The category, defined.
Every successful school auction starts with a full item table, and a full table starts with great donation requests. The ask is simpler than most volunteers fear: people give when you tell them exactly what you need, why it matters, and how easy it is to say yes. This page gives you the who, the scripts, and a donation form that keeps clean records — so you can fill your auction fast and thank donors properly afterward.
Use the templates below as-is or adapt them. Then collect everything in one place, list each item with its donor and fair-market value, and you'll have both a stocked auction and the records your PTA treasurer needs at year-end.
Donation requests that fill your table.
Who to ask
- Families — gift cards, services (photography, tutoring, baking), and themed baskets.
- Local businesses — gift certificates and products in exchange for visibility on the item listing.
- Classrooms — signature projects and teacher experiences that cost nothing and raise the most.
- Larger companies — many have community-giving or donation-request forms online.
Family donation email (copy & adapt)
Subject: Help fill our auction — donate an item or basket
Hi [Name], our [School] auction is [dates], and we're raising money for [specific goal]. Could you donate an item, a service, or a themed basket? Popular ideas: a gift card, a homemade treat, a family experience, or a basket built around a hobby. Every donation goes straight to [goal] — and we'll credit you in the auction. Reply here or add your item at [link]. Thank you! — [Your name], [School] Auction Team
Business donation letter (copy & adapt)
Dear [Business], [School] is hosting an online auction [dates] to raise funds for [specific goal]. We'd be grateful for a donated gift certificate or product. In return, your business will be featured on the item listing and shared with our community of families. Donations are simple to arrange — just reply or contact [name] at [email/phone]. Thank you for supporting our students. Sincerely, [Name], [School] Auction Committee
What your donation form should capture
- Donor name and contact (for acknowledgment and public credit)
- Item name and short description
- Fair-market value (for starting bids and records)
- Any restrictions or expiration dates
- Whether the donor wants public recognition
A note on tax acknowledgments: deductibility rules vary, and generally only the amount a winner pays above an item's fair-market value may be deductible. Keep item values on record and confirm acknowledgment wording with your treasurer or accountant — this isn't tax advice.
What we fixed.
Every painful step of a silent auction, rebuilt for how organizers actually run them.
Setup tonight. Live tomorrow. Done in 30 minutes.
Add items, set dates, share the link in the parent group chat. The setup that used to take a committee a month now takes one volunteer one evening.
Parents tap the link and bid. No app. No account.
Parents, grandparents, and aunt-of-the-room-mom can all bid from any phone in two taps. The most reliable bidder UX in the category, especially for the non-tech demographic.
Treasurer-ready CSV the moment the auction closes.
Every line item, every winner, every payment, every fair-market-value — exportable in one click. Winners auto-invoiced through your school's own Stripe or PayPal account.
Built for what actually raises money.
Not a kitchen-sink feature list. The capabilities that separate auctions that work from auctions that flop.
A donation form that feeds the auction
Collect donor, item, and fair-market value in one place, then list each item with its donor credited. No re-keying from a paper form into a spreadsheet into the auction.
Donor & sponsor recognition built in
Credit every donor publicly on the item listing, and showcase sponsors with the premium donor & sponsor management upgrade — the recognition that makes businesses say yes and come back next year.
Fair-market values on record
Store each item's value alongside the winning bid, so your treasurer can produce clean acknowledgments and year-end records without reconstructing them by hand.
In-kind and cash gifts together
Take item donations and outright cash/sponsorship in the same auction, with online collection through your school's Stripe or PayPal.
Easy to share the ask
One auction link doubles as the place donors add items. Forward the family email or business letter with the link and let donations come to you.
Free to start
Begin collecting on the free base auction; upgrade to the Most Popular package (about $170) when you want branding, expanded donor management, and text alerts.
How it actually works.
Sign up at 32auctions.com
Create your account. No credit card. Three minutes.
Set up your auction
Name it. Pick start and end dates. Choose privacy settings.
Add items
Upload photos, write descriptions, set starting bids. Import from a spreadsheet if you have one from last year.
Pick upgrades (optional)
Free base supports 20 items with house ads. The Most Popular package (about $170) removes ads, adds branding, expands items and images, unlocks text notifications.
Connect payment (optional)
Link your Stripe or PayPal account for automatic winner invoicing, or use self-managed payments at no 32auctions transaction fee.
Launch and promote
Share your custom URL via email, text, social, and printed materials. Auction goes live at your scheduled time.
Watch it run
Real-time insights, live leaderboard, automatic outbid notifications — the platform handles engagement automatically.
Close and collect
When the auction ends, winners are invoiced. Funds deposit. Export your treasurer reports. Send thank-yous.
What you'll actually pay.
The full pricing model, plainly stated. Use this to compare against any competitor — we publish ours; most of them require you to talk to sales to find theirs.
Free base auction (free forever)
Up to 20 items, 1 image per item, custom auction URL, real-time mobile bidding, outbid email notifications, real-time insights, proxy/Buy Now bidding, basic donor & sponsor promotion, unlimited bidders, email support. Funded by house ads on the auction page.
Optional upgrades, à la carte or as packages
- Add More Items (up to 1,000, AI description assistant)
- 4 Large Images / Item
- No 3rd-Party Ads
- Text & Email Notifications
- Advanced Insights
- Transition to Live Event
- Premium Donor & Sponsor Management
- Apply Your Brand
- Online Payment & Donation Collection
Transaction fees: with the Online Payment Collection upgrade, 32auctions adds 2.9% + $0.40 per online payment on top of Stripe/PayPal. Or use self-managed payments and pay no 32auctions transaction fee.
32auctions vs the major platforms.
Honest, sourced comparison. Pricing changes — verify with each vendor before purchase.
| 32auctions | Handbid | OneCause | GiveSmart | Bloomerang Fundraising | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Free (base auction) | From $1,396/yr | From $200 + 5% on funds raised | Custom (no public pricing) | Bundled with CRM (~$3K+/yr) |
| Pricing model | Pay per event (~$170 package) | Annual subscription | Subscription OR pay-as-you-go | Annual subscription | Annual subscription |
| Free tier? | Yes — base auction free forever | No | No | No | No |
| Bidder requires app? | No — web-based | Yes — native app | No — web-based | No — web-based | No — web-based |
| Bidder requires account? | No | Yes (in-app) | Yes (registration) | Yes (registration) | Yes |
| Online payment fee | 2.9% + $0.40 on Stripe/PayPal — or $0 self-managed | 3.5% + $0.30 | 5% pay-later (pay-as-you-go); varies | Custom (sales-led) | 2.9% + $0.30 |
| Years in market | Since 2008 (17+ yrs) | Since 2010 | Since 2008 | Acquired by Community Brands | Auction tools via Qgiv |
| Best for | 1-4 events/yr, schools, churches, small/mid nonprofits | Mid-to-large nonprofits with gala budgets | Larger nonprofits, multiple events/yr | Large nonprofits, schools, associations | Existing Bloomerang CRM customers |
Pricing and feature data sourced from each vendor's public pricing pages and verified third-party listings on G2, Capterra, and GetApp (Nov 2025–Apr 2026). Always confirm current rates directly with vendors before purchase. 32auctions transaction fees apply only when using the Online Payment Collection upgrade.
We measure success in returning customers.
The metric we care most about: did they use 32auctions again the next year?
"So easy, so smooth, and so fun. Our preschool has used them for many, many years for the biggest fundraiser of our school year — and every year it just works. Entering items is simple. The presentation to our families is great. Wrapping it up is easy."
"The site was easy to set up and worked like a charm for our first fundraiser. The remote bidding features were the best part — administrators could post items in minutes and see who'd bid on what in real time. We raised more than I projected."
The receipts. Not a pitch deck.
Causes worldwide have raised money on 32auctions since 2008.
Estimated raised by organizers using our platform.
In market. Through three recessions. Still independent.
Average organizer rating across G2, Capterra, and GetApp.
Frequently asked.
How do you ask for school auction donations?
Tell people exactly what you need, why it matters, and how easy it is to say yes. Ask families for gift cards, services, and baskets; ask businesses with a short letter or in-person visit offering visibility in return; and have classes make signature projects. Use a simple form to capture the item, value, and donor. Templates are above.
What should a donation request letter include?
Your school and the specific goal, the auction dates, exactly what you're asking for, what the donor gets in return (recognition on the listing), and an easy way to say yes. Keep it to one short paragraph plus contact details — see the business letter template above.
What information do we need from each donor?
Donor name and contact, item name and description, fair-market value, any restrictions or expiration, and whether they want public recognition. Capturing this up front makes pricing, acknowledgments, and record-keeping simple.
How do we thank auction donors?
Send a prompt thank-you noting the item's value for the donor's records, credit them in the item listing, and recognize them again in a post-event recap. Donors who feel appreciated give again next year. Confirm any tax-acknowledgment wording with your treasurer.
Are school auction donations tax-deductible?
It varies. Generally only the amount a winner pays above an item's fair-market value may be deductible, and rules differ by situation. Keep item values on record and confirm specifics with your treasurer or accountant — this isn't tax advice.
How early should we start asking for donations?
Start 4–6 weeks out — donations are the longest task in auction planning. Send the family email and business letters early, kick off class projects, then spend the final weeks building baskets, photographing items, and loading the auction.