International bidders

An international organization's supporters are frequently spread across countries — expatriates, diaspora communities, former staff and volunteers, partner organizations, and people who lived or worked where the organization works.

Almost every auction is built as though everybody is in one country, which quietly excludes a large part of the natural audience.

The practical things that exclude people

• Currency — say which one prices are in, and that bidders elsewhere will pay a conversion
• Payment methods that only work domestically, which is the commonest silent barrier
• A postal address field that will not accept a foreign format
• Closing times stated without a zone, which means somebody bids at three in the morning or not at all
• Shipping that is either unavailable or unpriced

Fixing these is mostly configuration rather than effort, and it is worth an hour before opening.

Split the catalogue by deliverability

The simplest solution to shipping, and it lets everybody bid on something.

• Ships anywhere — small artisan goods, textiles, prints, jewellery. Say the cost or say it is included
• Domestic only — anything heavy, fragile or awkward. Say so clearly on the item
• Digital or no delivery — sponsorship units, naming, a virtual session, a donation in somebody's name. These are the lots international bidders can always take
• Collection at an event — stated as such

The sponsorship units matter here. A supporter in another country who cannot realistically receive a woven blanket can still fund a term of school fees, and that should be visible in the catalogue rather than buried.

Say who pays duty

A winner in another country may face customs charges on arrival, which is a bad surprise attached to a charitable purchase. State the position on the item page, declare goods accurately, and do not understate value on a customs form to help a bidder — that is not a favour anybody should be doing.

Reach the diaspora deliberately

This is where the international audience actually comes from, and generic marketing does not find it.

• Community associations, cultural organizations and places of worship connected to the countries you work in
• Language — a page or a summary in the relevant language reaches people an English page does not
• Community media and platforms, which are frequently entirely separate from the mainstream ones
• Former staff, volunteers and visitors, who are scattered and unusually loyal
• And partner organizations' own supporters, with their agreement

Approach as a partner rather than as a fundraiser. A community association asked to promote an appeal about their own country of origin will reasonably want to know what the organization does there and who it works with.

Time it for more than one place

State the closing time with a zone, and consider closing at an hour that is reasonable in two or three of the places your supporters live rather than optimising for one.

A campaign that runs over a full week rather than closing at a single evening event sidesteps most of this, which is a good reason for an online auction with no gala attached.

General information, not legal advice for your organization. Sanctions screening, export and import rules for goods, and the regulatory framework for cross-border grantmaking are technical and consequential — your counsel decides how any of this applies.