Silent Auction Setup Guide
Set up a standalone silent auction, add donated items, and publish a bidding page for supporters. This page is built for the first launch: create one public auction, add a few bid-ready items, and make sure status changes are clear before supporters arrive.
What this guide gets you
One public auction link that is actually ready to share.
One item set with enough detail and pricing rules for confident bidding.
One clear status model so the team knows exactly when bidding is open or closed.
Before you open Auction Admin
- A confirmed organization donation slug for the public auction URL.
- Start and end times you trust for your timezone.
- At least a few donated items with titles, images, and starting bids ready.
Start here
Use this order for your first auction launch.
The goal is not to load every donated item immediately. The goal is to launch one auction cleanly and make sure supporters can actually bid when they arrive.
Create the auction shell
Go to Donors → Auctions and click New auction.
Confirm public settings
Set auction details and keep Public enabled.
Add items and save them
Add donated gifts as items, then click Save items.
Share the public bidding link
Share /auction/[org-slug]/[auction-slug] with supporters once bidding is live.
Good day-one win
End your first session with one public auction page, a few bid-ready items, and a team that understands when the auction is ready to go live.
Core workflows
These are the auction motions that matter once the page exists.
Read these as launch operations. Each workflow is here to make sure the public bidding experience feels clear, trustworthy, and easy to manage live.
Launch
Set launch rules before bidding starts
Start here when the auction is still in setup mode and you need to make sure the public link, timing, and visibility rules are correct before supporters arrive.
- 1Set your organization donation slug before sharing the public auction URL.
- 2Create the auction under
Donors→Auctions. - 3Set auction status to
activewhen you are ready to accept bids. - 4Confirm start and end times are correct for your timezone.
Items
Add gift items that are ready to bid
Use this to make each listing legible and credible so bidders can understand what they are bidding on without guesswork.
- 1Include a clear item title.
- 2Add a concise description supporters can understand quickly.
- 3Use an image URL that represents the gift well.
- 4Set a starting bid in USD.
- 5Set a bid increment in USD.
Live ops
Manage live bidding and status changes
This is where auction operations stay calm. Use statuses clearly so supporters and staff know what is still active and what is done.
- 1Use
draftwhile the auction is still being configured. - 2Use
activewhen the auction should accept bids andclosedwhen it should stop. - 3Keep items in
activeorfeaturedto accept bids, and usedraftorhiddenfor items not ready yet. - 4Move items to
soldorclosedonce bidding is complete and no more bids should be accepted.
Keep momentum
The habits that keep auction launch day calm.
Auction issues usually come from unclear timing, inconsistent item setup, or statuses that do not match reality. These habits help prevent that.
Auction habits
- Confirm the donation slug, status, and timing before sending the public link.
- Use consistent item descriptions and image quality so the auction feels trustworthy to bidders.
- Review the live page once before launch to make sure only bid-ready items are visible.
Open auction admin
Jump directly into the donor auctions workspace when you are ready to apply this guide live.
Help center
Best for auction setup and bidding questions once you know which part of the launch flow needs help.
Contact support
Use this if you need help with public launch readiness, item setup, or live bidding operations.
FAQ
Questions teams usually ask once auction bidding is live.
These are the common launch issues that surface after the public page is active and supporters start trying to bid.
Good stopping point for today
If the public page is visible, items are clearly bid-ready, and the team understands auction status changes, the launch is already on solid ground.
Public page shows no auctions
Verify the auction is public, the status is active or closed, and the current time falls within the auction window.
Bid is rejected as too low
Increase the bid amount. The minimum bid is based on the current bid plus the configured bid increment.
Bidding appears closed
Check the auction status, item status, and start and end times.