Live Auctions to get excited about!
RallyUp helps you run professional Live Auctions quickly, confidently and easily.
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What makes a spectacular Live Auction?
It is pure adrenaline: spotlight an item, paddles shoot up, rivals go head-to-head and watch the room erupt into fast, thrilling generosity.
Raise more in minutes
Focused attention and urgency push bids higher, quickly.
Engage the room
It’s entertaining, social, and keeps donors leaning in.
Tell your story
Each item becomes a moment to connect impact with giving.
Build community
Applause and friendly rivalry create a feel-good experience donors remember.
Create momentum
Recognition and applause encourage others to step up.
Why Use RallyUp for Your Live Auctions?
The easier it runs, the more you can raise.
Better for your donors
- Everyone is in the loop. Guests always know what’s happening, so more people bid more often.
- Easy to join. Virtual guests can join in-person guests in the bidding, widening competition.
- Automated checkout. Winners can celebrate without waiting in line.
Easier for your team
- Simpler setup. You drive the whole show from one place
- Faster flow. Keep pace with the room and sell more items in the same time.
- No post-event chasing. Payments take care of themselves – zero lines.
- See everything. Total visibility makes calling and reporting clean and confident.
Flexible by design
- Brand lift. The experience looks and feels like your event, building trust and affinity.
- Peak-moment reveals. Unveil big-ticket items when the room is hottest to maximize giving.
- Wider reach. Bring in virtual supporters without diluting the in-room energy.
Inside the Features
Real-time, live bidding
A smoother show – one management dashboard keeps items, bids, and pacing on track.
More bids, fewer misses – staff record paddle raises the moment they happen using keyboard (no mousing needed).
Hybrid reach without friction – supporters join from home and bid alongside the room to boost competition.
Rich item display
Higher perceived value – striking photos and clear details make items feel worth bidding on.
Faster decisions – donors get what they need at a glance, so bidding doesn’t stall.
More pre-event interest – optional previews build anticipation before the doors open.
Live display on big screens
Stronger engagement – real-time bidding on venue screens keeps eyes up and energy high.
Bigger gifts – visible leaderboards spark friendly competition and push bids higher.
Less confusion – everyone sees exactly what’s selling and where the bidding stands.
Create bundle packages easily
Higher totals with fewer lots – combine items into one package to lift value and simplify choices.
Clear expectations – a single listing spells out what’s included, so donors feel confident bidding.
Flexible activity switching
No dead air – move from Auction to Paddle Raise to Raffle without setup delays to keep momentum.
Meet donors where they are – mix activities to match your crowd and maximize giving moments.
Stay in control – run one activity at a time from the same place for a streamlined program flow.
The flow of a Live Auction
- Promote items via campaign page, email, social media, digital marketing, etc.
- Allow donors to buy tickets and pre-register (including payment method)
- Let participants browse items online, previewing their favorites
- Hide high-value items until you’re ready to reveal them
- Simplify guest arrival with instant QR code check-in
- An auctioneer shows items live, one at a time
- The auctioneer accepts bids in real-time (in-person and hybrid)
- A team member enters bids as they are called out
- The host easily switches between activities (e.g., Raffles, Fund-A-Needs)
- Simplify guest arrival with instant QR code check-in
- Automatically process winning bids, purchases, and donations
- Skip the lines and check guests out instantly
- Collect payments instantly – no need to wait
- View reports to analyze auction performance
- Follow-up with non-winners (coming soon)
Combine with other fundraising tools
Mix and match Live Auctions with RallyUp’s powerful features:
Livestream
Paddle Raises
Raffles
Sweepstakes
Storefront
All in the same campaign, on one streamlined event page.
Coming soon!
We’re always improving the Live Auctions experience. Here’s what’s coming:
Proxy/absentee bidding (coming soon)
Printable bid sheets with QR codes
Sponsor recognition in auction displays
Follow-up messaging for bidders who didn’t win
Need help setting it up?
Our fundraising experts will create or optimize your campaign for free.
Start a Live Auction today
If people are showing up to give, make it worth showing up for.
Create a Live AuctionFrequently Asked Questions
RallyUp’s Bidder Number and Event Balance features eliminate the need for manual bid tracking with paper records. Winning bids are tied to winners’ Bidder Numbers and saved to their Event Balances, so you can easily charge winners at the end of the event in just one step.
RallyUp’s fundraising experts are always on hand to answer your questions and help you out. We also offer on-site technical support. For more information, contact us.
Yes! Our Live Display feature allows you to showcase Auction items and display a live feed of each bid as they come in. Seeing their names and bid amounts on the Live Display excites guests and encourages them to keep bidding.
The Live Auction bidding process is simple. During bidder registration, each bidder receives a unique Bidder Number. Then, during your Live Auction, in-person guests can raise a paddle or card with their Bidder Number on it to indicate they want to place a bid. Spotters then use the Bidder Numbers to quickly place bids in RallyUp’s system.
Yes! RallyUp’s Live Auctions are designed for in-person fundraising. We recommend finding a professional auctioneer or volunteer with auctioneering experience to run your auction. The auctioneer ensures the auction proceeds smoothly and keeps the bidders engaged, while spotters use RallyUp’s Live Auction platform features to enter bids.
Live Auctions happen in person and typically involve an auctioneer. Guests bid by raising a paddle or card with their Bidder Number on it.
Silent Auctions are run without auctioneers or paddles. Instead, guests place bids online or via a paper bid sheet.
When a guest wins a Live Auction item, their winning bid is automatically saved to their Event Balance. When your event ends, initiate Live Auction checkout in one simple step: automatically charge all winning bids or send a checkout email to each winner. We also provide detailed Auction reports to help you accurately coordinate item pickup and fulfillment.
When a guest wins a Live Auction item, their winning bid is automatically saved to their Event Balance. When your event ends, initiate Live Auction checkout in one simple step: automatically charge all winning bids or send a checkout email to each winner. We also provide detailed Auction reports to help you accurately coordinate item pickup and fulfillment.
Yes! RallyUp is a secure Auction platform dedicated to Live Auction security, payment security, and nonprofit data security. Our platform is SOC2 certified and PCI1, GDPR, and CCPA compliant. We also use AWS for our infrastructure with multiple defense mechanisms, including a web application firewall, a private VPC infrastructure host with strict access control, and CloudTrail for activity monitoring and security risk identification.
Your Live Auction should include a microphone and speakers for the auctioneer and monitors or projector screens for the Live Display. These ensure that every guest can hear the auctioneer and follow along with the action. You will also need tablets or other devices for each spotter so they can quickly enter bids using RallyUp’s Live Auction technology. If you’re planning to Livestream your Auction, your virtual Auction setup should include a high-quality camera to film the stream.
RallyUp’s Live Auctions are designed for in-person bidding and engagement, but you can also allow guests to bid online if you like. Bidders can use their phones to access your Campaign Page and place bids.
No app download needed! In-person guests can place bids by raising a paddle or card with their Guest Number on it. If you allow online bids during your Live Auction, guests can place bids from your Campaign Page.
If you allow online bidding during your Live Auction, virtual guests can place bids online at the same time as in-person guests. Online bids will appear in the Live Display feed just like in-person bids, making it easier for the auctioneer to keep track of both.
Yes! If you add a Livestream to your campaign, you can stream your Live Auction for virtual audiences. You can even enable gated admission so online attendees must purchase a ticket to access your Livestream.
Yes! RallyUp allows you to add both a Live Auction and a Silent Auction to your Campaign. You can even run them at the same time.