Silent Auctions for Fundraising

Overview

Silent auctions boost fundraising at live events by encouraging competitive bidding, increasing donor engagement, and generating additional revenue without interrupting the event flow.

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Mobile bidding

Mobile auction bidding is Givergy’s bread and butter; it’s how we got started in the fundraising technology space and still accounts for 80% of the services we provide.

Our mobile bidding technology is tailor-made to meet your needs. We understand no two campaigns are the same and nor is any silent auction, which is why offer the flexibility to customize bidding modes, branding, and more.

Explore Mobile Bidding

Donated Items

Givergy’s platform allows donors to easily donate items by uploading details and images through a dedicated tab on the fundraising website.

Bidding modes

You can choose the type of bidding mode for each item. If you are unsure which bidding mode fits best, our expert team is happy to advise.

Standard bidding

Gives guests the ability to bid on any item as many times as they like. Guests can remain anonymous if they choose, and use their ‘My Bids’ area to stay updated on progress.

Max bidding

Allows guests to place a maximum bid on a specific item. The system will then bid on their behalf, increasing by the pre-set bid increments each time they are outbid until it surpasses their maximum bid. They will then receive an out-bid notification to bid again.

Sealed bidding

Allows guests to enter anonymous bids without revealing what the top bid is. The highest bids win depending on the quantity of items set.

Buy it now

Allows guests to buy a set quantity of items at a fixed price.

Key Features

Easy to use

Silent auction technology is easy to use at a fundraiser appeal, allowing guests to browse, bid, and donate seamlessly from their own devices.

Live leaderboards

Live leaderboards on screens at a fundraiser appeal drive more donations by creating excitement, encouraging friendly competition, and inspiring others to give.

Reliability

Our silent auction technology is highly reliable, ensuring smooth bidding and real-time updates without disruptions.

Live reporting

Live reporting is valuable for event organisers at a fundraiser appeal because it provides real-time insights into donations and bidding activity, enabling quick decisions that help maximise fundraising.

Secure Payments

Our secure payment service is imperative for your fundraiser as we build donor trust, reduce friction at checkout, and ensure every transaction safely contributes to the fundraising goal.

Expert support

Our expert support before, during, and after a fundraiser is imperative for event organisers, ensuring a seamless experience, resolving issues quickly, and maximising fundraising success.

FAQ

In many cases more is not always merrier, and from experience, you want to use the number of guests in the room (or expected online reach) as a guideline to how many items to include.

10% of your guest attendance is the recommended amount of auction items to include, and so for a room of 250 guests, aim to have around 25 auction items. Enough to give a good selection, but not too many to discourage any competitive bidding.

A silent auction is a powerful fundraising tool because it engages more guests in a comfortable, low-pressure way while maximizing revenue potential. Instead of a live auction where only a few people bid, a silent auction allows many attendees to browse items, place bids at their own pace, and often bid higher as competition builds quietly. It keeps guests interacting throughout the event, provides great visibility for donors and sponsors, and creates an enjoyable, social atmosphere that encourages participation from a wider audience.

Selecting the right auction items is extremely important and can make or break your fundraising efforts. Consider your guest demographic; who are you guests, how old are they, are they predominantly male or female and do they have any common interests? These are all questions you should ask yourself before setting out to source your items. The best way to source your silent auction items is to reach out to the masses, whether that be your database of supporters or a committee. This is an effective way to get an amazing array of auction items for free. Another option is to reach out to companies, restaurants, organisations etc. and see if they would be willing to offer a prize. You won’t always be successful, but often when it’s for charity it will be considered.

An efficient way of allowing your guests to donate items directly to your fundraising website is by utilising the ‘Donate Item’ tab. Once your fundraising website is set up, this tab can be added where donors can fill in all the fields that you would normally complete, including uploading an image of the item. Once the donor completes the process, the item will appear as inactive within the Campaign Management System for you to review and accept / decline. At this stage you are also able to make any relevant edits before the item is launched into your auction.

Yes, Givergy can provide you with a variety of incredible auction items and experiences. A consultation with our in-house auction item specialist will allow you to carefully select items that are specifically sourced to appeal to your audience. These range from memorabilia to experiences, holidays and art work.

Find out more about Givergy auction items.

Kickstart Kids loves Givergy! From start to finish they want to make sure your fundraiser is effective, fun, and raises you the most funds possible. We could not ask for a better partner.

Brittany Hernandez

Kickstart Kids

Givergy has made our Galas so much better... we raised US$173,000 at the event through the Givergy system, which was a huge number for us.

Lida Klemmensen

Trillium Health Partners

Silent Auctions