Knowledge Base Article

How To Create An Online Auction

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We are proud to bring you the newest module in Argenta, Online Auctions!
 
Auctions are fundraising events in which guests bid to win auction items and packages. The highest bidder wins the item, and your organization receives additional funding. A win-win! 
 
To get started with online auctions in Argenta, simply select Auctions - Auction List, from the Argenta main menu:
 
 
 
 
Similar to all Argenta modules, Auctions start at the Auction List. In the list, you can see all the Auctions you've created. You can add new auctions, categorize and filter them, and open a workspace for any Auction you choose. 
 
To create a new Auction, select the "Add New" button:
 
 
 
 
 
This will bring you into the Auction Workspace.
 
Here is where you will enter all the details about your auction:
 
 
 
 
 
Once inside the Auction Workspace you will find the Workspace has several tabs of information, to easily find what you need:
 
 
 
 
The seven tabs contain:
 
I. Auction Details - Houses all the descriptive fields and initial settings that need to be modified as necessary.
II. Public Form Design - Controls the public form that your customers will see and use.
III. Auction Items - Contains all your auction items will be listed and the details of those items will be found.
IV. Item Bidding - Displays all the bid and activity on specific items.
V. Budget & Financials - Allows you to keep all your projected goals and also shows the auctions actual financials from the event.
VI. Auction Sponsorship - Shows your sponsors of the auction.
VII. Record Permissions - Contains the permissions for the entire auction workspace.
 
To get started we will explore the "Auction Details" tab first. Here you will enter the important details about your auction:
 
 I. Auction Details -
 
 
 
 
Let us take a look at each field and what is required:
  1. Record Permissions - Place a checkmark in this box if you wish to lock the record. Choosing to lock this record prevents users from viewing or updating it unless they're either a master admin or given specific permissions on the Record Permissions tab. Permissions also work by assigning a department, district, and/or precinct. If you have users in your system who are restricted by these permissions, they will only be able to see records in the departments/districts/precincts you have granted them access to.
  2. Auction's Current Status -  This is the auction's lifecycle and it begins with "New". This is a required field. The available status and their meanings are:
  • New - This status is used when you first create the auction.
  • Pending Approval - This status is used to signify that the auction is pending approval.
  • In Planning - This status is used when you are in the planning phase of the auction. It should remain at this level until the bidding starts.
  • Bidding Open - This status needs to be changed once the bidding is open.
  • Bidding Closed - This status is used when you need to close the bidding for a short time.
  • Complete - This status is used when your bidding has been completed or the auction is completed.
  • On Hold - This status is used when your auction has been placed on hold.
  • Canceled - This status is used when you must cancel the auction.
     3. Auction Title - You must choose a title for your auction. This is a required field and is limited to 140 characters or less.
     4. Auction Start Date - You must enter a date that your auction will start by manually entering a date or by using the date selector. This is a required field. It is important to remember that bidding will not be available outside of these dates.
     5. Auction Start Time - You must enter a time for your auction to start by manually entering a time or by using the time selector. This is a required field. It is important to remember that bidding will not be available outside of these times.
     6. Auction End Date -  You must enter a date that your auction will end by manually entering a date or by using the date selector. This is a required field. It is important to remember that bidding will not be available outside of these dates.
     7. Auction End Time - You must enter a time for your auction to end by manually entering a time or by using the time selector. This is a required field. It is      important to remember that bidding will not be available outside of these times.
     8. Auction Type - You may classify the auction as either an online or live auction by using the drop-down menu.
     9. Auction Category - You may classify the auction by category by using the drop-down menu or by creating a new category with the "Add New" button.
   10. Auction Coordinator (Team Member) -  You may select the team member who is responsible for the auction here.
   11. Related Campaign -  If this auction is part of a campaign or if you would like to track the results of the auction, you can select the campaign here.
   12. Department/Chapter - If the auction belongs to a specific department or chapter within your organization you can select them here.
   13. District - If the auction belongs to a specific district you can select it here.
   14. Precinct - If the auction belongs to a specific precinct you can select it here.
   15. If You're Hosting An Online Auction with A Webinar - If your auction will occur online in the form of a webinar, enter the link to the webinar here. If a link is entered it will automatically be displayed on the Auction Confirmation Email, after a user completes their online registration, using your public form.
   16. Related Files - You may attach as many files as needed. For more help on adding a related file please see KB Article - Add Related Files.
   17. Notes - You may add as many notes as needed. For more help on adding a note, please see KB Article - Add A Note To The Notes Section.
 
Once you have completed the details of the Auction, you will want to move onto the "Public Form Design" tab:
 
II. Public Form Design -
 
 
 
 
 
This tab is where you will upload a display image and comprehensive description for your auction. There are only two things to submit here for the online public form:
  1. Banner Image - You may want to display a banner image on your public auction. To display a large, responsive, banner image - upload it here. The image should be at least 1000px wide and no more than 300px in height. You must click the 'Save Selected Banner Image' button to complete the image upload.
  2. Auction Description - The Description is displayed on the public Auction.
The Pink link above the tabs is the link to your public auction. You can display this link on social media or send it out in an email blast to let your supporters know where to go to find your Auction.
 
Once these areas have been filled out you will want to move onto the "Auction Items" tab:
 
 III. Auction Items -
 
 
 
This is where you will add all your Auction Items. You can add as many auction items to your auction as you would like. Items can be added anytime before the auction ends. To add an item simply click the "Add New" button. This will open the Auction Item Workspace:
 
 
 
The Auction Item Workspace has three available tabs of information:
  • Auction Item Details - This tab contains all the details about your auction item.
  • Bidding Infor & Activity - This tab contains all the bids and activities on the item.
  • Record Permissions - This tab contains the record and user permissions.
Let us take a look at each tab and what can be found on each one.
 
First is the "Auction Item Details" as shown in the above screenshot. Here is each field and the important information about each field:
  1. Image - Upload an image of your item here. Click the "Browse" button to search for and select the image file.
  2. Record Permissions - Place a checkmark in this box if you wish to lock the record. Choosing to lock this record prevents users from viewing or updating it unless they're either a master admin or given specific permissions on the Record Permissions tab. Permissions also work by assigning a department, district, and/or precinct. If you have users in your system who are restricted by these permissions, they will only be able to see records in the departments/districts/precincts you have granted them access to.
  3. Auction Item Name - You must choose a name for your auction item. This is a required field and is limited to 140 characters or less.
  4. Item Description - You can enter any details about your item(s) description here. Things like the size, what all is contained in the basket or with the item, anything that is helpful for the purchaser to know about the item is helpful.
  5. Currently Public - By default, auction items are displayed as part of the public auction workspace. If you wish for the item not to be displayed, then you would select "No" from the drop-down menu.
  6. Item Value - Enter the items value here.
  7. Starting Bid - Enter the minimum starting bid for the item here. This is the dollar amount you want to start the bidding at.
  8. Min Bid Increment -You can choose whether or not to have a bid increment here. If you do not wish to have bid increments then leave it at $0.00. If you wish to use increments then place the dollar amount that the bid must increase by here. (Ex. if you want all bids to increase by $5.00, then you would enter $5.00 here.)
  9. Highest/Winning Constituent Bidder - As bids are made on this item, this field will display the constituent who is currently the highest bidder. Once the auction closes, this field will display the constituent who had the winning bid.
  10. Associated Team Member - If this item is associated to one of your organization's team members, choose that person. Team members in Argenta include Argenta Users, Staff, Board Members and Volunteers who have been designated as staff.
  11. Auction Item Type - You can classify the item by using the drop-down menu and selecting a type, or you can add a new type by selecting the "Add New" button. Bidders can search for items by this type.
  12. Auction Item Category - You can categorize items using the drop-down menu and selecting a category from the list, or you can add a new category by selecting the "Add New" button. Bidders can search for items by this category.
  13. Purchase Instructions - This is very important as this tells the bidder how they will receive the item if they win the bidding. Include as much detail as possible.
Once all the items details have been entered, you can select the "Bidding Info & Activity" tab. 
 
 
 
 
Once the auction begins and after it is finished, this tab will show you all the bids the item received as well as the winning bid.
 
The "Record Permission" tab will show you which users can view or edit the item.
 
 
 
 
Individual records can be locked so only master admins and users who are listed here can view or edit them. To grant users permissions for this record simply add them here.
 
Once you have entered all items you can return to the Auction workspace.
 
Here we will continue our exploration of the tabs. The next tab is the "Item Bidding" tab:
 
IV. Item Bidding -
 
 
 
 
This tab displays all the bids for all the items that were placed during the auction. You can watch this change as the auction is in process.
 
The next tab is the "Budget and Financials" tab:
 
V. Budget & Financials -
 
 
 
 
The budget and financials tab allows you to build projected expenses and income to compare with your actual when the auction closes.
 
The next tab is the "Auction Sponsorship" tab:
 
VI. Auction Sponsorship - 
 
 
 
 
Here you will enter or find a list of your sponsors. Each sponsor will be displayed on your public form with a picture of their logo and a link to their homepage. These items are controlled in this tab. You can add a new sponsor by clicking the "Add A New Sponsor" button.  This will open the "Workspace for Auction Sponsor" page:
 
 
 
 
You will notice that there are three tabs in this workspace:
  • Auction Sponsorship Details - The details about your sponsor are found here.
  • Sponsorship Payments - The payments received for the sponsorship are found here.
  • Record Permission - This tab contains the record and user permissions.
Let us take a look at the "Auction Sponsorship Details" tab first. Here you will enter the details for your sponsor:
  1. Record Permissions - Place a checkmark in this box if you wish to lock the record. Choosing to lock this record prevents users from viewing or updating it unless they're either a master admin or given specific permissions on the Record Permissions tab. Permissions also work by assigning a department, district, and/or precinct. If you have users in your system who are restricted by these permissions, they will only be able to see records in the departments/districts/precincts you have granted them access to.
  2. Sponsor ID (Constituent) - Use the "Lookup" button to search for and select the constituent record for the sponsorship. If the sponsor is not in your iteration of Argenta you can add them here by selecting the "Add New" button. This is a required field.
  3. Sponsorship Amount - Enter the amount of their sponsorship here. This is a required field.
  4. Browse - Upload the sponsors logo or photo by selecting the "Browse" button. 
  5. Sponsorship Type - You can classify your sponsor by using the drop-down menu here. If a type is not listed you can add a new one by selecting the "Add New" button.
  6. Sponsorship Category - You can categorize your sponsorship here by using the drop-down menu. If a category is not listed you can create a new one by selecting the "Add New" button.
  7. Sponsor's Link Title - Enter a friendly title for the link here. This will be displayed on the public form.
  8. Sponsor's Link URL - Enter the URL for the sponsors home page here. 
The next tab in the sponsorship workspace is the "Sponsorship Payments" tab:
 
 
 
 
This tab will show you any payments made toward this sponsorship and allow you to receive payments towards the sponsorship. To receive a payment for the sponsorship simply click the "Add A New Payment" button. This opens up the payment workspace where you will enter the details of the payment and attach the payment to your general journal if needed.
 
VII. Record Permissions - 

The last tab is the Record Permissions tab.
 
 
 
This tab shows the record permissions. Once these areas have been filled out you can return to the Auction Workspace and open up the Auction Record Permissions to set permissions for the entire auction.