MobilBid questions and answers

MobilBid is silent auction and mobile bidding software for charity fundraisers. Guests register and bid on their own phones, in the room or from home, and organizers set up and run the auction from a laptop. One auction works for in-person, online and hybrid events.

Yes. MobilBid is a division of Net Directories Inc. (NDI), a Toronto-based Canadian technology company serving academic and non-profit markets since 1995.

Charities, nonprofits, schools, hospital foundations, arts groups and businesses running charity auctions, from a single school gala to a national charity with auctions in several provinces. Hockey Helps the Homeless, for example, runs 17 auctions a year in seven provinces on MobilBid.

Mobile bidding gets more guests bidding and saves your team hours at the end of the night. Guests sign in with a text, bid from anywhere and get an alert when they are outbid, so they come back and bid again. When the auction closes, the winners and invoices are worked out for you, with no bid sheet tallying and no checkout line.

Yes. Before building MobilBid, we consulted non-profits and professional fundraisers to understand what they needed, and designed the platform around three problems: getting guests signed in, keeping bidders engaged, and closing, invoicing and payment.

Opening an account is free. For each event, MobilBid charges 5.5% of silent auction and multi-winner item sales and 1.5% of donations and live auction items, with a $220 minimum and a $2,500 maximum per event. Card processing fees and applicable taxes are separate.

Performance pricing means the fee is a share of what your auction raises, not a fixed subscription or a flat fee for using the platform. You pay nothing until you run a real event, and nothing between events.

No. There is no contract and no annual or monthly fee. Use MobilBid for one event or for every event.

No. Every account gets every feature, with unlimited items, bidders, bids and administrators, no limit on revenue or auction length, and text messaging including all SMS fees. Training, support, setup and upgrades are included.

No. MobilBid doesn't ask your bidders for tips. Our fee comes from the event, based on what it raises.

Guests text a code word to your auction's dedicated phone number and get a link to register. They bid in their phone's browser. Guests at home can also bid on a tablet, laptop or desktop computer.

No. There is nothing to install. Guests bid in the web browser on their phone, tablet or computer.

Yes, all three. Guests bid from their own phones, so the same auction works in the room, online for supporters at home, or both at once.

Yes. Bidders can use the auction in English or French, including item descriptions and messages.

A maximum (proxy) bid is the most a guest is willing to pay for an item. MobilBid bids on their behalf only as far as needed to keep them in the lead, so they can bid and get back to the event.

MobilBid sends an outbid alert by text and email right away, with a link to bid again. You can also schedule your own messages, such as "ten minutes left", ahead of the event.

Yes. One event can include silent auction items, live auction items, items with several winners and donations, so every purchase and gift from the night is in one set of results. Donations and live auction items are charged at 1.5%.

No. Items, bidders, bids and administrators are unlimited, and there is no limit on how long an auction runs or how much it raises.

Yes. You can build and test auctions in your free account, then open the auction in preview mode so guests can browse items before bidding starts. Opening and closing times are set in advance, so the auction starts and stops on time.

Yes. A new auction can start from an old one, with its items and settings, so you only change what's new.

Bidding stops at the time you set. MobilBid works out the winners and sends them their invoices. You get the full results and reports straight away.

You choose how to collect payment: cash, cheque or the payment service your organization already uses. Paying by card inside MobilBid is not yet available to every organizer, so ask us whether it can be turned on for your event.

Yes. MobilBid is designed so your team can set up and run its own auction, using step-by-step tutorial videos and help guides. Phone and Zoom training are included, and support is a phone call away.

Request a free account. We set up your account and email your login, and you can build a test auction right away. You only pay when you run a real event.

Monday to Friday, 9 am to 6 pm Eastern, at 1-855-202-4404 x1 or support@mobilbid.ca. Help during your event can be arranged in advance.

Yes. One account can cover several chapters or branches, and account administrators see every organization's auctions and totals.

Yes. Bidding results, invoice details and participants' contact information stay in your account, so you can thank guests and plan your next event. You can download reports at any time.

You do. Names and contact information collected through your auction remain your organization's property, and MobilBid never uses them to market products or for anything outside running your auction.