Charity Auction Tips, Strategies & Fundraising Insights.

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Can I Automate or Bulk Upload Images to My Auction

Learn why bulk image uploads are not supported and the best way to quickly add photos to your auction items.

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When Will I Receive My Auction Funds

Learn when you will receive your auction funds and how to request your payout after your event has concluded.

Can I Change Font Colors in My Auction

Learn why custom font colors are not supported in auction headers, footers, or item descriptions and how this improves accessibility and fundraising results.

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What Is the Difference Between the Free Plan and the Organization Paid Plan

Learn the key differences between the Free Plan and the Organization Paid Plan, including fees, tipping, and payment flexibility.

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How to See All Bidders on an Item

Learn how to view the complete bid history for an item, including all bidders and bid amounts.

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Why Is the QR Code Not Working When I Take a Picture

Learn how to properly scan your auction QR code and why taking a regular photo will not activate the link.

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How Do I Set Up Direct Deposit

Learn how to set up direct deposit so your auction payout is sent directly to your bank account.

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Why Don’t I See Payment Settings in My Account

Learn why there is no separate payment settings section and how payments and payouts work on the new CharityAuctions platform.

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What Payment Methods Are Supported

Learn which payment methods are accepted on CharityAuctions and how bidders can securely complete their purchases.

How To

(Template) How to Build Your Own Recurring Auction Playbook

Download our Charity Auction Playbook Template. Use data from your previous auctions to fill out your playbook and guide your auction strategy for future years.

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5 Auction Reports That Are Worth Your Time

Your nonprofit board asks for a report on your recent auction. But the list of data looks endless. Focus your attention on financial summaries, item performance, bidding activity, and marketing metrics to truly guide your auction strategy.

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Creating Item Signs and QR Codes

Learn how to generate and print QR codes and item display signs to help bidders register and participate quickly at live events.

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Previewing and Testing Your Auction

Learn how to preview your auction, test bidding, and understand what bidders see before your event goes live.

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Customizing Your Auction Design

Learn how to customize the look of your auction with colors, branding, and a custom banner image.

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Auction Reports and Data Exports

Learn how to access post-event reports, view auction performance, and export important data from your event.

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Receiving Auction Payouts

Learn how to request your auction payout, update banking information, and understand payout timing and pending status.

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Managing Invoices and Collecting Payments

Learn how invoices are sent to winning bidders, how payments are collected, and how to manage or update invoices after your auction.

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Managing Tickets and Tracking Revenue

Learn how to view ticket sales, track event revenue, and manage guest information from the Ticket Reports section.

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Managing Attendees and Event Check-In

Learn how to add attendees, assign bidder numbers, and check guests in quickly and easily at your event.

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Adding and Managing Sponsors

Learn how to add sponsor logos or names to your auction and choose where they appear throughout your event.

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Using Risk-Free Consignment Items

Learn what risk-free consignment items are, how to add them to your auction, and how payments are handled.

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Uploading and Managing Images and Media

Learn how to upload images and videos to your auction items and best practices for managing media in CharityAuctions.

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Managing Donors and Donor Reports

Learn how to add donors to your auction, track their contributions, and generate helpful donor reports.

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What Happens When My Auction Ends

Learn what automatically happens when your auction reaches its end time and what steps to take next.

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How to Create a New Auction

Learn how to create a brand new auction from your CharityAuctions account dashboard.

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Where Can I Find My Auction Share Link

Learn where to quickly locate the main share link for your auction so you can easily invite bidders.

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How to Share Your Auction With Bidders

Learn the best ways to share your auction with bidders using your auction URL and built-in promotional tools.

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How to Set Starting Bids and Buy Now Prices

Learn how to set a starting bid, add a Buy Now price, and make an item Buy Now only when adding or editing an auction item.

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How to Create Item Categories

Learn how to organize your auction by creating custom item categories while adding or editing items.

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Credit Card Processing in CharityAuctions

Learn how secure credit card processing is automatically included with CharityAuctions and requires no setup.

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How to Change the End Time of Your Auction

Learn how to quickly update your auction start or end time using the Bidding Window feature.

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How to Export Bidder and Payment Reports

Learn how to download detailed auction reports for bidders, payments, and event results.

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How to Close Bidding and Finalize Winners

Learn how bidding closes automatically at the scheduled time and how to close an auction early if needed.

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How to Upload Images to Auction Items

Learn how to quickly add, organize, and manage photos for your auction items from a computer or mobile device.

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How to Add or Edit Auction Administrators

Learn how to invite team members and volunteers to help manage your auction event.

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How to Issue a Refund to a Bidder

Learn how refunds are handled in CharityAuctions and how to request a full or partial refund for a bidder.

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Require Immediate Payment for Buy Now Items

Learn how to control whether Buy Now purchases must be paid instantly or added to a final invoice.

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How to Resend an Invoice to a Winning Bidder

Learn how to quickly resend an unpaid invoice to a bidder with just a few clicks.

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How to Launch Your Auction and Make It Live

Learn the simple steps required to publish your auction and make it available to bidders.

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Adding Auction Items in Bulk

Save time by importing multiple auction items at once using the Upload Items feature.

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How Tips Work on the CharityAuctions Free Plan

Learn how optional bidder tips keep CharityAuctions free for nonprofits and schools, and what options are available to administrators.

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Can Bidders Pay Right Away

Understand when bidders can pay immediately and how invoices are delivered after an auction ends.

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How Payouts Work in CharityAuctions

Learn exactly how to request a payout, connect your bank account, and receive funds after your auction ends.

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How to Turn On Bidding for Your Auction

Learn the exact steps required to publish your auction and open bidding to participants.

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How do I add an item to my auction?

Learn how to quickly create and add new auction items using the Item Catalog.

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The Simple Guide to Charity Auction Analytics

Comprehensive reporting and analytics can shine a light on where your auction strategy falls short. Learn which metrics nonprofits should track and which reports to generate to improve your next annual auction fundraiser.

How To

How to Protect Donor Privacy in Online Auctions

Donors lose trust with nonprofits that overstep boundaries. Learn how your nonprofit can respect its donors’ privacy in online auctions by complying with privacy laws, allowing for anonymous donations, and preventing donor list sharing.

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What Are the Most Secure Payment Methods for Online Auctions?

One in five donors say they’d stop donating to a charity if their data was stolen. Make sure your donors’ data is safe by using secure payment methods during online fundraising, including online charity auctions.

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Must-Have Security Features When Choosing Auction Software

Donors want to know that their information is safe online. Learn which security features keep your donors safe when choosing your charity auction software.

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The Nonprofit’s Guide to Auction Software Security

Sensitive data from millions of donors was leaked during the 2020 Blackbaud breach. Learn how to protect your donors and your team by choosing secure auction software.

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The Ultimate List of Charity Auction Item Ideas

Need inspiration for your next charity auction? Browse 200 creative auction item ideas by category and learn which items sell best at auctions, including exclusive experiences, items related to your niche, and travel packages.

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Mobile Bidding Checklist for Nonprofits and Schools

Be prepared on event day with the correct equipment, important signage, and essential mobile bidding features. Our mobile bidding checklist is your task list for integrating online solutions for charity auctions.

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Mobile Features to Integrate Into Your Next Charity Auction

Mobile bidding features like text notifications, mobile check-in, auction previews, and live dashboards can make donors more engaged at your charity auction—while saving time for your nonprofit or school.

How To

Top 5 Mobile Auction Software for Nonprofits (& How to Choose)

Learn how to select the best mobile bidding software for your nonprofit or school’s auction needs, and choose from our top five picks—CharityAuctions, Givebutter, OneCause, Auctria, and GiveSmart.

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Mobile Bidding for Charity Auctions: Complete Guide

Mobile bidding transforms charity auctions by making it easier for donors to participate, increasing engagement by 52%, and boosting revenue by up to 30%—all while simplifying logistics for your team.

How To

What to Say (& What Not to Say) During Charity Auction Marketing

What if your social media posts and emails aren’t attracting donors to your charity auction? Fundraisers can learn how to truly inspire supporters to donate with word-for-word examples of marketing messages that work.

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The Silent Auction Promotion Timeline

Struggling with auction turnout? Boost attendance at your charity auction with our 2-month marketing timeline. Our timeline includes 5 promotion phases, from first announcements to post-event follow-up.

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Guide to Influencer Marketing for Nonprofit Fundraisers

Discover how influencer marketing can expand the reach of your nonprofit's fundraising events and charity auctions. Learn how to find, reach out to, and partner with influencers who want to support your cause.

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The Complete Guide to Charity Auction Promotion

Nonprofits can attract more guests to their charity auctions through expert auction promotion strategies—content scheduling, authentic messaging, teaming up with partners, and more.

AI Tips

AI Prompts That Make Charity Auction Prep Easy

This article shares AI prompts and ethical AI practices that nonprofits and schools can use for quick auction setup. Find AI fundraising prompts for donation requests, auction item ideas, thank you messages, and more.

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Charity Auction Quick Setup Guide

Small nonprofits and PTA parents will find a collection of quick start guides for setting up a charity auction in record time. Learn how auction software and AI can speed up event management for auctions.

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Affordable Graphic Design for Charity Auction Promotion

CharityAuctions offers a Media Kit starting at $99 for nonprofits and schools to promote their auction fundraiser. Includes personalized social media posts, digital banners, tabletop flyers, and more.

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Companies That Donate to Auctions in 2026 (+ Easy Item Ideas)

Make auction setup easy with our curated lists of companies that donate to charity auctions and easy-to-obtain auction items—designed for small nonprofits, large nonprofits, and schools.

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Charity Auction Basics - Learn Auctions in 15 Minutes

This beginner’s guide plus auction glossary helps small nonprofits and school PTAs get started with charity auctions faster. Choose from three auction types, learn how to set bidding terms, and learn what donors can deduct for taxes.

How To

How to Follow Up After an Auction: 3 Emails to Retain Donors

Our 3-step follow up sequence for charity auctions—complete with email templates—help your nonprofit improve donor retention. Thank donors within 48 hours, share your impact, and troubleshoot common issues that arise after an auction.

How To

How to Master Live Auction Fundraisers

Learn how nonprofits of any size can master live auctions by choosing an auctioneer, strategically ordering items, incorporating storytelling, and more. Our sample live auction timeline will show you how it’s done.

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Are Charity Auctions Worth the Investment? The Data Says Yes

This article pulls insights from two fundraising research reports, showing that 95% of nonprofits have great ROI with auction fundraisers. Learn how to maximize your auction ROI with donor engagement and the right software.

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Why a Third of Auction Bids are Mobile (& How to Maximize Them)

Learn about mobile bidding features that donors love, like outbid notifications and item previews, while maximizing bid revenue for your nonprofit through easy-to-use software, volunteer training, and more.

How To

How to Launch a Charity Auction in Under 30 Minutes

Learn how nonprofits can spin up a fully functioning charity auction in 30 minutes—connecting payments, item uploads, and bidding rules instantly—so your fundraiser goes live fast and avoids weeks of manual setup.

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What Your Data Says About Your Charity Auction

Learn how to read your auction’s data—identify underperforming items, retention dips, ROI stats—and act on insights. Many organizations using historical analytics report ~32% increases in revenue across events.

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How to Photograph and Display Auction Items (While Saving Money)

This article shows nonprofits how to photograph and stage auction items affordably using white backgrounds, consistent lighting, clean edits, and smart displays—so donors bid more and items sell out.

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How to Source High-Quality Auction Items for Your Fundraiser

How to Source High-Quality Auction Items teaches nonprofits how to build a wish list, ask aligned donors, and focus on fewer, high-value items to boost donor bids and engagement — often selling out auctions when generic ones fail.

How To

How to Plan Your Charity Auction (Plus Auction Checklist)

This guide walks nonprofits through planning an auction—set goals, build your team, budget, choose venue, document tasks, and use a checklist—to run a smoother event and avoid surprises.