Auctions

Award-winning silent auction software, designed to raise more.

Use Emma’s powerful auction feature to deliver a seamless bidding experience, with your organisation front-and-centre. Ready to transform your fundraising events?

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Trusted by 1,000+ organisations

Add a new layer of excitement to your auctions, all while raising more for the communities you serve with Emma's online silent auction software.

Here’s how Emma auctions can help you raise more:

Your choice of bidding

Sealed, competitive, or maximum bidding? It’s up to you. Emma's flexible bidding feature puts you in control to give you complete flexibility over the fundraising experience.

Your brand, their bids

Keep your charity front and centre with customisable, responsive mini-sites. Emma gives you the option to add a video as your site’s hero image too, helping you perfectly showcase your organisation's identity from the very first interaction.

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Auction items marketplace

With Emma, finding items to auction is easy. Pick from a vast catalogue of products and experiences, available with no added margin to help you keep fees down, and populate your auction with the click of a button.

Auction Items

Bidding in real-time

Watch the bidding unfold before your eyes using Emma’s Live Auctions. Or, you can even use Emma’s powerful features to collect pre-bids, setting the stage for an even more thrilling main event.

Auction AI

Writing item descriptions can be a real hassle when planning your auction. But with our Auction AI functionality, it’s now a breeze. Generate catchy, professional captions for your auction items in seconds—making this one of the easiest parts of your event.

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FAQs

Questions you might still be asking

How many items should I have in my silent auction?

We recommend having one item for every 10 guests. This creates an engaging atmosphere and ensures that everyone has a chance to participate without feeling overwhelmed by too many options.

What types of items are ideal for an auction?

Experiential items like private dinners, VIP tickets, and weekend getaways are always a hit. Luxury goods such as designer handbags, fine wines, and exclusive artwork are guaranteed to attract attention. Additionally, services and experiences like restaurant vouchers, fitness classes, and unique tours make great auction items.

Can I make changes to my auction after the site is live?

Absolutely! You can edit your auction items at any time, both during the setup phase and after your auction site is live, even if bids have already been placed.

What bidding options does Emma offer?

Emma offers a variety of flexible bidding modes to suit the unique needs of your event, ensuring a dynamic and engaging experience for all participants:

Silent auctions: In a silent auction, bidders place their bids anonymously over a set period of time. You can choose between two types of silent bidding:
- Competitive bidding: Bidders can see the current highest bid and compete to place a higher offer. This creates excitement as the auction progresses.
- Sealed bidding: Bidders submit their bids without knowing what others have offered, ensuring that each bid is made without influence from other participants.
Maximum bidding: With this feature, bidders can set their maximum bid amount in advance. Emma will automatically increase their bid up to that maximum whenever they are outbid. This makes it easier for participants to stay in the race without constantly monitoring the auction.
Live auctions: For a more traditional, high-energy auction experience, live auctions offer the excitement of real-time bidding. An auctioneer can run the event, while participants bid in real-time either in person or virtually.
Buy it now: This option allows bidders to immediately secure an item at a fixed price, bypassing the traditional bidding process. It’s perfect for those who want to guarantee an item without waiting for the auction to end.

These flexible bidding modes ensure that your auction is tailored to the preferences of your participants, making it more enjoyable and effective for all involved.

Can Emma help us source auction items?

Yes! We offer a vast catalogue of auction items at cost price, with no third-party markups. Plus, you can take advantage of free auction consultations to help you select the best items tailored to your audience’s interests.

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Auction items

Give your guests more reasons to bid with our curated catalogue of unique items, available at cost to help you keep fees down.

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Pledging and donating

Emma makes donating effortless. Our simple pledging and donation tools create a stress-free admin experience for event managers, and a seamless experience for guests.

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Peer to peer

Inspire generosity across your entire organisation with Emma’s mass participation tools, designed to help you maximise the funds you raise.

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Get your silent auction set up in a few simple clicks with Emma

Our platform goes beyond the basics to offer tools that make a real difference

Built for non-techies

Emma puts the cleanest, simplest, and most easy-to-use User Interface (UI) on the planet right at your fingertips.

Quick & easy donations

Give your supporters the option to donate auction items to you through your site, with a seamless integration that makes item tracking easy.

Seamless auctions on any device

Emma's auction feature is built for phones, tablets, laptops, and more, ensuring a responsive bidding experience on whichever screen your supporters choose to donate from.

Any auction, for any occasion

No two events are the same, which is why Emma is built to be as customisable as possible. Toggle almost any setting or field to instantly personalise your guest experience for any fundraising event.

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Try for free