Using Zoom for Your Livestream

Our Virtual feature was designed as a one-screen solution - allowing your supporters to watch the livestream, chat and bid on a single screen.   The embedded livestream window can display either our built-in single camera feed or a more elaborate feed produced using external software, (such as OBS or ViMix) or a professional AV service.

Livestream designed for meetings - such as Zoom or Google Meets cannot be embedded in our one-screen solution.

This article provides instructions for using our software alongside a Zoom-type livestream fundraising event - utilizing the more familiar tools used to run a gala auction.

Overview

Zoom Elements:

  • Livestream production (including showcasing any items while bidding takes place)
  • Guests place bids and make donations in the Chat Section

Auction Software Elements:

  • Create catalog of items (to record sale to winning bidders and for online preview, if desired)
  • Register guests (paid or free)
  • Advance Check-in (to vault credit cards and/or provide Zoom meeting details)
  • Recording winning bids and donations made via Zoom Chat to create "carts" for guests
  • Send Invitations to Self-Checkout to pay
  • Reporting Revenue

How to:

Important!  These instructions use SchoolAuction/Tofino's GALA tools.  Although you are planning a "virtual" event - you will not be using SchoolAuction/Tofino's VIRTUAL tools - so make sure that the Virtual Event feature is disabled on your site:

Creating Items in the Catalog

Create all the items to be offered via Zoom chat as Gala Live items:

In "Sales Info" section:  

  • Type = Live items,
  • Bidding via:  Bid Paddles

Create a Cash Donation option as a Special Appeal/Paddle Raise to be offered via Zoom as a Gala Option:  

  • Offered in Catalog,
  • Bidding via:  Bid Paddles

Registering Guests

In order to use the Gala tools for a virtual event, ALL participants must have a ticket (which can be free):

If you are not charging admission, and you have a spreadsheet of known supporters, you can  self-import a simple spreadsheet of  names and email addresses to issue tickets automatically.      

If you want to charge admission, or offer different types of tickets:

  1. Create the Ticket Types you want to offer.
  2. Setup Online Ticket Sales on your event site.
  3. Make sure credit card processing is setup on your event site.
  4. Send Invitations to Buy Tickets to  imported or migrated users  on your event site.
  5. Your team can also enter tickets from RSVP or order forms.

For last minute attendees, you can either direct people to buy a ticket online and/or provide a phone number to call to register.  The person fielding registration calls can easily issue tickets from the Gala Check-in Screen.

Advance Check-in

The Self Check-in feature is used to:

  • confirm which ticketed guests intend to attend the virtual event (and allow time to "nudge" those who haven't confirmed)
  • request or require participants vault a credit card prior to participating
  • provide a link/access to the Zoom livestream

1.  Enable and Set-up Self Check-in

  • Uncheck "Require credit card entry and vaulting during self check-in" if you want to request, but not require participants to vault a card in order to participate.
  • Use the "Custom Text for Confirmation page" space to provide instructions for joining the livestream and note that access details have also been emailed.
  • Edit the Self Check-in Confirmation email to include links/instructions for the zoom event.

2.   Make sure credit card processing is setup on your event site.

3.  Send Invitations to Self Check-in one to three days prior to your event.

Setting up self check-in:

Recording Winning Bids and Donations

Use the Auction Night > Gala Task > Sell Item/Sell Bulk Item buttons to record winning bids and paddle raise donations just as you would for a gala event - the only difference is that you're entering "sales" from the Chat window rather than paper tracking sheets:

Awarding items to High Bidders using Sell an Item button.

Entering Paddle Raise donations using Sell a Bulk Item button.

If someone without a ticket manages to win an item, or makes a donation, you can create a cart/order for them by Creating an Internal order on the Orders Page.

 

Sending Invitations to Self Check-out

Be sure to edit the Invitation template to provide instructions for how to pick-up or arrange delivery of items won.

Once all winning bids and donations have been recorded in the software, you can Send Invitations to Self Check-out.

Note:  If you created internal orders for non-ticketed guests, they will not display in the Auction Night > Self Check-out list of open orders.   You will need to send their invitation from the Orders page.

Reporting Results

1.  Use the Auction Night > Will Call page to gather and distribute/deliver items to the winners.

2.  Summary Reports provide sales and revenue totals and supporting details.

 

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