Charity Auction Analytics & Reporting Guide

Without good data, you may be wondering why your auction fell flat or why you only raised a few thousand dollars.

Running the numbers on your auction can point you to answers. The data can tell you a lot about what items your donors actually want, what’s driving excitement for bidding, and whether your auction is worth holding in the first place. 

Once you have the right auction analytics and reporting in place, you’ll be able to…

• Raise more at next year’s auction.
• Cut back on unnecessary costs.
• Offer better item catalogs.
• Price items more strategically.
• Make donors happier.

This guide answers the most common questions about measuring and analyzing your charity auction data. We’ll answer:

• What reports will my auction platform generate?
• Which metrics does my auction platform not track?
• Which auction metrics should I track if I don’t have auction software?
• How do I transfer my auction reports to another platform? 
• What are good benchmarks?
• How do I compare auction data from different years?
• What do I need to include in auction receipts for donors?
• Do any platforms use AI to analyze auction data?

What Reports Will My Auction Platform Generate?

Auction analytics and reporting will differ between platforms, but your software will most likely run:

• Revenue Report - This shows total income, total fees, and revenue sources (bidding vs. donations). This gives you the big picture of financial performance.
• Bidder Activity Report - This report identifies your top spenders and their preferences. Use this to send personalized thank-yous, gather feedback for future events, and adjust your strategy.
• Item Performance Report - This reveals which items attracted competition and which were ignored. Look at final sale prices and number of bids per item. It’ll tell you what items you should bring again next year, and which ones should be phased out.
• Attendee Report - This report records how many attendees registered for your event (or the number of tickets sold) and how many attendees participated.

Which Metrics Does My Auction Platform Not Track?

While your auction platform can track a lot of your auction data, there’s some data you’ll have to track yourself. 

Here’s what you should track on your own:

• Event costs - Record venue costs, catering costs, marketing material costs, etc.
• Marketing efficiency - Pay attention to how many people are viewing social media auction posts, responding to auction emails, and registering. Take note of which marketing methods work best.
• Volunteer hours - Record staff and volunteer hours. If too much time is going into your event with little funds raised, you may have to rethink your event.
• Donor satisfaction - Either send out surveys for a quantitative approach, or simply ask your donors how they enjoyed the auction to measure donor satisfaction.
• Sponsor metrics - Keep a careful record of who sponsored your events and how much they gave each year.

Which Auction Metrics Should I Track If I Don’t Have Auction Software?

If you’re not using online tools that automatically generate reports, track these essential auction metrics:

• Net revenue 
• Direct donation revenue
• Item sale revenue
• Ticket revenue
• Sponsorship revenue
• Total costs
• Number of attendees
• Number of items sold
• Highest bid for each item
• Number of bids for each item
• Percentage of registrants who placed at least one bid
• Percentage of items that received bids
• Social media engagement rate
• Email response rate
• Payment completion rate
• Top 10 bidders
• Average amount spent per bidder
• Donor retention rate (repeat guests from previous years)
• No-show rate (who registered but didn’t attend)

How Do I Transfer My Auction Reports to Another Platform?

To thoroughly analyze all data, sync everything with your CRM. If your organization isn’t currently using a CRM, we highly recommend it. It’s a game changer for admin and data tracking. CRMs are used by 67% of nonprofits and was found to be the 8th most effective tool for nonprofits in the same survey.

There are a few options for syncing auction data with your CRM:

• Direct CRM integration - Some auction platforms offer built-in connections to popular CRMs. Look for a "CRM" or "Integrations" tab in your platform settings for automatic syncing.
• API integration - If you have a lot of data to sync (for example, you run galas or golf tournaments on the same platform), check if your auction platform and CRM are both supported by API integration tools, like Zapier.
• CSV export and import - If your platform doesn’t have integrations (or you don’t have much data), you can manually transfer spreadsheets. Export your bidder data, item performance, and transaction history as CSV files, then upload the files to your CRM. This works universally and is not overly time consuming.

What Are Good Benchmarks for Charity Auction Performance?

The best benchmark for a healthy auction is your own data. If you’ve improved over the years—and if you’re making enough profit compared to costs and time invested—your auction is performing well.

If you’re still interested in some stats to gauge the health of your auction, compare your data to the following benchmarks:

• ROI: 5-15% increase in ROI year over year
• Expense ratio: No more than 40% expense ratio
• Donor participation: At least 20% of your bidders engaging (based on the 80/20 principle)
• Item performance: Items close at around 87% of FMV
• Marketing: 3% click-through rate
• Donor retention: 46% average donor retention rate

How Do I Compare Auction Data From Different Years?

Year-over-year analysis reveals trends in what works, and what doesn’t. 

Set your year-over-year data side-by-side, paying attention to how the data correlates to your strategy for each year. Pay attention to correlations like:

• When you had the highest attendance + The marketing strategy used
• When you raised the most revenue through bids + The items procured
• When you had the most bids + The engagement tactics used

Create your own auction playbook for your organization based on your year-over-year analysis. Take notes of what worked best so your team isn’t left guessing.

But the most efficient method for comparing year-over-year auction data is via CharityAuctions. The Auction History feature automatically generates year-over-year reports for all of your events. 

Auction History archives everything from previous events, including:

• Item data
• Marketing materials
• Event settings
• Donor participation

What Do I Need to Include In Auction Receipts for Donors? 

Don’t forget about an important report for your donors—donation receipts. Compliant donation receipts help your donors track their contributions and earn tax deductions.

Item donor receipts: Provide an acknowledgment letter that includes your organization's name, a description of the donated item (but not the value), and a statement that no goods or services were provided in return. Do NOT include an FMV (Fair Market Value)—donors are responsible for establishing that themselves.

Item winner receipts: Provide a receipt of the donation amount and a good-faith estimate of the FMV of the item won. The statement should inform the donor that their deductible amount is limited to the excess over fair market value.

For unique experiences with no clear FMV: Estimate an FMV based on comparable services.  If you can't reasonably determine an FMV, note that the FMV equals the amount paid (meaning no deduction is available).

Do Any Platforms Use AI to Analyze Auction Data?

Yes, CharityAuctions uses AI to analyze your data and give you suggestions based on your performance. These auction analytics and reports are automatically generated inside the platform with no extra steps.

Set up your auction page for free and navigate to the AI Review tab. There, you’ll find your personalized AI analysis that updates in real-time as you build your auction and run your event.

Tom Kelly

Tom Kelly, TEDx speaker and CEO of CharityAuctions.com, helps nonprofits raise millions through auctions and AI. He hosts The Million Dollar Nonprofit podcast and inspires leaders to live their legacy, not just leave it.