DONATE Auctions
Run an online charity auction
Bidders compete for your lots on their phones and winners pay by link. Gift Aid applies only to what is paid above a lot's value.
- Lots with photos, starting bid, reserve and market value
- Bidding on any phone, no app needed
- Outbid alerts by email and text
- Bids in the final 2 minutes add 2 minutes, so nobody wins in the last second
- Winners pay by a link
- Gift Aid only on what is paid above a lot's value
- Import lots from a spreadsheet
- Live analytics and a winners report
Updated
How it works
Auctions lives in your DONATE portal. You add lots, set when bidding opens and closes, and share one link. Supporters bid on their phones, and each winner is sent a link to pay.
An auction in six steps
- Create the auction: a name and the bidding dates.
- Add your lots: pictures, prices and a market value for each.
- Preview it, switch the lots and the auction Live, and share the link.
- Bidding opens at the time you set. Outbid bidders are told by email or text.
- Each lot closes at its closing time, and its winner is sent a link to pay.
- Chase anyone who has not paid, and download the winners report.
What bidders see
Bidders need no account and no app. They give an email address or a UK mobile number the first time they bid, and that is how they are told if they are outbid or have won.
Bidding
- The page always asks for at least the next bid, and offers the next three amounts as buttons.
- Lots someone has bid on sit at the top, marked Winning or Outbid.
- Outbid alerts go by email or text, at most one per lot every five minutes.
- Bids are placed on the auction page. There is no bidding by text message.
- If the auction extends on final-minute bids, the page says so, and a bid in the final 2 minutes adds 2 minutes to that lot. Outbid emails near the close say so too.
Your auction page
A countdown to the close, a description of the auction, and every lot with its highest bid.
Pick an amount and bid
The first bid asks for an email address or mobile number. After that, a tap on an amount places the bid.
Told when outbid
The bidder who was winning gets an email or a text, and a banner if the page is open on their phone.
Create the auction
Click New auction and DONATE opens a new, untitled auction. It stays Not live until you switch it on, so take your time.
Before you add any lots
- Set Bidding opens and Bidding closes first. Lots take Bidding closes as their closing time, and while there are no bids a change moves every lot with it.
- Extend on final-minute bids is on for a new auction: a bid in the final 2 minutes adds 2 minutes to that lot, as often as it takes, so nobody wins by bidding in the last second. Turn it off on the Details tab before bidding starts; it locks at the first bid.
- Bidding closes is locked once the auction is live. The dates and the link code all lock at the first bid, so links you have shared keep working.
- A password is optional. It hides the auction page from casual visitors.
Name and describe it
Give the auction a name and a description, and choose the code for its short link.
Set the bidding dates
Bidding opens and Bidding closes set when bids are taken. Add a password only if the auction should be private.
Add your lots
A lot is one thing people bid on, such as a hamper, a weekend away or a signed shirt. Open the Lots tab and click New lot.
Market value and Gift Aid
- Market value is what the lot would cost to buy. It is not shown to bidders. Enter one for every lot before it goes live.
- A winning bid buys the lot, so it is not a donation. Gift Aid is only on what the winner pays above the market value: a £95 bid on afternoon tea worth £60 can carry Gift Aid on £35.
- Money can't buy sets the market value to 0, so Gift Aid would be on the whole bid. Only tick it if DONATE has agreed it with you.
- Charities: DONATE claims it and pays it to you with your payout. Do not claim Gift Aid on these payments yourself as well.
- Not a charity? DONATE can still claim Gift Aid on a winning bid, and keeps all of it as its fee. None of it is paid to you.
The other prices
- Starting bid: the lowest first bid the page accepts.
- Bid increment: how much each new bid must go up by.
- Reserve: the lowest price you will sell for. It is not shown to bidders. Below it, nobody is asked to pay unless you choose to sell.
Describe the lot
A name, a one line summary for the list, and a full description.
Set the prices
The market value, the starting bid, the reserve and the bid increment.
Add the pictures
Up to five pictures. The first is the one bidders see in the list.
Many lots at once
Import new lots from a CSV or Excel file with the blank template. Import only adds lots, and nothing is imported if the file has errors.
Go live
Check the page as bidders will see it, then switch everything on and share your link.
Going live checklist
- Preview the auction. It shows every lot, live or not, before anyone else can see it.
- Switch each lot Live from its own page. That page checks the market value; the switch in the Lots table does not.
- Switch the auction Live. Bidding starts at the opening time you set.
- Share the link and print the QR code only once the auction is Live. Until then the link shows Auction not found.
- Use Reorder on the Lots tab to put your star lots first.
- A bid placed once bidding is open is a real bid, even in the preview. Remove any test bid from the lot's page.
Preview the bidding page
Preview the auction opens the bidding page with every lot, before it is published.
Switch the auction Live
Going live publishes the auction page. Supporters can bid from the opening time.
Share your link
Share the short link, easydonate.org and your code, or download the QR code for posters and tables.
During the auction
The Lots tab updates as bids come in, so you can watch the auction live from the portal.
While bidding is open
- Bidders show as a code in the portal, never by name, until a lot is won.
- Every lot is bid on online, silent auction style. For a gala, put the QR code on the tables and let guests bid on their phones.
- A lot or auction that is switched off takes no bids.
- Each lot shows its own closing time, which moves when a final-minute bid extends it.
- Close bidding now, on a lot's Bids tab, ends bidding on that lot straight away. The highest bidder is told within a couple of minutes.
Watch bids arrive
Each lot's bids and highest bid, updating as they come in.
Remove a hoax bid
Open the lot and remove a bid you do not trust. It disappears from the auction and cannot win.
What winners see
Within a minute or so of a lot closing, its highest bidder is sent a link to pay, by email or by text, as long as the bid met the reserve.
Paying for a lot
- The winner pays the winning bid by card from their link. No login is needed.
- Someone else can pay. The page shows part of the winner's name or contact, so the payer can check it is the right lot.
- Gift Aid is offered only on what was paid above the market value, and only to a UK taxpayer paying with their own money, not a company card.
- Switching the auction off at the end of the night does not stop its winners being told.
The winner's payment page
The lot, the winning bid, Gift Aid on anything above the lot's value, and the total to pay.
After the close
The Lots tab shows who won each lot and whether they have paid. Payments reach you through your usual DONATE payouts.
Winners and payments
- Each lot shows Paid, Not paid, Reserve not met or Closed - no bids.
- Resend payment link sends the winner the same link again, by email or text.
- Below the reserve, nobody is asked to pay until you click Accept & send payment link. That cannot be undone.
- Report on the Lots tab downloads every lot, winner and payment, for collection or delivery.
- A winner's payment link closes once they pay, or 30 days after the lot closed if they have not.
- A month after a lot closes it is archived and leaves the Lots tab.
Winners at a glance
Every lot's status and its winner's contact details.
Chase an unpaid winner
A lot's page shows the winner and whether they have paid, with Resend payment link.
Selling below the reserve
If the highest bid missed the reserve, you can still sell to that bidder at their bid.
Fees
There is nothing to pay to set up an auction. Fees come off each winning payment. For Gift Aid, see Add your lots.
Fees
- Charities: 4.5 per cent plus 22p on the winning bid. When the winner adds Gift Aid, the part paid above the lot's market value is a gift: it carries 40 per cent of its Gift Aid instead of the 4.5 per cent, so the 4.5 per cent only applies up to the market value.
- Other organisations: 5 per cent plus 22p on the winning bid. When the winner adds Gift Aid, DONATE keeps the Gift Aid instead of the 5 per cent on the part above the market value.
- Charges on each payout: a usage fee of £3 for each week (Monday to Sunday) in which your organisation receives £10 or more (at most £12 a month), and a transfer charge of 0.5 per cent of the payout (at least £3) plus £7.50. Organisations without charity rates pay 1.5 per cent plus £7.50.
- Refunds are handled by DONATE for now. Email hello@nationalfundingscheme.org with the lot and the winner's name.
Settings reference
Details
| Setting | What it does | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Auction name | Shown at the top of the auction page. Up to 64 characters. Needed to go live. | Untitled auction |
| Description | Shown to bidders under About this auction. | Empty |
| Public link code | The code in your short link, easydonate.org/CODE. Locked once there are bids. | A code DONATE makes |
| Bidding opens | When bids start being taken. Needed to go live. Locked once there are bids. | Empty |
| Bidding closes | When bidding ends. Each lot takes this closing time when it is added. Needed to go live. Locked once the auction is live. | Empty |
| Event date | The date of your event, if the auction is part of one. Locked once there are bids. | Empty |
| Password | Hides the auction page from casual visitors. Blank means a public auction. | Empty |
| Extend on final-minute bids | A bid in the final 2 minutes adds 2 minutes to that lot, as often as it takes. Locked once bidding has started. | On for a new auction |
| Live | Publishes the auction page. Needs a name and bidding dates, and your organisation must be live. | Not live |
Lot
| Setting | What it does | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Lot name | Shown on the auction page and in the winner's email. Up to 64 characters. | Untitled lot |
| Summary | A short line under the lot. Up to 150 characters. | Empty |
| Description | The full details of the lot. | Empty |
| Market value | What the lot would cost to buy. Not shown to bidders. Gift Aid is only on what is paid above it. Needed before the lot goes live. | 0 |
| Money can't buy | Sets the market value to 0, so Gift Aid would be on the whole bid. Only with DONATE's agreement. | Off |
| Starting bid | The bidding page only accepts a first bid of at least this amount. | 0 (the page then asks for at least £1) |
| Reserve | The lowest price you will sell for. Not shown on the page. 0 means no reserve. | 0 |
| Bid increment | The bidding page only accepts bids that beat the highest bid by at least this amount. | £1 |
| Lot images | Up to 5 pictures. The first is the main picture. | None |
| Live | Puts the lot in the auction. Switch it on from the lot's own page, which checks the market value. | Not live |
Messages DONATE sends for you
| Message | When | Who gets it |
|---|---|---|
| Outbid alert | When someone beats their bid. At most one per lot every five minutes. | The bidder who was winning, by email or text |
| Payment link | When a lot closes with its reserve met, or when you accept a bid below the reserve. | The winner, by email or text |
| Payment link again | When you click Resend payment link. | The winner |
| Receipt | When the winner pays. | The person who paid |
Questions
- How is an auction different from a raffle?
- In an auction, people bid on a particular lot, and the highest bid wins and pays for it. In a raffle, people buy tickets for a chance to win, and winners are drawn at random from all the tickets sold.
- How do I run an online charity auction with DONATE?
- In your DONATE portal, open Auctions and click New auction. Add a name and bidding dates, add your lots with pictures and prices, switch the lots and the auction Live, then share your link. When bidding closes, winners are sent a link to pay if the reserve is met.
- Can I claim Gift Aid on auction lots?
- A winning bid buys the lot, so it is not a donation. Gift Aid can only be on what the winner pays above the lot's market value. The winner's payment page works it out. For a charity, DONATE pays it to you with your payout. For any other organisation, DONATE keeps it as its fee. Money can't buy sets the value to 0, so only tick it if DONATE has agreed it.
- What is a reserve price in a charity auction?
- The lowest price you will sell the lot for. It is not shown on the page. If bidding ends below the reserve, the winner is not asked to pay unless you click Accept & send payment link on that lot.
- Do bidders need an account or an app?
- No. Bidders use the auction link on any phone or computer. The first time they bid, they give an email address or UK mobile number and agree to the terms.
- How are bidders told they have been outbid?
- By email, or by text if they bid with a mobile number, with a link back to the lot. If the auction page is open on their phone, a banner shows too. Each bidder gets at most one alert per lot every five minutes.
- Can people bid by text message?
- No. Bids are placed on the auction page. Bidders who give a mobile number get their outbid alerts and payment link by text.
- How do winners pay?
- When a lot closes, the winner is sent a link by email or text if the reserve is met. They open it and pay the winning bid by card. No login is needed, and someone else can pay. Only a UK taxpayer paying with their own money, not a company card, should tick Gift Aid.
- A winner has not paid. What can I do?
- Open the lot in the portal and click Resend payment link. The report on the Lots tab lists every lot that is not paid.
- Can I run a silent auction at a gala dinner?
- Yes. Every DONATE lot is bid on online, silent auction style. Put the QR code on the tables and let guests bid on their phones until the closing time. There is no separate auctioneer led mode.
- Can I test my auction before it goes live?
- Yes. Click Preview the auction on the Details tab to see the bidding page with all your lots before you publish. Bids placed once bidding is open are real bids and are not cleared for you, so remove any test bid from the lot's page.
- Can I change the closing time?
- Yes, until the auction is live. While there are no bids, changing Bidding closes moves every lot to the new time. Once the auction is live it is locked. To end bidding on one lot early, use Close bidding now on that lot's Bids tab.
- What stops someone winning by bidding in the last second?
- Extend on final-minute bids, on the auction's Details tab. With it on, a bid in the final 2 minutes adds 2 minutes to that lot, as often as it takes, so the other bidders always have time to answer. It is on for a new auction and locks once bidding has started.
- Can I make my auction private?
- Yes. Add a password on the Details tab. It hides the auction page from casual visitors.
- What does an online auction cost?
- Nothing to set up. For charities, each winning payment costs 4.5 per cent plus 22p. When the winner adds Gift Aid, the part above the lot's market value carries 40 per cent of its Gift Aid instead of the 4.5 per cent. Other organisations pay 5 per cent plus 22p, and with Gift Aid DONATE keeps the Gift Aid instead of the 5 per cent on the part above the market value. Payments reach you through your usual DONATE payouts, which carry the payout charges in Fees.