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Unlike other products, ReadySetAuction is designed to allow nonprofit staff and volunteers to run their events themselves. This dramatically lowers the cost, making fundraising events affordable for virtually every nonprofit. ReadySetAuction was an early innovator in developing fully web-based solutions that handle all the major tasks for running a successful event including tracking attendees, donations of goods and services, catalogs, sponsorships, guest seating, mobile bidding, and check-out
Provider
SofterWare
Located In
United States
Foundation
1981
Open API
Unverified
Deployment
Cloud, SaaS, Web-Based
Training
Webinars, In Person, Documentation, Videos, Live Online
Support
FAQs/Forum, 24/7 (Live rep), Phone Support, Email/Help Desk, Chat, Knowledge Base
Designed for non-profit organizations of all sizes, it is a web-based solution that helps create online auction catalogs and custom event websites for receiving donations.
Content Source: ReadySetAuction
Green rating bars show the winning product based on the average rating and number of reviews.
ReadySetAuction Reviews
Pros
We are excited to use more of the features of this software going forward over the next 6 months. The users shared their experiences with us and said it was very user friendly to use.
The ease of checking out winning bids when the auction closed was wonderful.
The help desk was wonderful to work with as we quickly set things up and then closed.
First and foremost, ReadySetAuction is amazing solution for non-profits looking to run auctions. RSA integrates perfectly with DonorPerfect allowing you to keep track of everything under one roof.
Cons
My only complaint is that there is not an easy way to see which package a donation has been placed in. Since we held a relatively small event, it wasn't a huge problem, but it was mildly annoying.
One of the features we miss from our old online auction is the advance arrow to the next item when you are in the description view of the item.
It is a little difficult on the Patrons to have them have to sign in and make a password every year. Many people ended up getting confused and making a duplicate profile with a different email.
It takes a bit of time to set up an auction or event, and the flexibility/customization of the program is a bit limited.
"Mind blowing"
Overall: Saved us time and money!
Pros: Just about EVERYTHING! My company switched from Greater Giving to ReadySetAuction this year for our Fall Festival and Silent Auction and what a difference did it make. RSA saved me so much time this year, all I had to do was put the correct information in and the software did everything else for me (no more days of having to type the same information 3 different times in 3 different places). This software is EXTREMELY user friendly, their customer service is top notch and the price is right. Another benefit for me was it's compatible with DonorPerfect! I would highly recommend this to anyone!
Cons: I really have no BIG complaints about this software. My only hiccup was that you can't have 2 packages with the same name (for instance, we do a silent auction of gift certificates and if you have 2 gift certificates for the same place and same amount but you want to separate them, you have to change the name of the second one slightly, even if that means just putting an extra space).
Vendor Response
"Good software for simple events- not great for complex needs"
Overall: Overall, I like the product. I feel like it does what I need as far as event auctions go. Unfortunately my organization decided to go with a different product that "does more" for their events. The biggest thing they were looking for is ways for guests to check-in online before the event and ensure that a card is saved on file.
Pros: I like the simplicity to get the auction page set up and running. I like that once users have logged in, they can fairly easily access the auction without issue. The structure of the website is set up in a way that makes sense to find the sections/data that we need.
Cons: While I like the simplicity, there are some things that are too basic; like the design and features available. Setting up the pictures in the auction requires a URL to post the picture instead of just having it ready to upload. Many of our guests have had major issues trying to log back into their account during the events. While I recognize that it is mostly an individual user error, we have many elderly guests who get very frustrated quickly and it can make them avoid the auction altogether if they experience issues. We have also had credit cards not get saved to accounts, and then high bidders failed to pay for their winnings.
"Good option for charities and non-profits"
Overall: ReadySetAuction has been perfect for running auctions (both online and live) for various non-profit organizations. It's easy to set up and get running even for the non-technical people.
Pros: First and foremost, ReadySetAuction is amazing solution for non-profits looking to run auctions. RSA integrates perfectly with DonorPerfect allowing you to keep track of everything under one roof. The interface is relatively easy to set up, but be prepared to invest a good amount of time setting up and adjusting your auction or event, as there's a ton of settings and variables that need to be adjusted.
Cons: It takes a bit of time to set up an auction or event, and the flexibility/customization of the program is a bit limited.
Vendor Response
"Made going "Virtual" easy!"
Overall: I love Ready, Set, Auction and have not only recommended it to many people but have also had many people who participated in my events ask me about it. I highly recommend the telephone customer service with the package. I honestly think that should just be added into the cost and included, because you can save yourself hours of stress and frustration with one quick call. Their phone customer service is very good. One thing I like most about RSA is that they are very responsive and if you have an idea or a request for a change, they are very likely to listen and actually change it! That is rare. Much better than the systems I used to run events at much larger organizations. Money well spent. We eliminated the need to do a live auction AND a silent auction by putting all our big ticket items in a mobile auction!
Pros: This product is easy to use from a auction standpoint and made having a mobile auction very easy! I have used it once in a Live event experience (with a mobile auction) and once in a 100% virtual event environment. Great turnkey process for a mobile auction!
Cons: It is a little difficult on the Patrons to have them have to sign in and make a password every year. Many people ended up getting confused and making a duplicate profile with a different email. A link to the original profile for those that exist already with a "forgot password" option might be more streamlined.
"Essential to our auction"
Overall: Overall it's been great. We regularly recommend that others in our organization use the service - that being said, we have to be prepared to teach them how to use all the bells and whistles in there before the event can begin.
Pros: The ease of setting up an event, and not having to worry too much about it during the event cannot be beat. We primarily use this for silent (online) auctions and featuring our live auction packages. We have tried to use the checking-in/out features in the past, and they work fine, however our operation was not ready for such a responsibility at that event. The on-call support for RSA really was able to help us out in that instance. They are really spectacular.
Cons: There's a lot of stuff to set up for a simple auction, just in general. RSA can do a lot of stuff, and if you're really only setting up an online auction with no CRM connection it might be more than you need. There is a little bit of a learning curve to understanding where to put everything and how to organize the system. I wish there were more options for personalization with the website too. Maybe not something on RSA, but when we first incorporated the service we had a good amount of user error when attendees were trying to setup accounts. They'd end up with many accounts. We've been able to train our audiences on how to do things the correct way, but it's a little challenging the first time - especially for older individuals.
