Practical guides for Canadian charities, schools and nonprofits running silent auctions, from choosing software to closing the night. Each one is dated and reviewed once a year.
Silent auction software in Canada: how to choose
How Canadian charities choose silent auction software: pricing models, features that matter, questions to ask and real costs.
Closing a silent auction and checkout, without the chaos
How to close a charity silent auction and run checkout: timing, final minutes, winners and invoices, payment, pickup and follow-up.
Online and hybrid charity auctions: a guide for Canadian charities
How Canadian charities run online and hybrid charity auctions: choosing a virtual auction platform, setup, timing, item delivery and cost.
Charity silent auctions with mobile bidding: how they work
A practical guide to running a charity silent auction with mobile bidding: paper vs phones, how the night works, and what it costs.
Proxy (maximum) bidding explained
How proxy (maximum) bidding works in a mobile bidding silent auction, with worked examples and tips for bidders and organizers.
How to plan a charity silent auction
A timeline and checklist for planning a charity silent auction: format, committee, volunteers, item procurement, starting bids and increments.
Customer stories
All Hands on Deck: Beyond the Pale Brewing's skateboard auction
Beyond the Pale Brewing's All Hands on Deck fundraiser in Ottawa sold a record 236 artist-decorated skateboard decks in a MobilBid online silent auction in 2023.
Youth Singers of Calgary: taking a gala auction online
Youth Singers of Calgary ran its 2021 HEARTS OUT at HOME gala auction online with MobilBid, and the auction raised as much as in previous in-person years.
Hockey Helps the Homeless: seventeen auctions a year, coast to coast
Hockey Helps the Homeless moved from paper bid sheets to MobilBid and runs seventeen silent auctions a year in seven provinces, with a much better return.
Looking for training videos, help articles or printable guides? See auction resources.
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.