Category guide

Event & auction software

Event software is the most seasonal line in the stack: intense for a few weeks, quiet the rest of the year. Size the tool to the event, not the organization.

How to choose

A community gala with a silent auction runs well on Givebutter: mobile bidding, ticketing, and payments included, at zero platform fee with donor tips on. A signature event with a live auctioneer, sponsor tables, seating charts, and a six-figure target is where OneCause earns its package price (annual plans from about $2,995 plus a percentage of funds raised). The fee is insurance on your biggest revenue night, and their demo of the mobile-bidding flow is worth the hour even if you're a year away from needing it.

The math to run: a base package plus around 5% of funds raised weighs differently against a $50k event than a $500k one. And whatever runs the night, export every bidder and buyer into your CRM the week after; the follow-up gifts live there.