Online Charity Auctions -
Setting It Up

So this Online Charity Auctions page is all about how to setup your Internet Auction Fundraising campaign.

It's one of the best fundraisers you could use, so let's make sure you set it up right!

An Online Auction has amazingly huge potential and can raise really large amounts of funds.

It doesn’t have the geographical restrictions that a live auction has and has the ability to go viral with its promotions.

So it's definitely one of the best and most successful fundraisers you could use!

Let's set it up then...

Setting Up An Online
Fundraising Auction:

There are a few steps to setting up an effective Online Charity Auction.

First of all you will need to acquire the use of an Online Auction Software provider...

Charity Auction Software:

There are quite a few Charity Auction Sites that you can make use of but the one I personally recommend is DoJiggy Auctions.

Their software is superbly comprehensive and covers all the bases you will need to make your auction a success!

The really great thing about DoJiggy's services is that they offer a FREE 14 day trial for you to test them out, making it risk free!

To setup your Online Auction Site simply head over to their site and get started!

Be sure to check out their examples, demos and screenshots as well. It will help give you ideas for your Auction Site!

In particular check out the Audubon Society of Portland auction example. It's a very well setup online auction!

I also give more info about their software here.

Free Fundraising Auction Sites?

I very much doubt that you will find a free Charity Auction site or software provider...

Of course there are free sites like eBay that you can use to run an auction off, but it will not be as effective as a dedicated fundraising auction site!

Acquiring Items:

Your next step, if you haven't done this already, is to get items donated to your auction.

If there are certain items that you absolutely want to use in the auction but can't get them donated, you can look to purchase them then, but at least always try to get them at a discount.

The less costs you have the better!

So What Items?

This is one of the keys to your success! You MUST make sure that your items are popular and will be in demand with your bidders.

The more your supporters want the items, the more bids you will get and more funds you will raise. Simple!

So find the most awesome Auction Items you possibly can!

For some Auction Theme ideas that have great item suggestions read here.

Item Display:

Your Online Charity Auction website provides a dedicated page for each auction item.

On that page you can include an image, item description, starting bid, bid increment/increase, optional buy now pricing, item values, donor information, plus more.

Make it effective...

To get the most out of each item you need to make that page effective...

Make sure you use a good quality image of the product, or an informative info-graphic if it's not a physical product.
The description needs to be interesting, enticing, provocative and have a clear call to action.
Consider the value of the item when deciding on the starting bid price. The right starting bid and right increment will help get the bidding ball rolling. 10 to 20 percent of the item value is a good ballpark to work with.

Marketing of Your Cause:

An important aspect of your Auction Website will be the actual promoting of your cause and the telling of its story.

Essentially you want to answer the question of why would someone want to support your auction and your cause.

If you can convey your story and the purpose of your cause (and the specific auction fundraiser) with impact, you will have far more willing supporters and bidders!

So tell the story of your cause and why it's such a great cause to support!