Online auctions are a game-changer for nonprofits. By removing the geographical limitations of an in-person auction, these virtual events offer flexibility, cost-efficiency, and wider reach. However, the digital format comes with its own unique challenges: distractions are only a click away, making it easy for virtual attendees to lose focus or disengage.
Whether you’re planning a fully online auction, a hybrid gala, or anything in between, creating a successful virtual bidding experience takes more than just uploading a few items to your event page. To drive participation and boost donations, it’s all about keeping supporters engaged and connected to your cause throughout the experience.
As you prepare for your next event, these online auction do’s and don’ts will help you create an experience that’s interactive, high-energy, and impactful.
Do choose auction software carefully.
The fundraising software you choose plays a critical role in your event’s success. An underperforming platform can create technical issues, frustrate bidders, and result in missed fundraising opportunities. If guests experience lag or cannot easily navigate the event site, they’re less likely to participate and place bids.
On the other hand, reliable, user-friendly software creates a seamless experience for your team and auction participants. It streamlines online operations and simplifies bidding to ensure your auction runs smoothly.
When evaluating your options, look for a platform that prioritizes user experience and offers key features such as:
- Mobile Bidding: Ensure guests can browse, bid, and donate from any device—no matter where they are.
- Outbid Notifications: Keep the energy high with real-time alerts that drive competition and encourage repeat bids.
- Max Bid Functionality: Allow guests to set their own maximum bid and let the system bid incrementally on their behalf.
- Favoriting Items: Enable bidders to easily favorite items to keep track of what they’re interested in, receive relevant updates, and bid.
- AI-Powered Personalization: Your platform should recommend items based on user behavior to increase bidding and engagement.
- Custom Branding & Design: Match your auction site to your nonprofit’s branding with customizable colors, logos, and layouts.
- Easy Item Management: Add, edit, and organize auction items with built-in tools for photos, descriptions, categories, and donor recognition.
- Secure Payments: Make checkout easy and secure with integrated payment processing for credit cards, ACH, Apple Pay, Venmo, PayPal, and more.
These tools create a sense of urgency and excitement that drives participation and bids. To streamline your efforts and give guests the best experience possible, look for all-in-one auction fundraising platforms that include all these essential features and more.
Don’t sell your auction items short.
Some nonprofits worry that featuring auction items online during a hybrid event might take away from the excitement of event day. Or, you might think presenting items online will fail to capture the real appeal and quality of the items. Fortunately, this doesn’t have to be the case!
With the right presentation and strategy, your online auction catalog can be just as captivating—and just as effective—as an in-person display. A well-organized, visually appealing auction site will drive more bids, increase participation, and even generate buzz before the event starts.
You’ve worked hard to curate a diverse selection of amazing auction items that will attract guests with varying interests and budgets, so make sure they shine. Do your online auction items justice by:
- Writing compelling item descriptions that highlight unique features and appeal to your target audience. (Pro-tip: The right fundraising software provider will do this for you using integrated AI technology!)
- Including clear, high-quality photos from multiple angles to showcase the quality of each item.
- Displaying accurate fair market values (FMVs) to enhance transparency and trust.
- Setting reasonable starting bids and bidding increments to encourage early participation.
Additionally, make it easy for guests to discover the items that spark their interest and inspire giving. Bidders should be able to filter items by type (e.g., travel, sports, beauty, experiences), search for specific items, and access personalized recommendations. Your auction software may even let feature feature certain high-value items throughout the event.
Do interact with guests in real time.
Online auctions need a well-thought-out strategy to sustain engagement from start to finish. In-person events thrive on energy and social connection, so it’s essential to replicate that sense of connection in the online space.
As you plan your fundraising event, use these strategies to keep the energy high and supporters engaged:
- Push real-time notifications: When guests are outbid, these notifications create momentum and spark friendly competition.
- Enable live chat during livestreams: Encourage attendees to ask questions, share their excitement, or cheer on bids in real time.
- Add gamification: Incorporate interactive elements like polls, real-time leaderboards, or donation thermometers to encourage attendees to keep pushing towards the event goals.
- Send regular updates and announcements: Utilize your auction platform’s text messaging abilities to deliver live updates, donor spotlights, prize alerts, and reminders throughout the event.
- Post on social media: Share live updates on social media with engaging graphics and behind-the-scenes moments to keep virtual bidders engaged.
Plan to provide several engagement opportunities during your event so guests can participate in any way they like.
Don’t forget to ask for feedback.
Online event capabilities and expectations are constantly evolving. To improve your auctions year after year, collect feedback from online guests, volunteers, and donors. After your event, send a short survey to participants asking for feedback on:
- Their overall experience with your auction software
- Ease of bidding and navigating the website
- Quality and appeal of the auction items
- Value of interactive features (livestream, gamification, etc.)
- Ideas or suggestions for future events
This qualitative data, along with the quantitative insights from your fundraising software, will help you better understand the online event experience—what worked, what didn’t, and how to improve for future events.
Do get creative with donor recognition.
Sponsors and item donors are key to your auction’s success. Yet, during virtual events, their contributions are often overlooked. This just means you need to get creative to make sure your donors feel recognized and appreciated.
Fortunately, the best fundraising platforms will make it easy to highlight your top contributors. For example, the OneCause auction software offers built-in tools to manage and feature sponsors, allowing you to display logos, link to their websites, and include personalized thank-you messages during livestreams.
Other creative donor recognition strategies you might consider include:
- Featuring donor names and logos in item descriptions
- Giving live shout-outs during livestreams and in chatrooms
- Posting personalized thank-you graphics on social media
- Sending digital thank-you cards or videos
Recognizing donors isn’t just good etiquette—it’s a critical strategy for building relationships and inspiring future generosity.
Getting Started with Online Auction Do’s and Don’ts
When done right, online auctions have the potential to be just as impactful as a ballroom gala—without the added expense. Each auction is an opportunity to connect supporters to your mission in meaningful, memorable ways. By applying these best practices, your auction can drive engagement, build community, and amplify your mission—no matter where your audience is.