What is ReadySetAuction?
Affordable. Powerful. Easy-to-use. ReadySetAuction is the premier web-based software application for planning, managing and conducting your live, silent and/or online benefit auction.
If you have previously conducted a fundraiser auction or are planning one for the first time, you will immediately recognize the value of ReadySetAuction’s powerful features:
- provides complete, end-to-end auction management functionality for silent, live and online auctions
- gives donors the flexibility to submit their donations electronically, greatly reducing paper shuffling and data entry work for your auction committee
- lets you post your catalog online, providing your supporters a way to preview items and giving donors additional advertising exposure
- gives supporters the ability to make cash donations to your organization via the Internet
- generates all printed auction materials for your gala event including your catalog, bid sheets, gift certificates, displays, reports, receipts, thank you letters and more
- supports online pre-bidding and absentee bidding, so you can reach supporters who can not attend your gala event
- simplifies guest management with online ticket sales and pre-registration
- tracks winning bids during the gala event
- speeds check out with integrated real-time credit card processing (including card swipe capability!) and receipt generation
The First Completely Web-Based Auction Management Tool Designed Exclusively for Non-Profits
In its simplest form, ReadySetAuction is an auction management tool that gives you the power to:
- plan, manage and conduct your non-profit organization’s live/silent gala auction event,
- run an online-only auction to benefit your non-profit, or
- hold a combination of the two.
But ReadySetAuction offers so much more!
ReadySetAuction recognizes the reality that any successful auction requires two dedicated groups of people: those who “put it all together” — the auction organizing committee — and those who donate and bid on items — the community of supporters. Using cutting-edge Internet technology, ReadySetAuction facilitates communication, participation, collaboration, efficiency and productivity within and between both groups. Read on to see how…
Simultaneous, Real-Time, Multi-User Access from Mac or PC
Unlike other auction management tools that were built for the desktop computer or retrofitted to provide limited networking features, ReadySetAuction was conceived and designed to run on the Internet. This Software-As-A-Service technology lets your auction committee capitalize on the power and flexibility of the web to more effectively engage your community of supporters, building relationships while maximizing fundraising proceeds.
Since ReadySetAuction is a fully hosted application — running on our servers in our highly secure data center — there’s no software for you to install. Each member of your auction committee can access the software 24/7 using any Internet-connected Mac or PC. Now you can easily divide organizational tasks among any number of committee members, each of whom can be logged in simultaneously to your event site working with the most up-to-the-minute auction data. To prevent unauthorized use, your ReadySetAuction Administrator controls the individual access privileges of each committee member.
And ReadySetAuction is simple for you to maintain — because we do it for you! Upgrades and enhancements happen automatically. Moreover, we store your data and back it up for you on a regular basis — safe and secure!
End to End Auction Management from Anywhere at Anytime
From home, work, the library or even the Internet Cafe down the street:
committee members can:
- manage the solicitation and invitation processes
- enter, track and manage donations and guests
- package donations for inclusion in the catalog
- generate the printed catalog, bid sheets and other auction materials
- setup your auction home page and online catalog with online bidding
donors can:
- make cash donations to your organization using a convenient online donation form, minimizing data entry work for your volunteers
- submit auction item and service donations using a convenient online procurement form, minimizing data entry work for your volunteers
- garner more publicity with live links from the online catalog
guests can:
- purchase tickets online using a convenient online buy tickets form
- peruse the online catalog
- bid on online auction items
- pre-bid on gala auction items featured in the online catalog
- place absentee bids if they can not attend the gala auction event
Instant Online Catalog & Online Bidding
It’s never been easier or more affordable to create your own community auction site!
ReadySetAuction provides your organization with its own professionally designed auction web site for hosting your online auction. From your auction home page — which you can brand with your own logo, banner, image and welcome text — your supporters can view your online catalog, bid on items, buy tickets to your event, submit auction item/service donations, and make cash donations.
And ReadySetAuction’s sophisticated bidding intelligence encourages lively bidding, resulting in higher bids and more proceeds for your organization.
Holding an event following online pre-bidding? ReadySetAuction not only supports absentee bidding, it also automatically generates your printed bid sheets with the starting bid equal to the highest online bid.
The Printed Catalog, Bid Sheets & Other Auction Materials
A key marketing tool, the printed auction catalog can be distributed both prior to the auction as a way to attract guests, and at check-in as a way to generate additional interest. For many organizations that hold an auction, creating the catalog is also the biggest and scariest task. Not when you’re using ReadySetAuction!
With just a click of the mouse, automatically generate your printed auction catalog based on ReadySetAuction’s professionally designed templates; or, if you prefer, customize the catalog’s design with your own desktop publishing tool. ReadySetAuction also generates procurement forms, personalized letters, bid sheets, gift certificates, guest lists, receipts and a host of auction reports.
Powerful Communication Tool
The success of any fundraiser auction pivots upon how effectively the organization reaches out to and builds relationships with its community of supporters. What better way of doing this than harnessing the power of the Internet?
ReadySetAuction makes communicating with your prospective donors easy. Quickly generate personalized solicitation materials — an online procurement form and a printed version, personalized emails, and printed letters with mailing labels. Entice donors by letting them know they’ll not only be featured in your printed auction materials, but also in your online catalog with direct links to their websites.
Guest Management
The success of your auction depends not only on the quantity and quality of the items your auction committee procures, but also on the number of motivated bidders who attend your event and/or bid online. ReadySetAuction provides easy-to-use tools to help you communicate with your potential guests. To everyone on your invitation list, ReadySetAuction sends “save the date” email messages that include a link to your online ticket purchase form and online catalog. ReadySetAuction also generates mailing labels for your printed invitations.
And when guests purchase tickets online, ReadySetAuction automatically places their names onto the guest list and assigns them their bidder numbers, meaning less data entry work for your auction staff. As the event draws near, a committee member can simply download from ReadySetAuction and print the guest list, name tags, bidder paddles and folder labels.
Hassle-Free Check-Out with Integrated Credit Card Processing
Eliminate the long lines and hassles of check-out by using ReadySetAuction’s automated streamlined cashiering system. Generate and print batch invoices for your guests, swipe and process credit cards in real-time, generate receipts instantly and view the running total of your gross proceeds on demand.
User-Friendly and Customer-Oriented
How many times have you tried to use software only to be frustrated because you can’t “figure it out”? That won’t be the case with ReadySetAuction. We’ve spent as much time focused on creating a friendly, easy-to-use, logically organized interface as we have on developing the application itself. The colorful, tab-based design guides you, step-by-step, through the software. In addition, along the way, you will find answers to many common questions both about using the product and conducting an auction. Can’t find the answer? Just send us a support request. Web-based and email-based technical support is included for all of your committee members.
Institutional Memory
Never start from scratch again! Complete access to previous years’ information makes organizing the next year’s event easy, even for a new group of volunteers. Send personalized procurement letters to past donors. Focus solicitation efforts on proven winners. Avoid retracing the efforts of your predecessors. And because ReadySetAuction backs up your data and stores it year after year, you’ll never worry about misplacing it or losing it.
Affordable for Non-Profits of All Sizes
ReadySetAuction’s flexible subscription-based pricing makes our service attractive to non-profit organizations of any size. For more information on pricing, click here.