“Citizen Advocacy used Mobilbid for our signature fundraising event, Evening in the Maritimes, in 2019. With 600 guests bidding on 150 items, Mobilbid was an attractive, user-friendly platform that left our guests with more time to network while also increasing our revenue.”
A gala auction has more guests, more items and more money at stake than any other event, and a few minutes at the close decide much of the result. With MobilBid, 600 guests can bid on 150 items from their own phones while the evening goes on around them.
How a gala runs on MobilBid
Here is how a typical evening uses it, from the week before to the last bid.
- Open bidding early. Schedule a preview and open the auction days before the event, so guests arrive knowing what they want and supporters who can't attend can bid from home.
- Put the leaderboard on the big screen. A live leaderboard shows bidding as it happens and has room for your sponsors, which keeps the room competitive and gives sponsors visibility all night.
- Let guests bid while they network. Maximum (proxy) bids let a guest set a limit and leave the auction to bid for them. Outbid alerts by text and email bring them back when it matters.
- Run live items in the same event. Record your live auction items alongside the silent ones, so one auction holds every sale of the night.
- Take donations. Guests who don't win an item can still give, in the same auction, at a 1.5% fee.
- Offer items with several winners. Sell the same package, such as a dinner or a tour, to several top bidders.
- Close on time. The auction ends at the minute you set and winners are told at once, without a crowd at a checkout table.
- Report to your board. Post-event reports show what each item raised and how many bids it drew.
If your guests are French-speaking or bilingual, they can bid in French. And help during your event can be arranged ahead of time with our support team.
Fees capped at $2,500 per event
MobilBid charges 5.5% of silent auction sales and 1.5% of donations and live auction items, and never more than $2,500 for an event. Any event with more than about $45,500 in silent auction sales reaches the cap, so the fee stops growing as your gala does.
| Gala raises | MobilBid fee | Why |
|---|---|---|
| $30,000 silent auction | $1,650 | 5.5% of $30,000 |
| $60,000 silent auction, $40,000 live items and donations | $2,500 | $3,300 + $600 = $3,900, capped |
| $150,000 across the evening | $2,500 | The maximum applies |
Card processing fees and applicable taxes are separate. Unlimited items, bidders, bids and administrators are included. Check your own numbers in the fee calculator.
Hospital and healthcare foundations
Hospital foundations often run several events a year, from galas to golf tournaments, and some are organized by third-party community groups. MobilBid's healthcare clients include Humber River Hospital Foundation, Ronald McDonald House Charities Toronto and Evergreen Hospice.
“MobilBid completely transformed the silent auction portion of our golf tournament, from what used to be a manual process to a seamless and easy online platform that has resulted in a huge success for our fundraiser. We were also able to reach a greater audience by using this simple and easy platform which allowed us to raise more money for our event.”
Because there's no annual fee, a foundation pays per event, whether it runs one auction a year or several. Foundations with community groups or chapters running their own auctions can keep them all under one account, with every auction and total in one place. For tournament events, see golf tournament silent auctions.
Common questions about gala auctions
Can MobilBid handle live auction items as well as silent ones?
Yes. Live auction items, silent items, items with several winners and donations can all run in the same MobilBid event. Live items and donations are charged at 1.5%, silent items at 5.5%.
What is the most a gala will pay MobilBid?
$2,500 per event. MobilBid's fee is 5.5% of silent auction sales and 1.5% of donations and live items, capped at $2,500, so a gala with $150,000 in silent auction sales pays the same fee as one with $50,000. Card processing fees and taxes are separate.
Can we show bidding on a screen in the room?
Yes. MobilBid includes a big-screen leaderboard that shows the auction as it happens, with space for sponsors.
Run your next auction on MobilBid
Open a free account and build a test auction, or talk it through with us. You only pay when you run a real event: 5.5% of silent auction sales, $220 minimum, $2,500 maximum.