Why online auctions need to be part of your charity fundraising strategy

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11 August 2021

Over the past year as more charities and third sector organisations have gone digital with their fundraising, there has been a big increase in online charity auctions.

If they aren’t already, online auctions need to be part of your fundraising strategy because they are an amazing way to maximise your fundraising and keep your network engaged.

 

Online auctions can be run anytime

Online auctions are a great way to raise money for your cause, can take many different forms and easily be fitted into other fundraising events.

An online auction can also take place any time, not just when you have a fundraising event taking place. This opens up many more opportunities. 

 

Support your fundraisers

Most online auctions don’t need to be attached to a specific organised event which means they can be used by any charity supporter wishing to raise money amongst their network of family and friends. 

Your charity no doubt has a lot of fundraisers who are keen to support you so there are huge opportunities to generate additional funds by allowing them to use an online platform. 

 

Consistent branding and messaging

Even though you can open up their use to your wider network of volunteers, most platforms still allow you to retain an element of control over campaigns.

This means you can oversee the branding, messages and types of prizes being made available even when auctions are run nationally or internationally.

 

More potential bidders

Localised fundraising has limited geographical reach but by using online methods, your potential audience is enormous. 

If you are concerned you can’t get enough engagement in an auction because you have a limited amount of data, by doing it online, you could also run supplementary cost-effective targeted social media adverts to get more people involved.

 

Better prizes

Increasing the number of people involved can help with requests for suitable donations. Many companies will be far more likely to donate if they know their gift will be presented on a national or international platform.

There are people out there that are willing to donate to your charity.  You just need to be confident and reach out to your wider network and ask for favours. 

 

Why we are experts in online auctions

We specialise in running online auctions and have more than 11 years’ experience in fundraising and have done it all over the world for events of various sizes. 

In 2019, we ran more than 300 charity auctions and over the years we’ve raised millions of pounds for charity. 

We’re a small team based in Yorkshire who has created a fully customisable cost-effective online platform called SliderStock which allows businesses and charities to list products for sale and allows users to bid or buy in real-time. 

  • We run charity auctions, sports clubs auctions, support the fundraising at awards events and work closely with events companies at major corporate events
  • Following feedback from our charities, we were the first to offer an ‘unlimited’ option on our online auction subscription service
  • Many other companies restrict users, we don’t
  • We offer ‘Raffle’, ‘Donate Now’ and ‘Pledge’ functions

We regularly see around 70% of people who register to take part in an auction actually bid in it. So, people do react well to online fundraising and it is a fantastic way to engage people. 

Want help running your charity online auction?

So if online auctions aren’t already part of your fundraising strategy, talk to us about how to add them.

Running online auctions is easy if you have the right platform to do the heavy lifting for you. And don’t be afraid to ask for professional help. It’s more cost-effective than you think.

Get in touch by calling us: 01423 531682 or emailing: hello@sliderstock.com