With Givebutter's enhanced auction features, you can manually declare winners for auction items and record offline payments directly from your dashboard. These tools are especially useful for hybrid events, accommodating offline bids, and handling special circumstances.
Manually declare a winner 🏆
For items without a specific winner, regardless of bidding activity.
✅ You can manually declare a winner for Live, Unsold, and Hidden items.
❌ You cannot manually declare a winner for Paused or Canceled items.
You can manually declare an auction item's winner from the Items page. You may need to designate a winning bidder manually if bids are placed offline, bidders can't complete a transaction themselves, or other special arrangements have been made. The winning bidder must be registered for the auction before being manually declared the winner.
Navigate to your campaign's Auction tab.
Click on Items and locate the item you wish to assign a winner to.
Click the three dots [...] on the right-hand side of the item, and click Declare Winner.
Choose a registered bidder from the list.
Enter the final bid amount/price of the item. (If applicable, the Buy Now price will be displayed if a lower number is entered. Reserve prices won't be flagged.)
Select one of the following payment options:
Charge saved payment method – Bidder will be charged immediately.
Send payment request – Bidder will be sent a payment request/invoice via email.
Record offline payment – Mark this payment as received outside of Givebutter.
Confirm the amount on the next screen, and click Charge/Request.
Charge bidder 💳
If you select to charge a bidder's saved payment method, you'll see the payment method the bidder saved when registering for your auction. Fees are noted here before charging the bidder. Fees charged include a 5% platform fee, plus a 2.9% + $0.30 processing fee.
Payment request 📫
If you select to send the winner a payment request, you'll see a summary of the charge and a note that they are being sent an emailed payment request/invoice. The fees that the winner will incur by completing payment via payment request are noted here. Fees charged include a 5% platform fee, plus a 2.9% + $0.30 processing fee.
Offline payments 📝
If you mark an auction item as paid offline, you must select an offline payment method. Options include:
Cash
Check – Enter a check number and deposit date, as applicable.
In-kind
Stock
Property
Other
You can also log an offline payment for a completed item from the Winning Bids page. No fees are charged for logging offline payments, because no online processing by Givebutter takes place. Please note that offline payments collected outside of Givebutter won't be included in your Givebutter payouts.
Offline payments ✏️
For ended items with a specific winner.
✅ You can log offline payments for Sold items and items Awaiting Payment.
❌ You cannot log offline payments for items Pending Fulfillment.
Accepting offline payments allows you to accommodate donors who prefer to pay via cash, check, or another offline payment method.
Go to the Winning Bids tab within your campaign's Auction section.
Locate the item and click on the three dots (...) next to it.
Select Record Payment.
Choose the payment method (e.g., cash, check).
Enter the payment details and click Save.
Using the mobile app📱
For in-person events, the Givebutter mobile app allows you to manage auction items seamlessly:
Declare winners: Assign winners for items directly from your device.
Collect payments: Process payments using saved payment methods or via Tap to Pay.
Track item status: Monitor which items are pending, completed, or need attention.
Learn more about using the mobile app for auction management in our dedicated guide.
FAQ 🤔
I can't manually declare a winner for an auction item.
You won't be able to manually declare a winner or log offline payments for auction items that have been cancelled or paused.