Auctionpay Online Auctions are a fresh, new way to expand and motivate your donor community. Auctionpay provides you with all of the tools necessary to plan, build, publish and manage an auction online. And, Online Auctions provides you with valuable marketing resources to help you promote your fundraiser to your community and beyond – facilitating greater participation among existing donors and opportunities to reach new donors.
Online auctions have become an increasingly important part of development campaigns for three simple reasons – more items for bid, resulting in more bids—and more money. Online Auctions can help increase the amount of contributions and auction items your organization receives, expand your reach, promote your fundraising event and motivate participants to bid more competitively. And, an online auction site provides supplemental revenue outlets that help your nonprofit raise even more money.
Online auctions can introduce your cause to countless new supporters. It offers philanthropic bidders the opportunity to purchase exclusive items at discounted prices while supporting worthwhile charities. An online auction be integrated into your fundraising programs with ease, and even help your in-room live and silent auctions run more smoothly by reducing the logistical work involved on the day of your event.
Returning Online Auction client? Add a new auction here. For assistance and technical support, please contact cMarket Support at 1-866-621-0394 or support@cmarket.com.
Setting Up & Promoting Your Auction
- Unlimited online training classes
- 3 pre-built home page layouts
- 10 pre-built email templates
- Tips & best practice techniques
- Customizable home page buttons
- Customizable email buttons
- "Top 10 Bidders" list
- "Top 10 Items" list
- Bid booster feature
- Unlimited live support from cMarket auction experts (during normal business hours)
- 24X7, 365 access to online knowledge base and Resource Center
Obtaining Items for Your Catalog
- Item acquisition resource center
- "Donate an Item" feature
- “Donate Cash” feature
- Auction Booster and cMarket Place
Managing Catalog Items
- Item uploader
- Default open/close dates
- Customizable open/close dates
- Automated bid increments
- Customizable bid increments
- Suggested opening bids
- "Buy now" option
- "Estimated value" display options
- Item cost feature
- Multiple images
Building Your Participant List
- Refer-a-friend and Email Updates features let you expand your donor list
- Use the Donate an Item and Auction Update buttons throughout the year to promote current and future fundraising events
Sponsorship Support
- Unlimited sponsor promotion spots to sell, offer as value-adds, or to barter for items
- 8 sponsorship positions in email alerts sent out to bidders and donors
- Live event support, including ticket sale requests, absentee bidding and printable bid sheets
- Process online and live event winning bids through Auctionpay Online Payments
Measuring Success
- Exportable auction activity & results reporting
- End of Auction report
- Complete tracking and reporting capabilities
"We were pleased with the financial results we achieved from hosting an online auction in conjunction with our gala and the excitement it created with a broader audience."
— Gordon Hamilton, PONCHO, WA
The Jewish Community Project
The Jewish Community Project opted to raise more money this year using online auctions in tandem with a live auction. They chose Auctionpay to help them get started and placed over 100 of their items web.
The result- an online fundraiser so successful that they sold 73 of their 111 items and raised $17,460 in additional revenue for their programs and services.
The John Cooper School
When The John Cooper School decided to run their first online auction using Auctionpay’s resources they jumped right in and featured close to 500 items online.
As The John Cooper School prepared for their gala, they were able to close out a number of items online, reducing the workload involved on the day event and gave participants a preview of the items that would be available in the room. This effective use of our tools and resources helped The John Cooper School raise $71,999 for their programs and run an incredibly successful online auction fundraiser.
Tips
Online Fundraising
Find out more about online fundraising and how online auctions fit into an online fundraising strategy.
Resource 1
A Guide to Taking Your Auction Online
When you are ready to take your fundraising event to the next level, bring your auction catalog online and get results. Auctionpay makes it easy for you to integrate an online auction into your current fundraising event. We’ll help you get more items, more bids and raise more money for your cause.
Refer to this guide to help you incorporate Auctionpay into your upcoming program and start to benefit immediately from our online auction fundraisers.
Step 1 – Getting More Items
Planning
Review our training materials, including our dedicated item acquisition section and knowledge base, to determine the best way to integrate our online services into your program. It’ll demonstrate how to build an online catalog to mimic your current auction directory and help you to make your event run more smoothly and efficiently.
Coming Soon- Homepage & Emails
Customize Auctionpay’s easy-to-use templates and create a “Coming Soon” auction homepage to generate buzz, excitement, and draw attention to your online donating capabilities. Send out pre-auction emails and solicit contributions by including a link for them to “Donate an Item” directly through your auction site.
Benefiting from Auction Booster
As you build your catalog, check out Auctionpay’s Auction Booster packages, which are no-risk travel items that you can offer to your bidders. Find fun and exciting offerings to entice bidders. Auction Booster packages are a great way to supplement both your online and live auction catalogs and drive up earnings.
Bartering Space and Attracting Sponsors
Promote placement on your auction site to get more sponsor revenue and more items. Our multi-tiered sponsorship levels and opportunities can not only help you attract more sponsors, but can also help you to barter placement in exchange for items and services. Offer members of your community the chance to place a logo on your auction site that links back to their own websites for the duration of your auction for greater promotional value.
Step 2 – Getting More Bids
Integrating an Online Auction
Use Auctionpay’s templates to create a privately branded auction website and grab the attention of new supporters to expand your existing live event publicity. Our user-friendly auction management system takes you step by step through the building process – giving you the opportunity to customize pages, send email communications and promote your fundraising event.
Promoting Your Auction
As you customize your online templates, apply themes, logos, graphics and branding colors to make it more recognizable to your community. Promote your event directly on your auction homepage and include an introduction to your organization to give new participants the opportunity to learn more about your cause. Send weekly email blasts announcing new items added, motivating bidders with items closing soon and hot deals. Use VistaPrint to create custom printed marketing and promotional materials including posters, signage, mailers and informational pieces about your fundraiser.
BiddingForGood.com
Open your fundraiser to a broader audience by opting into BiddingForGood.com, a free online auction portal. You’ll reach targeted philanthropic consumers who are looking for new ways to support nonprofit organizations and benefit from the additional marketing opportunities that accompany BiddingForGood – including features in newsletters and emails, and logo placement on the BiddingForGood.com homepage.
Step 3 – Raising More Money
Setting Higher Opening Bids & Proxy Bidding
Run an online auction prior to your live or silent auction to start your in-room events with higher opening bids. Carry over the highest bid from the online portion of your fundraiser and use that number as the starting point to open your live or silent auction. Give bidders the opportunity to continue to pursue items once the online portion has closed using proxy bidding. Allow online participants to place additional bids during the live auction to facilitate competition among peers and ultimately increase revenue for your organization.
Cash Campaigns
Constituents can show their support even after your online auction ends. Send an email to your community and let them know that they can still make a cash donation online through your auction site. Place an “Auction Closed” page online thanking your bidders and driving them to the “Donate Cash” feature on your auction site.
Online Ticket Sales
Boost participation at your live event by receiving requests for ticket purchases to your fundraiser directly through your auction site.
Getting Started
Now that you know what goes into creating your online auction site to correspond with your fundraising event - you are ready to put an Auctionpay Online Auction to work! With the click of a button, we make it easy for you to publish your auction and have your site online in no time - so let the bidding begin!
Resource 2
Place Your Auction Catalog Online
Get more items, more bids and raise even more money from your live and silent auctions!
If your organization is running a fundraising auction event, why not maximize your exposure and earn even more money by placing your catalog of items online. Our online events enhance live and silent auctions by helping you build a better catalog of desirable items and increasing participation - generating more bids per item. An Auctionpay Online Auction typically raises an extra $10,000 per event – giving you the chance to increase the earnings potential of your current auctions and use the versatility of the web to expand your donating community.
How it works…
Integrating an Auctionpay Online Auction offers many benefits. Your online auction site can easily become the hub of your item procurement efforts and it provides your constituents with the opportunity to bid on items ahead of time. Starting online not only allows you to begin your live auction items at a higher price point - using the highest online bid as an opening bid in the room - but it also gives bidders a chance to preview items and see what catches their interest.
Auctionpay’s Online Auctions create opportunities to:
- Get more items by using our Item Acquisition Resource Center and learn how to leverage email campaigns to get donations and barter sponsorship in exchange for contributions
- Include consignment items to boost your auction catalog and attract bidders
- Increase participation and bids by as much as 20% by opting into the online auction portal, BiddingForGood.com
- Use Bid Alerts to facilitate competitive bidding and drive up event earnings
- Earn an average of $10,000 through online sponsorships that offer greater exposure and a direct link to a sponsor’s website
- Reduce your workload and the staff needed on the day/evening of your event
- Sell tickets to your live event on the web
Why it works…
Adding an online component to your auction promotes your live event and expands your community of supporters. Many donors and constituents are unable to attend a live event, but they can take advantage of Auctionpay’s online auctions to bid on items and show their support. Absentee bidding gives online participants the opportunity to continue to compete for items during your live event regardless of attendance. By increasing the number of people bidding in the auction, ultimately you raise more money for your organization! Auctionpay’s Online Auctions are a quick and cost-effective way to maximize your fundraising efforts. In less time, using fewer dedicated resources, you could be running fun and interactive auctions on the web and generating excitement before your event even starts! Discover how Auctionpay can help you make the most of your combined fundraising efforts.
What are the benefits of using online auctions?
Nonprofit organizations can add a private branded online auction to their existing live auction with ease. This enables them to raise more funds by:
- Expanding their auction catalog and receiving more donations by providing greater visibility to contributors and simplifying the donation process
- Growing their bidding pool beyond those who attend their event
- Creating new online sponsorship opportunities on their website and in email communications that give sponsors quantifiable visibility
- Increase revenue through our easy-to-use online auction services.
- Subscription-based service allows for seasonal online-only auctions
How do online auctions work with live auctions?
An online auction can be seamlessly integrated to an existing live, silent or gaveled auction event, and can help raise more funds while reducing the overall cost and effort involved.
What types of nonprofits use online auctions?
Organizations across the country have chosen Auctionpay to automate and improve their fundraising processes. Our clients including schools (K-12 and higher education), arts and humanities, healthcare, and faith-based - and range in size from large national organizations to grassroots groups.
What services do Auctionpay Online Auctions offer?
We offer a complete range of services enabling nonprofits and their supporting communities of bidders, donors, sponsors and supporters to engage in including:
- Auction Manager - A web-based, online auction management tool that includes everything needed to create, promote and run an online auction fundraiser.
- Auction Booster - Our online consignment store that provides a simple, risk-free way for fundraisers to expand their auction.
- BiddingForGood.com – An online auction portal that enables cause-conscious consumers to quickly and easily bid on items. It's a great way to expand the demand for items in your auction.
When should I start to plan for my online auction?
We suggest you plan for your online auction when you begin to prepare for your live event. Our clients see a direct correlation between how early they start to prepare their auction and how profitable the online auction earnings are. Advanced planning also allows you to take full advantage of services including additional fundraising resources and promotional tools that can complement your Save the Date cards and announcements.