Silent Auction Pro

Excellent Event Planning Software!

Kommentare: 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!

Vorteile:

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.

Nachteile:

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 ...

Awesome Customer Service

Vorteile:

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.

Nachteile:

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.

Review

Vorteile:

Not a million screens amongst which to navigate.

Nachteile:

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

The Support is Unparalleled

Vorteile:

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.

Nachteile:

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.

Highly Recommend!

Kommentare: 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!

Vorteile:

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!

Nachteile:

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