Running a Stand Alone Online Auction
Thinking about going fully online for your next auction? You're in good company! Online auctions are a fantastic way to engage supporters while saving time and money — no venue, catering, or event-night logistics required.
While online and in-person gala auctions may look different on the surface, they share the same core foundation: collecting donors and items, accepting bids, awarding winners, processing payments, and reporting results. The good news is that if you've run an auction before, much of what you already know still applies.
This guide walks you through the key settings and steps specific to running a successful stand-alone online auction — from customizing your catalog and bidding options to inviting supporters and notifying winners.
FAQ: Our auction will be Online only - what setup do we have to do and which steps can we skip?
Answer: Online auctions avoid the time and expense of holding an event (no venue, caterer, auctioneer, AV equipment, event night volunteers etc) so most of the "savings" come from activities that are handled outside of the software. The software handles the "auction" aspects of your event - and gala and online auctions are more similar than they are different.
Both Need:
- Donors
- Items
- Mechanisms for:
- bidding and
- awarding items to winners
- processing payments
- issuing receipts
- reporting results
And the differences generally replace one task with another:
