Boost recurring donations this giving season with the upsell prompt!With the Auctions app, you run a fundraising auction end to end — building a catalog, taking bids online, running the room on the night, and collecting what was won. This article is the map; each part links to how it works.
Three places the app lives
The administrator is where you build and run the auction. Everything is on one record, split across tabs: Details, Items, Categories, Bidders, Winning Bids, Fulfillments, Sponsor Levels, Sponsors, Paddle Raise, and Menu & Pages. See Viewing and managing Auctions in the administrator.
The auction site is what your supporters see — a browsable grid of items, item pages, bidding, and their own account area. See What bidders see on the auction home page.
The live-event tools are for the night itself: a paddle raise console for recording commitments as they come in from the room, and a Live Display that shows the room what is happening. See Setting up and running a Paddle Raise.
Three ways an item can sell
| Type | How it works |
|---|---|
| Silent Bidding | Bidders bid online; the highest bid wins when the item closes |
| Live Bidding | Run by an auctioneer in the room, with the winner recorded by hand |
| Fixed Price | No bidding — bidders click Buy Now and pay the set price. Can carry inventory |
One auction can mix all three. See the Auction item field reference.
How bidding works
Silent bidding uses proxy bidding. A bidder enters the most they are willing to pay, and the app bids the minimum needed to keep them in front, up to that maximum — so they do not have to sit watching the item.
You can set a starting bid, a minimum increment, and a reserve price. Bidders are told whether the reserve is met without being shown the figure.
The four states of an auction
An auction's Status controls what supporters can see and do:
- Hidden — administrators only. The default for a new auction.
- Preview — items visible, no bidding yet. Useful for building interest before you open.
- Open — bidding is live.
- Closed — items still visible, bidding over.
There is also Paused, which stops all bidding without hiding anything — a way to hold the room during a live segment.
What happens after the hammer
When an item sells, a fulfillment is created automatically. From the Fulfillments tab you charge the winner's saved card, mark items handed over, and record anything that will never be collected. See Understanding the Fulfillments tab.
What else it does
- Sponsors — recognize supporters by tier, on an auction page and on a Live Display. See Where your sponsors appear.
- Event integration — connect an auction to an event so your attendee list feeds your bidder list. See Associating an Auction with an Event.
- Branding — set fonts and colors for the auction site. See Setting colors for the Auctions app.
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