Live Auction & Paddle Raise

Run the room — and have it reconciled before you leave

A branded auction site, an item gallery your auctioneer can work from, and real-time totals on the screen behind them — with every bid, paddle raise, and gift landing on one bidder record.

Add it to your gala, dinner, or benefit event

Built for how a live auction night actually runs

1

Build the auction site

Supporters like to look through the items before the night, not just from their seat.

A branded site with your homepage, sponsor recognition, donation forms, and a full item gallery — each item with rich descriptions, photos, and item numbers, browsable by search, category, and filter.

2

Set up the paddle raise

The paddle raise often raises more than anything else in the room, so it’s worth setting up properly.

Preset your giving levels — $5,000, $2,500, $1,000, and down — so the auctioneer works a ladder the room can follow. The paddle raise runs on the same event as your auction and your tickets, so gifts are captured as they’re called rather than written down and entered later.

3

Work the room

The room gives more when it can watch the total climbing.

Put a fundraising thermometer on the screen that refreshes in real time, a running donation count for social proof, and a recent-donor feed so the room sees itself giving. Manage items, bidders, and paddle raises live from an auction admin built for a fast-moving night.

4

Capture every win

While the auctioneer is working, there’s no time to write anything down twice.

When a paddle goes up, your team enters the number — quick paddle entry takes the bidder number and the amount, nothing else, so recording keeps pace with the room. Bids, paddle raises, purchases, and donations all track under one bidder profile, so the winning bid, the fund-a-need gift, and the ticket that got them in the door are already the same person.

5

Settle up and fulfill

After the event you want clean numbers, not a reconstruction.

Real-time reports on paddle raise participation, auction wins, and fulfillment status. Payments collected through the platform, receipts sent automatically, and offline gifts logged into the same totals.

Live auction & paddle raise features

·
Auction site & items
Branded auction siteHomepage, sponsor info, donation forms, and item gallery under your brand
Item listingsRich descriptions, photos, and item numbers
Search, categories & filtersSorting and filtering so guests browse the catalog before the night
Sponsor recognitionSponsor logos and names across the auction site
The room
Paddle raise / fund-a-needRun the appeal on the same event as your auction and tickets
Preset giving levelsSet the ladder — $5,000, $2,500, $1,000 — for the auctioneer to work
Quick paddle entryRecord a gift by bidder number and amount, fast enough to keep up with the room
Live fundraising thermometerRefreshes in real time as gifts land — built for a screen
Donation counterTotal number of donations displayed as social proof
Recent donor feedA continuously updated list of supporters as they give
CountdownA live countdown on items to drive urgency
Real-time adminManage items, bidders, and paddle raises live during the event
Bidders & payments
One bidder profileBids, paddle raises, purchases, and donations under one record
Single supporter loginSupporters bid, donate, and register with one login
Payment methodsCard, ACH, PayPal, Venmo, Apple Pay, and Google Pay
Donor-covered feesGuests can cover processing fees at checkout
Offline gift entryLog checks and cash written in the room into the same totals
Automatic receiptsReceipts sent as gifts are captured
Reporting & fulfillment
Paddle raise reportingReal-time reports on participation and totals
Auction win & fulfillment reportsTrack wins and fulfillment status
Saved report templatesRun filters, save them, automate recurring exports
Donor CRMEvery bidder becomes a donor record with full history
Same platform as ticketingPair with event ticketing — one guest, one record

Planning your auction night? Let’s walk through it.

Common questions

How do we record bids and paddles from the floor?

Your team enters them as they happen. Quick paddle entry takes just the bidder number and the amount, so recording keeps pace with the auctioneer — and because it’s the same event as your ticketing, that bidder number is already tied to a real guest record.

Can we preset the giving levels for the appeal?

Yes. Set your ladder in advance — $5,000, $2,500, $1,000, and down — so the room has clear rungs to give at and the auctioneer has a script to work.

Can we run a paddle raise without a live auction?

Yes. A fund-a-need appeal can run on its own alongside your ticketed event — you don’t need an auction catalog to use it.

Can we run both a silent and a live auction at the same event?

Yes. Both run on the same event, so a guest who bids in the silent auction, wins a live item, and gives at the paddle raise is one record, not three.

How do we show totals to the room?

A fundraising thermometer, donation counter, and recent donor feed all refresh in real time, so they can be displayed on screen behind the stage as gifts land.

How do guests pay for what they win?

Through the platform, with everything they bid on, won, or gave sitting under a single bidder profile — so settling up doesn’t mean matching three lists by hand.

Can we track fulfillment of auction items?

Yes. Real-time reports cover auction wins and fulfillment status, so you know what’s been collected and what’s still outstanding.

Does it work with our ticketing?

Yes — it’s the same platform. Tickets, auction, and paddle raise share one event and one donor record, with no integration to configure.

What does it cost?

See pricing for our plans — you can start free with no credit card. For a gala with an auction and a paddle raise, it’s worth a quick call so we can point you at the right plan.

Let’s plan your auction night

Walk through the platform with our team and see how it handles the room.