The Auction House

  How online silent auction sites function can be understood from the name itself. Unlike traditional auctions, these events are conducted online, no participants are milling around in a confined space, and the items up for auctions are not exhibited physically at a venue. At online silent auction sites, participants do not call out the bids but instead place them silently through any Internet-enabled device such as a smartphone, laptop, or tablet. You have to first register and then only gain access to the sites. The main convenience here is that you can take part in the bidding while on the go. After registration and inspection of the items via photographs, you can place your bid on the day of the auction from any remote location. As soon as that bid is crossed a notification about it will be sent to you and you can either choose to place a fresh bid or drop out.   To save time, you can put your maximum bid for an item at online silent auction sites. The bidding will ...

  With almost all activities of life moving to the Internet, can auctions be far behind? Today, shopping, listening to music, reading the newspapers, playing video games can all be done conveniently from any Internet-enabled device. Additionally, in these Covid-19 infected times when lockdowns and social distancing norms are more the rule than an exception, an online auction platform is the optimized method for fundraising.   What are the benefits of these online auction platforms and what are their primary differences from the traditional auctions? Generally, auctions are held in confined spaces where people move around in close contact with each other. Items for sale are physically brought to the venue and displayed. An auctioneer conducts the proceedings and there is a lot of bonhomie, fun, and excitement. An auction on an online auction platform, on the other hand, is conducted entirely over the internet, leading to many benefits. These auctions have no physical ...

The Covid-19 lockdowns and the strict implementation of social distancing norms have drastically curtailed the functioning of physical auctions for fundraisers. Close contact and people milling in a closed venue bidding frantically for items of choice are frowned upon now by governments around the world. Fortunately, the rise of auction bidding websites has more than filled this vacuum. As distinct from the traditional auctions, how do you successfully hold fundraisers on auction bidding websites? Here are some tips. ·      The most important step is to select genuine auction bidding websites that use advanced software to conduct the auctions. The sites provide comprehensive services including registration of the participants, display of the photographs of items for auction, tracking the bidding, deciding the winners, and using the payment gateways. It is also ensured that the auction is completed within the time frame as decided by the organizers. ·     ...

Online auction and fundraising sites have grown exponentially in recent times after the Covid-19 pandemic clamp down on traditional auctions where bidders mingled freely among the items on display. Fundraising is necessary if non-profit organizations doing charitable work have to survive and what better way to circumvent the restrictions than to go online.  Free fundraising sites  are now the go-to option over the past on-premises fundraising methods. If you are choosing from free fundraising sites, what are some of their characteristics that you should focus on? First, most online auction sites charge a certain percentage of the turnover as commission. For large auctions, this amount can be substantial and can make a serious dent in the total funds raised. However, on free fundraising sites there are no fees for bidders’ registration, displaying items, or placing bids. Only charges payable to third-party service providers like credit cards and other payment gateways is collec...

  A silent auction is an online event where attendees access the items on display, place bids on them, and make their purchases, all through their mobile phones. The difference between this mobile bidding silent auction and traditional auctions is that there is no auctioneer present at the site. Participants place their bids silently on a bid sheet against the bidding number allotted to each item and hence the name silent auction for this process. For non-profits, hosting a  mobile bidding silent auction  is an excellent way to raise funds. Rather than simply soliciting donations, it offers an exciting opportunity for donors to take an active role in the auctions and even make a great purchase. Moreover, since the items at the auction are donated to non-profits, there is no expense and they reap the full benefits of the mobile bidding silent auction. Participants of a silent auction should be given enough time to check the items and weigh their options. Have the item...

  The Covid-19 pandemic and the lockdown around the world has hit fundraising hard, especially for non-profit organizations that have had to postpone meetings with donors and figure out alternate routes to raise funds. This has changed the fundraising landscape, taking the whole infrastructure online. It is so convenient and seamless that many of these online fundraising ideas will remain prevalent long after this crisis is over. There are many benefits to this method and online fundraising is now a more appealing option than in-person engagements. Here are a few online fundraising ideas. · Text-to-give: Use your smartphone for raising funds. Research in-depth about what the audience would prefer as there are two ways of doing it. The first is text-to-give that automatically charges the donation amount through the mobile service provider of the donor. The other is text-to-donate that sends a link of the webpage to the donor who can complete the donation. · Email campaign: This is ...