We are a hypothermia shelter that houses 12 guests during the coldest months of the year, and have a fundraising gala every 2-3 years. At the beginning of our planning process for our February 2020 gala, we wrestled with the question “Do we really need an auction and event planning package for our little event?” At the end, there was no question that Silent Auction Pro was a HUGE reason why our event went so smoothly and exceeded our fundraising goals!

I cannot say enough good things about our experience using Silent Auction Pro. Some of the key things that we liked: Event Coach. From the beginning, we were assigned an event coach ([SENSITIVE CONTENT HIDDEN]), and she proved incredibly helpful in both understanding Silent Auction Pro as well as anticipating what other issues might come up before, during, and after our event. She checked in regularly, and was available even on weekends. Training Videos. Silent Auction Pro has a large number of training videos on YouTube that were very helpful. Admittedly, they seemed difficult to understand when I viewed them before we actually signed up, but once I was on Silent Auction Pro and able to play around, they made much more sense, and proved very helpful. Pricing Structure. At first, it seemed expensive to pay $800 and still give up 2% of our proceeds to Silent Auction Pro. However, the 2% is only out of auction proceeds, and not things like tickets or sponsorships. That kept the 2% cost down to under $300, for a total cost of $1,100. Comparing that to the many, many hours of time saved, the ability to start the auction before the event, ability to easily sell tickets, and all the communications tools made it worth the money many times over! Usability. While I would not call Silent Auction Pro the most user-friendly website in existence, it is user-friendly, and with a minimal amount of practice it becomes very easy to get around. The reports are also very useful and easy to generate.

There were a few very minor bugs, but that was it. I didn't care at all for WorldPay, which is one of the two credit card processors that Silent Auction Pro works with. They had horrible customer service and wanted to know WAY to much personal information about me in order to open an account. But that isn't Silent Auction Pro's fault ...

This was our fourth year using Silent Auction Pro. Like so many nonprofits in 2020, we were faced with really two questions: how can we successfully fundraise using mostly social media and how can we put together an event that seemed so foreign at the time, so quickly. While the changes made to the software were helpful and kept us competitive with other organizations, it was Silent Auction's customer service that was the secret sauce. From explaining all the new features to problem-solving, to follow-up reminders, we were able to host a successful fundraising event this year.

Some things are a little bit clumsy and not as user-friendly as I would like them to be. It would be helpful to be able to change the program colors to be a bit more like our brand. Reports could be more specific or to be able to customize them more.

Not a million screens amongst which to navigate.

There is a lot of repeat info on each screen. Would be great if information could be streamlined a bit.

I have worked with many different digital platforms in the nonprofit sector over the course of 10 years and I can absolutely say that SAP is my favorite. The platform is fantastic and the customer support is five-star all the way! I'm am relieved to have found a ticketing/bidding/tracking platform/business that actually listens to me and can help me with "sudden issues" so quickly and thoroughly.

The ease is creating various tickets, quickly, to match my clients impromptu requests is a bit plus!

My biggest issue was with the reports but to be very honest I was rushed into managing the client's event and I didn't have time to explore customizing the reports so I don't think this observation is totally accurate. I will be able to spend more time with reports this time around.

Excellent - A++++++++++++++++++++++++ Mobile Online Bidding and Custom Email / Text Distribution for marketing SAVED our annual fundraiser which was 100% virtual in 2020.

Software is user friendly and website easy to navigate. Continue to annually learn and become more familiar with functionality of features since 2013. The websites offers variety of features: previous donation report, contact history, donation inventory and tracking, auction item bundle function, mobile online bidding, email merge, and custom email / texts distribution. Support (Help) staff is very knowledgeable and accommodates at anytime.

Would like to see individual email / text contacts available for email distribution, besides category labels. Would like to be able to obtain only 2-3 years previous donation history. History older than 3 years not necessary, report too long and cumbersome.

The price point for us was manageable - about half of what the other guys are charging. So many features we will take years to master them all. Don't worry - the support people have you back all the way through the process. They are truly on your team and will step you through click by click. SO many ways to get help. video. tutorial. PEOPLE! Stable - this is not a website that cranks out a storefront... it's a robust database. And it is stable and functional. Not a sexy GIU, but it works when you need it and that is valuable! It was a really good choice in the time of quarantine to choose SAP.

I wish I could have customized the site just a bit - and maybe I could, but we were under time crunch and it was not a priority. There are SO many features. it is important to follow the Best Practices so you don't get overwhelmed.

Previously we have had a more create-as-we-go-along approach to each dinner auction held. We were looking for greater portability in auction coordinating. Meaning, we want to be able for someone to walk in the door and be able to understand what was done in previous auctions and be able to carry it forward with little to no difficulty. One of the best things about Silent Auction Pro is the support team and the support videos!

The 'back office' support from Silent Auction Pro is amazing. They are quick to respond and very easy to work with. In addition, the videos for how to use the software are very well done and easy to understand!

There really wasn't anything that we didn't like about this software.

This was our first year using this software at an in person event. The check out process made package pick up much more efficient and attendee friendly.

Silent Auction Pro is very intuitive software. They have thought through the needs of both the organization putting on the event (silent and/or live auction) plus have made it user friendly for the auction bidder. Reports are comprehensive and easily downloaded to use as event wrap up in usable formats. But where they go above and beyond it their customer service. Clients have access to live support during normal business hours during the ramp up to the event plus live support during the event should the need arise to contact them while the event is in progress. Hats off to Silent Auction Pro for their great event product.

There are a few features that I believe are being addressed in an update coming at the first of 2022, one of which is the ability to use tablets and the event instead of computers. We look forward to the update.

They know what they are doing and have their team is also very knowledgeable. They will also help you with suggestions and ideas to enhance your event!

The team at Silent Auction Pro truly wants your event to be successful. They are alaways available by phone or email, and while their website has fabulous tutorials, they are also fabulous in providing you hands on support.

I would like to see more analysis reports

Amazing! Everyone who has been on the phones with us has been fantastic to work with. Including the owner. He is completely a part of his team and business and does not hesitate to jump in and support you.

What I like most is what all it can do. For this event I only used one little portion, but learned in the post event how great this tool is going to be to use for our big fundraiser.

There is a LOT packed into one spot. Learning where everything lives is challenging, but their customer support is, literally, amazing. So really there is not a least.

Fundraising for the Children's Coalition of Aransas County

That first phone call to Silent Auction Pro led to a Zoom demo with [SENSITIVE CONTENT HIDDEN]. The demo with [SENSITIVE CONTENT HIDDEN] led to our Board giving approval for the contract. Since that first conversation to the post-event conversations, every step, every need, every question, every "OH NO" moment on my side was quickly answered and solved. There is no customer service team like theirs. Their team is the BEST. Phone calls were answered either immediately or with a very quick return call in minutes. And I must add that phones were answered during Holiday hours. Besides their immediate and expert support, the package features and pricing were more compatible with our NPO's size. The announcement feature and the communication functions were tremendously helpful. We scheduled videos and sent texts and emails for our event. Afterwards, I sent every donor, sponsor, group member, volunteer, and every registered bidder either an email or software generated letter with the information that pertained to each one specifically. This function alone saved me hours of work. Thank you, Silent Auction Pro!

The initial use of the software required diligent data entry. It was a lot of work. We now have a database containing donors, sponsors, bidders, volunteers, and workers. Next year's data entry will not start at zero. For some data entry and reports, (without checking which aggravated me the most I must be vague) having a "scroll to the top button" would be nice. Also, when working in one function, I would like to always be sent back to that one function when I hit submit rather than have to find that spot again. And there must be a better way to edit items after they have been merged into an auction item. I never asked, so there might be. I would find a spelling error or decide to add a better description for an Auction item. The edited text would not appear unless I deleted it as an auction item, edited the donated item text, then reassigned as an auction item. Also, I believe a sponsor function that could be separate from the donor and bid reporting function would be beneficial. These are my only criticisms. They are small and might have had an answer if I had asked. They were not even important enough for me to put on a list when I talked with the Support Team.

We've really enjoyed working with them. Last year, we had to completely switch to an "all on-line auction" last minute. The support we received was excellent. It was our first time to use them and they truly helped us with the process. If you don't use the software year round, it can be challenging when you pick it up again however, they took us through it again this year. [SENSITIVE CONTENT HIDDEN] has been the best customer rep and event coach we've had and hope to continue to have. Her knowledge and mot of all her attitude truly makes a difference. You feel you have a partner and not just a provider. It was like have a "concierge service" which made it easier to use for us. Events are very challenging to execute specially when we do them tight budgets and limited staff. They made the process pleasant and easy for us and our customers/donors. They listened to our suggestions and have adapted some of these in the system. Overall, the features, service and support we receive from SAP are definitely worth the switch and the cost.

Customer Support/having an event coach and cost.

Some reports are not exportable. Some features can be enhanced to make it more user friendly but the staff are very helpful. They are very open to taking suggestions and continue to enhance their system. I have found that continued use and their enhancements have made the program more user-friendly.

Our small non-profit has had a very positive experience with Silent Auction Pro. We have used Silent Auction Pro for 3 years, 2 years with paper bidding and this year with mobile bidding. This year we were so lucky to have transitioned to mobile bidding. Our auction went on without a hitch, in a virtual environment, during the COVID-19 shut downs. We were able to switch everything to a virtual offering easily and we were still able to exceed our goal of $75,000. We look forward to using this great software in the future.

Once you use the software for multiple years it makes it so easy to put in repeat auction items. The software offers so many options and ways to set up communication with bidders, attendees, donors, etc. I love that you can schedule items to go out ahead of time so you don’t need to think about doing them later. Every year new updates make the software better than the year before. The pricing is affordable for non-profits and they offer superior customer service, tech support and a fantastic help section.

There is a learning curve, as with any other software package – the more you use it the easier it is. We tended we only have 2 people inputting auction information so that it was consistent. We would love to see a more comprehensive package that allows you to input expenses and see the full picture of the event. I know this is something they are trying to incorporate for the future and once it is available it will be even more fantastic!

The biggest pro for our organization is the customer support. It's superb. Being a rotating group of volunteers, we don't always have the technical know-how to manage the software right out of the gate each year, but the team at SAP really helps get us there by being available, knowledgeable, and clear with their guidance. Other pros: the functionality is robust, allowing us to do everything we need (set up online, silent, and live components of our auction, plus sell raffle tickets and track a fund-a-need). The platform is well organized and easy to navigate.

It does take some time up-front to learn the software and all that it can do. Sometimes we worried that we weren't using it at its full capacity or were taking more steps than necessary to complete a task. However, I think this is particular to our situation, because our group changes every year.