Click Save.

To edit a level, click Edit Level on that row, change the details, and click Save.

To reorder levels, drag a level using its drag handle. The order you set is the order you will work through during the event, so arrange them the way the emcee will call them — typically highest amount first.

Each level shows one of three statuses:

• Ready — configured, not yet called
• Active (live) — the level currently being called, and the level that commitments are recorded against
• Completed — already called

Running the paddle raise

During the event, work from the button at the top of the tab. Its label changes to match where you are:

• Activate First Level — starts the paddle raise on your first level
• Activate Next Level — completes the current level and moves to the next one down
• End Paddle Raise — completes the final level and ends the paddle raise

Important: Commitments are always recorded against the active level. Until you activate a level, the entry form is disabled. If entry is greyed out during an event, check that a level is active.

For a clean operating screen with the administrator navigation removed, click Focus Mode. Click Exit Focus Mode to return to the full tab.

Two figures sit above the commitments list and update as you work:

• Total Raised — the sum of all commitments that have not been voided
• Commitments — how many have been recorded

Recording a commitment

1. Confirm the level you want is showing as active.
2. For Bidder # or Name, type the bidder number or start typing the bidder's name, then select the bidder from the results.
3. For Amount, enter the amount committed. It defaults to the active level's amount, so change it only when a bidder gives a different amount.
4. Click Add Commitment.

When you do not know who the bidder is

In a fast-moving room, a paddle sometimes goes up before anyone catches the number. You can record the commitment now and identify the bidder afterwards:

1. Select Unknown bidder.
2. For Describe bidder, enter something that will help you find them later — for example, "Table 5, blue tie, left seat". This is optional but strongly recommended.
3. Enter the Amount.
4. Click Add Commitment.

The commitment counts toward the total straight away. Edit it later to attach the real bidder.

Reviewing and correcting commitments

The commitments list shows Level, Bidder, Amount, Entered By, Time, Status, and Actions.

To correct a commitment, click Edit on its row. You can change the bidder, the giving level, the amount, and the description. Click Save.

To reverse a commitment, click Void on its row, then click Confirm Void. Voided commitments stay in the list for the record but are removed from Total Raised and are not shown on a Live Display. Select Hide voided to take them out of your view while you work.

Select Show possible duplicates to highlight commitments that share the same bidder, level, and amount. Two spotters recording the same paddle is common; this makes the pair easy to spot so you can void one. A commitment flagged this way is marked in the list and is held back from the Live Display until you confirm it.

Working with more than one person

Several people can work the same paddle raise at once — for example, spotters at the back of the room and a recorder at the front. Everyone sees new commitments, level changes, and reordering as they happen, and the Entered By column records who entered each one.

If the connection to the live updates drops, a banner appears. Once it reconnects, refresh to pick up anything you missed.

Showing the paddle raise in the room

A Fundraising Live Display can be linked to the auction so the room sees the current giving level and commitments as you record them. Set the link on the Live Display, not on the auction.

Deleting a giving level

Click Delete on the level's row.

Important: A level that already has commitments recorded against it cannot be deleted. Void those commitments first, then delete the level. This is deliberate — it prevents recorded giving from disappearing from your totals.

Related articles:

• Creating and managing an Auction
• Managing Bidders
• Managing Live Display Settings on the front end