The short answer. A charity silent auction is a fundraiser where donated items are offered for sale, guests write or enter their bids without an auctioneer, and the highest bid on each item when bidding closes wins. With mobile bidding, guests bid on their own phones instead of paper bid sheets. Every silent auction has three jobs to get right:
- Getting guests signed in, so they can bid from the moment they arrive.
- Keeping them bidding, with outbid alerts, maximum bids and reminders.
- Closing cleanly, so winners are known at once and nobody waits for a tally.
Silent auctions are the most common auction format at Canadian charity events, from school galas and golf tournaments to hospital foundation dinners. This guide explains how a charity silent auction works, how paper bid sheets compare with mobile bidding, and what happens on the night when guests bid from their phones. We make MobilBid, a Canadian silent auction platform, so we use it for the examples.
What a charity silent auction is
In a silent auction, each item has a minimum starting bid and a minimum increment. Guests bid on as many items as they like, at their own pace, while the event goes on around them. At a set time, bidding stops and the highest bidder on each item wins it.
A live auction is different: an auctioneer sells a small number of high-value items from the stage, one at a time. Many galas run both, with a few headline items live and everything else in the silent auction. Our guide to planning a charity silent auction covers how to choose.
Silent auctions suit almost any event because they ask little of guests. Nobody has to raise a paddle in front of a room. A guest can bid $40 on a restaurant gift card or $2,000 on a cottage weekend, and both bids count the same way.
Paper bid sheets vs mobile bidding
For decades, every silent auction ran on paper: a bid sheet and a pen beside each item. Mobile bidding replaces the sheets with each guest's own phone. Here is how the two compare at each step.
| Step | Paper bid sheets | Mobile bidding |
|---|---|---|
| Signing in | A bidder number at registration, or a name on each sheet | Guests text a number, get a link and register on their phone |
| Bidding | Guests crowd the item tables and write bids by hand | Guests bid from anywhere in the room, or from home |
| Being outbid | Guests find out only if they walk back and check | An outbid alert by text and email, with a link to bid again |
| Busy guests | A guest at dinner or on stage misses the bidding | A maximum bid keeps bidding for them up to their limit |
| Supporters not in the room | Can't take part | Bid on the same items from wherever they are |
| Closing | Volunteers collect sheets, read handwriting and tally totals by bidder | Bidding stops at the set time and winners are known at once |
| Results | Typed up afterwards, if at all | Reports by item and bidder, with guests' contact details |
| Cost | Printing and volunteer time | A software fee; with MobilBid, a share of what the auction raises |
Paper still has two real advantages: it costs nothing in software, and it works where there is no phone signal. For a handful of items at a small gathering, a bid sheet may be all you need. Once an auction has dozens of items, or guests who can't be in the room the whole night, mobile bidding takes most of the work off your volunteers.
How silent auctions moved from paper to phones
The first mobile bidding systems used rented tablets and a dedicated wireless network, set up and run on site by a team of technicians. Guests shared two or three tablets per table. It was faster than paper, but the rental and staffing costs put it out of reach for most smaller charities, and closing and billing were often still done by hand.
Today, guests bid on the phones they already carry. Organizers build and run the auction themselves from a laptop, with no technicians on site. That change is what made mobile bidding affordable for school councils, local charities and golf committees, not just large galas.
How mobile bidding works on the night
Here is how a charity silent auction runs with MobilBid, from the weeks before to the morning after.
- Before the event, you load your items, with photos, descriptions, starting bids and increments, or import them from a spreadsheet. You set the preview, start and end times in advance. A scheduled preview lets guests browse and pick favourites before bidding opens.
- Guests arrive and see the auction's text number on table cards and printable item display cards. They text the number, get a link and register in their phone's browser. There is no app to download.
- Bidding opens at the time you set. Guests browse every item on their phone and bid from their seat, the bar or the dance floor. Guests can also bid on a tablet or a computer.
- Outbid alerts go out by text and email the moment someone is outbid, with a link straight back to the item. This is what keeps bidding going all evening.
- Maximum bids let a guest enter the most they'll pay and let MobilBid bid for them. See proxy bidding explained.
- The leaderboard on a big screen shows the auction to the room, with space for your sponsors. Scheduled messages remind guests when an hour and ten minutes are left.
- Bidding closes at the set time, with no one pressing a button. MobilBid works out the winners and sends them their invoices. Our guide to closing the auction and checkout covers this step in detail.
- After the event, you have reports by item and by bidder, and the names and contact details of everyone who took part, to thank them and invite them back next year.
The same auction can include live auction items, items with several winners and donations, so one tool covers the whole evening. Bidders can use it in English or French. See every mobile bidding feature.
“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.”
What supporters expect from a charity auction now
Supporters got used to giving and bidding from their phones during the years of virtual events, and many now expect it. A few expectations come up again and again:
- Taking part from anywhere. Supporters who can't attend want to bid too. One auction can serve the room and people at home; see our guide to online and hybrid charity auctions.
- Knowing where the money goes. Donors want to see what their bids pay for. Say it in the auction's welcome message and item descriptions, and report back after the event.
- Less paper. Mobile bidding removes bid sheets, printed catalogues and paper invoices.
- Ease for every age. Bidding by text and a browser link works for guests who rarely install apps.
“No joke. One 85-year-old bidder logged in and made bids from her iPad.”
Before you switch: phone signal and guests without phones
Mobile bidding runs over your guests' mobile data or the venue's Wi-Fi. Most venues are fine, but basements, rural golf clubs and some older buildings have weak signal. Visit the venue with your free test auction open on your phone: sign in, browse and bid. If it works well for you, it will work for your guests. If texts arrive but pages load slowly, ask the venue for guest Wi-Fi and put the network name on your table cards.
A few guests will need help. Station a volunteer near the entrance to walk them through registering on their own phone. For a guest without a smartphone, a volunteer with access to the auction can place bids on their behalf.
What a mobile silent auction costs
MobilBid charges per event: 5.5% of silent auction sales and 1.5% of donations and live auction items, with a $220 minimum and a $2,500 maximum. Opening an account and building a test auction is free, there's no contract, and your bidders are not asked for tips. Card processing fees and applicable taxes are separate. An auction that raises $20,000 in silent auction sales pays $1,100. Try your own numbers in the fee calculator, or read how to choose silent auction software.
“I am a recovering ‘Bid Sheet Addict’… Say goodbye to bid sheets and sell your bins of clipboards and pens.”
Common questions
What is a charity silent auction?
A charity silent auction is a fundraiser where donated items are offered for sale and guests place bids without an auctioneer, on paper bid sheets or on their phones. Each item has a starting bid and a minimum increment, and the highest bid on each item when bidding closes wins. The money raised goes to the charity.
How does mobile bidding work at a silent auction?
Guests register on their own phones and bid in a web page instead of on paper. With MobilBid, guests text the auction's number, get a link and bid in their phone's browser. They get an outbid alert by text and email when someone bids higher, and can set a maximum bid so the system bids for them.
Do guests need to download an app?
No. With MobilBid, guests text a number, get a link and bid in their phone's browser. Guests can also bid on a tablet or a computer.
What if a guest doesn't have a smartphone?
A volunteer with access to the auction can register the guest and place bids on their behalf. Guests can also bid on a tablet or computer if one is available at the event.
Can people bid without attending the event?
Yes. Mobile bidding works the same in the room and from home, so supporters who can't attend can bid on the same items and get the same outbid alerts.
Does mobile bidding raise more than paper bid sheets?
It usually helps, because guests learn at once when they are outbid, maximum bids keep bidding going while guests are busy, and supporters outside the room can join. Results still depend most on your items, your guests and how well you promote the auction.
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.