FAQ:   Our auction will be Online only - what setup do we have to do and which steps can we skip?

Answer:  Online auctions avoid the time and expense of holding an event (no venue, caterer, auctioneer, AV equipment, event night volunteers etc) so most of the "savings" come from activities that are handled outside of the software.    The software handles the "auction" aspects of your event - and gala and online auctions are more similar than they are different.  

Both need:

• Donors

• Items 

• Mechanisms for:

  • bidding and 

  • awarding items to winners 

  • processing payments 

  • issuing receipts 

  • reporting results   

And the differences generally replace one task for another:

Gala Only                                            Online Only

Promote to Sell Tickets                         Promote to drive potential bidders to website

Print Materials (bid sheets etc)              Configure visibility of online catalog and bidding periods.

Check-in/Issue Bidder Numbers           Sign up for online auction account to place bids

Check-out to Pay                                  Set-up email messaging to notify winning online bidders, provide    payment instructions and reminders

Will Call/Delivery                                   Will Call/Delivery/Mail    

The majority of tools and settings within the software apply to both gala and online events.  If you are running a stand alone Online Auction, you can winnow out tasks and instructions that apply only to Gala events by referring to the Online tab on the Help Overview Map on your site's Dashboard (see below).