Silent auctions can be added to any campaign type on Pledge It (with the exception of Donation Forms) allowing you to host your auction alongside your event registration or fundraising campaign for a streamlined experience for you and your participants.
Looking to run a standalone auction? You can create a campaign and only use the auction feature to run a standalone auction, as your auction will have its own unique landing page.
Steps
Visit the Dashboard of the campaign you would like to add your auction to.
Select Settings on the left side menu.
Select Auction and then click Add an auction.
You will be prompted to enter a start date and end date for your auction, as well as a time zone. These assigned dates represent when bidding is enabled. Your auction will be visible and shareable outside of these dates.
Complete the rest of the required information, including a contact email for any auction-related questions, whether or not you want to collect shipping address from bidders, and your auction fee preferences. You will be able to return to this page and change these settings later if needed.
Click Create Auction. You will be taken to your auction dashboard where you can begin adding items and/or categories.
After enabling an auction on your campaign, you can immediately begin creating categories or adding items by clicking Create in the top right of your Auction dashboard.
Note: Your auction is hidden from public view until you choose to add a content block featuring your auction to your campaign or until you choose to share your auction’s unique URL with your audience. Visit Settings > Campaign Page and then select Add Section. Choose the Auction content block to display a widget featuring your auction items and a link to your auction page.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where do I find the URL to my auction?
Every auction has its own landing page with a unique URL. Visit your campaign's Dashboard and select Auction from the left side menu. Click View Auction in the top right corner to visit your auction. Copy the URL from the address bar.
What information is collected from participants when they register to bid?
By default, participants will provide their name, email address, phone number, and credit card they would like to use in the silent auction during registration. If you would also like to collect shipping address, you must enable that in your Auction Settings.
If your participants have already created a Pledge It account when participating in your campaign or other campaigns on Pledge It, they may be recognized when registering to bid and already logged in, streamlining the bidder registration experience. If a participant is not logged in or registering on Pledge It for the first time, they will be prompted to either login or create a password when inputting their name and email.
Why is an auction contact email required? How is this different from my campaign's contact email?
The contact email is included in auction-related emails and SMS messages that are sent from the platform, such as when bidders win an item or if they are notified about a problem with their payment method. This ensures that bidders with questions about the auction can contact whoever is managing the auction, even if that contact is different from the primary contact for your campaign.
How do the auction fees work?
When bidders register, they will have the option to cover transaction fees, which include both Stripe’s credit card processing fees and a Pledge It platform fee. You can choose which fees you’d like to give donors the option to cover, whether that is all, a portion (i.e. just credit card fees or just platform fees), or none. Choosing none will disable the option to cover fees entirely. Your organization is responsible for any fees not covered by participants.
We recommend allowing donors to cover 100% of transaction fees, as our donor cover fee model consistently helps organizations reduce their costs. Most organizations pay between 1-2% of total transaction fees when the donor cover fee option is fully enabled. Learn more about fee settings.
Can I set custom dates for items?
Yes, it is possible to set a custom date range for auction items. That date range must fall within the start date and end date you have set when creating your auction. Learn more about setting custom bidding windows for auction items.