Many non-profit organizations use silent auctions to help raise funds for charitable causes. The newest technology for silent auctions includes software designed specifically for these types of projects, providing even more opportunities to make your event both impressive and profitable. Here is an overview of some well-known, quality software options available today.
Our Top 5 Silent Auction Software For Nonprofits
“Silent Auction Software For Nonprofits Reviews
1. Best Overall: OneCause
If you are a nonprofit, you know that your organization spends countless hours securing items for fundraising campaigns like silent auctions each year. But what if I told you that time could be put to better use? What if there was a way to save time and money on the advertising, purchasing, and shipping of these items?
With OneCause software, not only will you spend less time sourcing goods for the auction but also less on advertising and shipping. And in return, your organization can focus more on its mission.
OneCause is a solution for silent auction software specifically designed to help nonprofits. Using this program, your organization can send an online catalog to buyers and vendors, track the items they are interested in purchasing, and even collect payment and manage shipping. This software will save you time by automating many of the processes that take up so much nonprofit time so you can focus on your mission.
This program was created with nonprofit organizations in mind, so many of its features can benefit organizations regardless of size or mission. Moreover, you can create auctions at any time for any purpose with just a few easy steps.
2. Best Easy-to-use: Silent Auction Pro
The Silent Auction Pro is the most complete, easy-to-use, and well-designed software for organizing silent auctions. It allows you an incredible amount of flexibility and control over your auction events. It is the ultimate volunteer tool for managing any event with ease.
With this software, you can create unlimited events with no limit on the number of items or total dollar amount auctioned. You can create individual donor records or import them from Excel files automatically.
Silent Auction Features
- Shows a list of the overall number of donations for every silent auction.
- Allows users to add items that have not yet been added in any given week.
- Allows up to 7 days for all items to be entered before they are made available for auction.
- Offers multiple styles of bidding, including anonymous, blind, single, or crowdsourcing auctions.
Pricing Plans
- Giving Campaign – Monthly $19.95 + One time set-up fee $99.
- Mobile PlusTM – Annual: $647 + 2.0% of Auction Proceeds, 1.0% of Ticket Proceeds.
- Mobile ProTM – Annual: $796 + 2.0% of Auction Proceeds, 1.0% of Ticket Proceeds.
- Bidsheet PlusTM – Annual: $348 + 2.0% of Auction Proceeds, 1.0% of Ticket Proceeds.
- Bidsheet ProTM – Annual: $497 + 2.0% of Auction Proceeds, 1.0% of Ticket Proceeds.
3. Best For Fundraising: GiveSmart
GiveSmart is an innovative charity auction software that has been developed by a group of nonprofit professionals with many years of experience in the fundraising industry. GiveSmart was designed to be very fast, intuitive, and easy for any staff member to pick up and use. It also provides many great features that make running your online charity auction easier than ever before.
The software allows users to easily search their auction items and browse their inventory by keyword, category, or brand. Users can also manually add the items to their catalog, which keeps track of all of their products for sale. Advanced filters allow users to filter their inventory based on price, category, brand, and any other item attributes that they have chosen.
GiveSmart users can set up a charity auction from scratch in a matter of minutes. They can also import their existing items into the system automatically or manually add them one by one. Once the catalog is loaded, staff members can easily add new items as they become available and remove items that are sold out.
They can send out email notifications to bidders who have been outbid or those who have been in the winning position. They can also choose whether or not they want to send automatic notification emails when a bid has been placed on an item.
All Plans Include
- Mobile bidding.
- Item procurement.
- Auction catalog.
- Real-time insights.
4. Best For Process Streamlines: HandBid
Enter Handbid, a simple, intuitive online bidding platform designed to make the silent auction process manageable and interactive. This software is perfect for any nonprofit organization that wants to streamline and improve its fundraising hosting experience.
Here’s what you need to know about Handbid:
- Handbid provides a free trial, so you can try it out before buying.
- It is available on both desktop and mobile.
- There are over 1500 Google Chrome extensions for the site, which makes it easier for donors.
- There are two different types of auctions – live auctions that happen at one time or virtual auctions that anyone can bid on at any time preceding the designated event date.
- Site administrators can use Handbid to create and manage their live auctions.
- You can support your organization by hosting events for your donors while maintaining a secure platform for fundraising.
- Handbid will streamline the entire process of setting up your next event and allow you to see information about each donor before they even place a bid.
At Handbid, we see our role as facilitators, allowing organizations to have more control over their fundraising experience with an easy, intuitive online auction platform that doesn’t require painful admin intervention or advanced IT skills.
Pricing Plans
- Simple – $696 per year.
- Basic – $1296 per year.
- Plus – $1896 per year.
- Premium – $2496 per year.
5. Best Customer Support: Auction Software
Auction Software is a type of online auction where products are sold for charity auctions. The product can be almost anything, but usually, it is clothing or electronics given away by the company sponsoring the auction. Many nonprofits use this type of auction software to raise money to buy needed items for their cause.
If you sell products using an online auction, you will want to get your hands on some good Auction Software so that your product stays relevant and attractive to bidders over a long period.
Below are some of the best Auction Software solutions for nonprofits and special features of the top software to consider when choosing. Here is a list of features:
Purchasing Manager
This means that you will be able to set a price range or maximum value for your product. This makes it so that your product is always attractive and bidders can find a product that is close to their budget. You can also set limits on how many bids each product can receive until you decide to close it off.
Auction Start Date
You will want to set a date on when your product can be bid on. It is highly recommended to start it up a week or two before your special event so that people have time to get ready for the auction and check out what products you are selling.
Shipping Manager
This feature will help you with the shipping of products that have been purchased. It allows for tracking numbers, sending emails with tracking information, and having packing slips attached to products. This is one of the most important features you need, especially if you do not live close to what is being sold or do not want to go through shipping it yourself.
Cross-Selling
This feature will let you sell more than one product at the same time using a single auction. For example, if you are selling electronics, you can have a list of products related to the original product being sold. This makes it so that people can see other products that may catch their eye and raise more money during your event.
User Interface Options
You will want to consider which user interface is going to be most appealing for your bidders. If you have never used Auction Software before, this will be something essential for you to decide on because not everyone is a fan of one design over another.
All Plans Included
- Guest management.
- Shopping cart to sell tickets.
- Bid via SMS.
- Checkout guest.
- Integrated with all payment gateways.
- Credit card checkout.
- Responsive & App available.
- Track donors & donations.
- Combine donation in cart.
Buyer’s Guide
Silent auction software programs allow you to create and manage auctions online, send e-mails and newsletters to registered members, print invoices for goods sold, and much more. Some key features include customizable registration forms, an automated invoice system for goods sold, unlimited categories with subcategories.
There are also secure order forms protected by a unique “code generator” checkbox feature, detailed reports on all transactions, and custom logo integration. To choose the right software for your needs, there’re many things to consider. Check this guide to learn more about benefits and other considerations.
Silent auction software programs allow you to create and manage auctions online, send e-mails and newsletters to registered members, print invoices for goods sold, and much more. Some key features include customizable registration forms, an automated invoice system for goods sold, unlimited categories with subcategories.
They’re also secure order forms protected by a unique “code generator” checkbox feature, detailed reports on all transactions, and custom logo integration. To choose the right software for your needs, there’re many things to consider. Check this guide to learn more about benefits and other considerations.
What Is Silent Auction Software For Nonprofits?
A silent auction is a type of online auction that uses the Internet to facilitate the buying and selling of goods or services without a live public auctioneer. This is different from an e-auction, a type of online auction with a live online bidder that does not have the buyer communicate with either the vendor or the seller before the sale.
The silent auction was originally intended to allow for more control over items being sold in public auctions where people often bid against themselves. Although best known for its use at charity fundraising events, today’s silent auctions are increasingly used by non-profit organizations.
Benefits Of Silent Auction Software For Nonprofits
With the right auction software, nonprofits can create a more appealing fundraiser for potential buyers. In addition, the program guarantees that you and your organization will have enough income to continue your mission.
With a silent auction, the organization raises much more money in less time. In addition, silent auctions reduce overhead related to public auctions and provide accountability for reporting results to current and prospective donors.
Other silent auction software benefits:
- Manage your event online.
- Create a registration form with simple and complex fields.
- Set up a custom logo for your auction site.
- Print an invoice for each of the goods sold using Auction Pro’s invoice generator feature.
- Use a secure order form, which can be emailed, faxed, or mailed to donors.
As with all auctions, fundraising is more successful when there is a transparent process that engages prospects and ensures accountability in reporting results to current and prospective donors. Using silent auction software that is easy to use and provides impressive results can help you become more successful in your fundraising efforts and an organization’s bottom line.
How To Choose Silent Auction Software For Nonprofits?
There are quite a few things to consider when deciding which software to use for your silent auction. Most organizations will choose software that many or most of the community can use. The fewer features included, the less likely it is that you’ll need that special feature or two.
Of course, the more features, the more you can customize and organize your silent auction. However, you’d have great difficulty doing so with most other programs by yourself and at great expense.
Whatever you decide to include in your auction program should also coincide with your mission statement and purposes for conducting this fundraiser. This way, you can ensure that the proceeds are put to good use and don’t entirely fall into the wrong hands.
First, select a name for your silent auction:
As mentioned in the previous section, you can choose between many names for your silent auction. The most common are: Auction, Auction Offers, Silent Auction or Charity and Fundraiser.
Next, decide how much money you want for your silent auction:
The organization will have to decide how much money to charge to gain enough interest from potential buyers where many goods are offered at a relatively low price.
FAQ
What Is The Best Online Auction Software For Nonprofits?
For a short, basic auction template, OneCause is a very functional option. If you’re looking for something more advanced and customizable, AuctionMaster Pro is an excellent option with plenty of features.
How Long Should Online Silent Auction Last?
Auctions should last about 7 to 10 days. It’s hard to have a successful auction with more than that because people lose interest, and no one wins, and it’s not like the prizes will be any better even if they’re donated later on. The bidders get tired of waiting, and no one wants to donate more money because it’s already been donated once or twice before.
Is OneCause Good For Nonprofits?
Yes, OneCause has made things easier by reducing the barriers for nonprofit organizations and simplifying the process. OneCause connects people with nonprofits by allowing them to donate smart and easy, raising funds for their favorite charities, and reaching new donors.
