Note: The Live Auction feature is specific to the In-Person Event campaign type.
Pledge It's Live Auction feature provides a way for you to track winning bids in your live auction, collect payment, and issue receipts. Add your live auction items to your campaign in advance, then easily record the participant event number or name of the winning bidder to add it to their tab so payment can be collected when you close out your event.
Enable Live Auction
Visit your campaign's Dashboard.
Select Settings on the left side menu.
Select Live Auction and adjust the toggle to On.
You will see a review of your current Participant Event Number settings. If this feature is not enabled, we recommend clicking Manage Settings to customize your preferences and enable this feature, which will allow you to track contributions by a participant's assigned number than than just searching by name or email.
Click Manage Live Auction to be taken to your new Live Auction dashboard.
Create a Live Auction Item
Visit your campaign's Dashboard.
Select Live Auction on the left side menu.
Select Create an Item in the top right corner.
Enter the name of the live auction item and click Save.
The item you added will be listed under a new category labeled Active Items. You will be able to add a winner (or winners) to the live auction item at anytime, which will create a new category called Won Items.
Note: The name you enter as the Live Auction name is the name that will appear in the itemized Order Receipt participants will receive.
Record a Winning Bidder
Visit your campaign's Dashboard.
Select Live Auction on the left side menu.
Click the three dot menu on the relevant live auction item and select Add Winner.
In the pop-up that appears, record the amount of the winning bid in the Winning Bid field. In the Winner field, use the search function to search by name or Participant Event Number to add the live auction item to the correct tab.
Click Add to Tab when complete.
After a winner has been recorded, the item will move to a category labeled Won Items with the winning bid amount and the participant's name and event number displayed. If needed, you can:
Add another winner if you are auctioning off several of the same item and need to put this item in multiple carts
Edit the item if you need to change the name as it will appear on the winner's receipt
Click the participant name to view their tab, where you can make any changes to their winning bid amount or close out their tab
Recording a winning bidder for a live auction item does not trigger any notification to the winner. Only once their tab is closed and payment is logged will they receive their receipt.
Note: A label on each winning bidder will indicate if their tab is Open, Completed, or Failed (if their credit card on file was unable to be charged).
Close Out Tabs to Collect Payment
After a Live Auction item winner has been recorded, the winning bid for their item will be logged to that participant's open tab. If the participant is participating in other giving opportunities during your event, such as Fund a Need or buying Raffles or Shop merchandise, you can keep their tab open to log their entire evening's contributions before checking them out to take payment.
If you want to collect payment immediately, you can also close their tab right away. A new tab for additional contributions can be created for that participant at anytime.
Pull up a participant's open tab. You can do this from your Live Auction dashboard by clicking on the winner's name or by visiting Event Day Check Out to search for their name or event number.
When you open their tab, you will see any current contributions that have already been added in their cart. If you need to make any changes or add additional items, you can do so. Click Checkout when you are ready to proceed to the next step.
On the Checkout page, confirm the participant's name and email are correct and then select their payment type. If a credit card was placed on file, you will be able to use the card on file. You can also enter a new credit card or choose to record a cash or check payment if the participant is paying offline.
After selecting their payment type, click Submit to finalize and send the participant a receipt.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do the live auction items added to a supporter's tab impact my campaign's fundraising goal?
Anything added to a participant's tab is logged as a contribution to your event and is reflected in your campaign total, even if payment has not been charged. If you add a winning bid for a live auction to someone's tab, for example, it will raise your campaign total by the amount of their winning bid. If items are removed from someone's tab throughout the night, your campaign total will adjust accordingly.
What does the receipt that supporters receive look like?
Supporters receive your campaign's Order Receipt, which you can customize. This receipt is adaptive, with different sections that may appear for Registration, Donations, Live Auction, Shop, Raffle, and Misc. Items, depending on what was purchased on the order.