How to Create an Auction

Setting up a new auction takes just a few minutes. Here's how.

Create the auction

Go to Fundraising > Auctions in the left sidebar.
Click Add A New Auction. Argenta asks for the Auction Title and the start and end Date and Time first. All of them are required, and nothing is saved until you go on.
Click Add & Enter Details. The auction is created and the Auction Workspace opens on the Auction Details tab.

Start at Fundraising, then Auctions.

The auction list header with the Add A New Auction button highlighted

Add A New Auction sits below the filter bar.

Fill in the required details

These fields are marked with an orange asterisk:

Auction's Current Status
Auction Title (up to 140 characters)
Auction Start Date and Auction Start Time, when bidding opens
Auction End Date and Auction End Time, when bidding closes

The Auction's Current Status dropdown and the Auction Title field

Status and title are the first two required fields.

The auction start date, start time, end date and end time fields

The start and end dates and times set when bidding opens and closes.

Set the time zone

The times you just entered are plain clock times. The Time Zone field underneath is what says which zone they are in, and bidding opens and closes at those times in that zone.

Set it deliberately, because the end time is not only when bidding stops. It is also when Argenta bills your winners, so an auction set to the wrong zone charges cards hours early or late.

Add any optional details

Auction Type and Auction Category to classify it
Fundraising Goal and Target Budget
Auction Coordinator (Team Member)
A webinar link, if you are hosting an online auction
Chapter, Division, and Department (political teams also see District and Precinct)

Click Save All Changes & Continue to save and keep working, or Save All Changes & Exit when you are done.

The time zone, auction type and auction category fields

Time zone sits just above type and category.

The fundraising goal, target budget and auction coordinator fields

Set a goal and a budget, and name the team member running it.

The webinar link field for an online auction

Hosting the auction on a webinar? Drop the link here.

The chapter, division and department dropdowns

Chapter, division and department tie the auction to your org structure.

The Save All Changes and Continue and Save All Changes and Exit buttons

Save and continue to keep working, or save and exit when you are done.

Finish setting up your auction

Use the workspace tabs to build out the rest:

Auction Items: add the items up for bid.
Connections: link the auction to a campaign and an event.
Public Form Design: design the public bidding page with a banner image and an intro description.
Sponsorships: record your sponsors.

The Auction Workspace menu listing all of its tabs

The workspace tabs run across the top of the auction.

When you are ready to go live, turn on Make Auction Public on the Auction Details tab.

The set as view only, lock this record and Make Auction Public switches

Make Auction Public sits with the record level permission switches.

What happens when your end time arrives

You do not close the auction yourself. At the end date and time Argenta stops the bidding, marks every bid-on item sold at its current bid, assigns each one to its highest bidder, and moves the auction's status to Complete.

It then raises one invoice per winning bidder and charges the card that bidder saved when they registered. Anyone whose card is declined, or who has no usable card, is emailed a link to pay instead.