Auctions made easy

Fundraising software for online auctions

Q: How do I create and launch an auction?

Creating and launching your auction is easy! Let our auction software guide you through every stage of the process, starting with naming your fundraiser and adding your items. You'll have complete control over scheduling when bids are accepted and contacting your winners. If you need help with a step, our customer service team is standing by to help. Before committing, you can also request a demonstration to see how our auction software works!

Q: How many items should I have in my auction?

Successful auctions come in all sizes! The sweet spot is probably 30 to 70 items, but your success depends more on how well you organize your items, how manageable the system is for your bidders, and how well you market your fundraiser.

Q: What is the right length of an online auction?

Your auction can be any length you want it to be! Our standard suggestion is between 10 days and two weeks. The key is leaving enough time for people to get excited about participating in your fundraiser but not too long for them to forget about it.

Q: How do live auctions work?

Live auctions can be a little chaotic, but that's part of the fun, right? To help keep things running smoothly, we suggest handling live bidding manually and limiting the number of items up for auction. And if you want to save some items for live auctions but still want to display them online for publicity purposes, you can disable online bidding for those items in your dashboard. It's the perfect solution to maintain a live auction's excitement while ensuring that everything stays organized and fair.

Q: How does “Popcorn Bidding” work?

Popcorn Bidding is a fantastic new feature that maximizes your organization's fundraising potential. With our mobile bidding software, if someone submits a bid within the last 10 minutes of the auction, the bidding for that item automatically extends for an additional 10 minutes. This unique system ensures that the item goes to the highest bidder, prioritizing generosity over quick reflexes.

Join 105,000+ amazing nonprofits, organizations, and fundraisers on BetterWorld

Know your fundraiser

About our mobile bidding & silent auction platform

Experience the unparalleled power of BetterWorld's online silent auction software!

Our platform offers a seamless solution for setting up and managing successful auctions. With an array of online fundraising tools and mobile bidding options easily accessible through an intuitive dashboard, everything you need is at your fingertips.

Just upload a few photos and descriptions for each item, set your bids, and effortlessly promote your event. Participants can place their bids directly on the BetterWorld website.

Once the auction concludes, we'll contact the winners, collect their bids, and coordinate item delivery. It's that simple!

Top helpful features

Video integration

Bring online auctions directly to donors with videos and livestreaming. Keep people on your auction page longer and drive excitement for auction items.

Text message notifications

Contact bidders directly through text messages to keep them engaged. Give donors the ability to win auctions through text message outbid notifications.

Popcorn bidding

Maximize the entertainment value of your auction and keep donors around through the entire event. Raise more funds at the end of the event with optional extended bidding for the most popular items.

Copyable items

Take note of your most successful auction items and use them again for your next fundraiser. Save time by copying pictures and descriptions, then add them to other online auctions.

Image library

BetterWorld provides a built-in library with millions of high-quality photos. Use this free resource to design a beautiful auction that best showcases your items.

Online item donation form

Give donors the ability to upload items directly to your auction page. Populate your online auctions with interesting and exciting items.

Get started in minutes following these simple steps

How our online auction software works

1. Create your online auction

Set up your fundraising page in minutes. With our software, you can easily add items to your auction or let donors upload items themselves. Next, make your page look beautiful with banner images, as well as a welcome message to greet donors. Need some help? We’re here! Whether you use our free help center or request a more hands-on approach, our customer service team will support you when working with our online auction platform.

2. Share it with donors

Spread the word about your upcoming online auctions with donors. Use templates and social media integrations to get people interested. Our online auction platform is seamlessly integrated with popular social media platforms, making it easy to share your silent auction link with all of your friends and followers. Once bidding starts, everything works seamlessly through phones, tablets, and desktops. You can even keep donors engaged with auto text notifications when they're outbid.

3. End the auction with a simple click

Once your fundraiser has finished, easily close the auction with a single click. Next, charge the cards of the winning bidders and collect your funds. Finally, receipts are issued automatically and proceeds are deposited directly into your bank account.

Simple bidding that works in-person and online

BetterWorld’s mobile auction platform works both online and in-person. With our software, you can create a fundraiser specifically for your needs. Whether your event is in-person, virtual, or both, BetterWorld has the solutions.

Simply share a link for the auction with your audience and you’re done! With BetterWorld, no downloading or pre-registration is required.

In-person bidding

Keep your event organized with in-person mobile bidding
Update donors with text outbid notifications
Give easy access to the auction with built-in QR codes on table cards
Provide pre-made short links that make it easy for donors to participate

Online bidding

Donors participate in auctions online from anywhere in the world
Keep donors engaged in real-time online bidding
Utilize a live video stream for extra excitement
Update donors with email and text outbid notifications

In-person bidding

Keep your event organized with in-person mobile bidding
Update donors with text outbid notifications
Give easy access to the auction with built-in QR codes on table cards
Provide pre-made short links that make it easy for donors to participate

Online bidding

Donors participate in auctions online from anywhere in the world
Keep donors engaged in real-time online bidding
Utilize a live video stream for extra excitement
Update donors with email and text outbid notifications

Why BetterWorld?

It's actually free

BetterWorld is 100% free and we have no hidden fees. Even better, over 95% of BetterWorld donors cover credit card fees (2.9% + $0.30).

Beautifully designed

BetterWorld campaigns are designed specifically to look beautiful, no matter if your donors are using a phone, tablet, or computer.

Incredibly easy-to-use

You don’t have to be a tech wizard to use BetterWorld. In fact, we designed our auction software specifically for people without website-building experience.

Seamlessly interconnected

Our platform offers a single place to manage all of your fundraising campaigns. No more having to juggle several different technologies for auctions.

Thoughtfully automated

BetterWorld was built specifically to save you time. Each of our online tools is thoughtfully automated to save you hours on tasks.

Create a fundraiser

It's simple, easy, and fast to create a donation site. We're here to help at any point in your journey.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I create and launch an auction?

How many items should I have in my auction?

What is the right length of an online auction?

How do live auctions work?

How does “Popcorn Bidding” work?

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Always included

5-Minute Set-Up — get set up and start raising funds in just a few minutes.
Encrypted & Secure — BetterWorld's fundraising software is fully PCI-compliant, and all financial data is encrypted to PCI DSS Level 1 standards.
Unlimited Everything — BetterWorld is 100% free for nonprofits, no matter how large or small your organization. Run as many campaigns as needed with unlimited items and team members.
Never Sell Donor Data — your information is always 100% secure with BetterWorld. We have your best interests in mind.
Automated Payments & Receipts — with automation from BetterWorld, you can save time on burdensome tasks such as payment collection and bookkeeping.
Easy to Export — every bit of information you enter into our fundraising software can be easily exported to another platform.
No Advertising — we will never sell advertising space on your BetterWorld page. Banner ads go against our principles.

In the press

"transforming the charitable giving space by offering nonprofits a free platform of fundraising tools where they can keep 100% of the dollars they raise"

Welcome to Betterworld

Enjoy free lifetime access to our full suite of fundraising tools and keep 100% of what you raise. BetterWorld is a social impact venture supported by donors who believe in our mission to serve and support organizations that do good.