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Best silent auction software for UK charities in 2026
July 3, 2026
The right charity auction software keeps your fundraising event running smoothly, from registration and item tracking on the night to bidder notifications and final checkout.
Silent auctions are a staple of UK charity gala nights, school PTA fetes, sports club dinners, and hospice fundraisers. The platform you choose determines whether Gift Aid on any accompanying pure donations is captured cleanly, whether fees are transparent to bidders, and whether the tool fits alongside the ticketing you are already running for the evening.
Online auction software manages and organises silent auctions. It handles item listing, ticketing, bidding, and the entire auction process seamlessly.
When choosing the right platform, look for these essential features.
1. Mobile bidding
Automatic bid updates: Automatically display each auction item's current winning bid, the next minimum bid, the fair market value, and the buy-now price where relevant.
Push notifications: Inform bidders when they have been outbid, via in-app updates or text and email.
Ability to pay in-app: Simplify checkout for your donors by ensuring the platform can save payment information and offer a smooth payment experience.
2. Event ticketing features
Generate automatic tickets for multiple attendees.
Ability to customise the ticket.
Manage RSVPs from auction guests.
Collect seating requests and guest names.
Track dietary requirements.
Send automatic reminders to guests about the event.
3. Checkout, payments and Gift Aid
Card and digital payments: Accept credit and debit cards, Apple Pay, and Google Pay, and mark bidders as 'paid' for cash, cheque, or bank transfer payments made outside the system.
Gift Aid handling: HMRC treats auction lot payments as goods and services at fair value, so they are not Gift Aid eligible. A pure top-up donation, 'fund-a-need' pledge, or optional donation on top of the winning bid is eligible, provided the donor signs a valid Gift Aid declaration and has paid enough UK Income Tax. Look for a platform that separates the lot payment from any optional top-up so your charity can reclaim 25p per £1 on the donation portion. (HMRC Gift Aid guidance; Charity Tax Group)
UK GDPR and ICO fit: Confirm the platform has a lawful basis for processing bidder personal data and supports your obligations under the UK GDPR and Data Protection Act 2018. UK charities using electronic marketing must also comply with PECR.
Fundraising Regulator compliance: The Code of Fundraising Practice (effective 1 November 2025) covers online fundraising platforms under Section 9. Your chosen software should support compliant, honest fundraising practice.
Low or zero transaction fees: Choose a platform that charges no or minimal fees so a large proportion of what bidders spend reaches your cause. Zeffy is a free platform for UK charities with no platform fee and no transaction fee.
If you are planning virtual or hybrid events, consider auction software with gamification features to make the experience more inclusive for remote bidders.
Live leaderboards showing items with the most bids and fundraising progress thermometers build momentum.
Scoreboards and countdown clocks encourage urgency and increase final bids.
6. UK regulatory fit
Gift Aid claim workflow: Does the platform capture a compliant Gift Aid declaration and support submission via HMRC Charities Online for any eligible top-up donations? (HMRC Gift Aid guidance)
Raffle handling: If a raffle runs alongside the auction and tickets are sold in advance, that element is a small society lottery under the Gambling Act 2005 and usually requires council registration. Confirm your platform's workflow is compatible.
UK GDPR / ICO fit: Confirm the platform provides a lawful basis for bidder data and can support Fundraising Preference Service requests. (Fundraising Regulator Code)
How Gift Aid works with silent auctions
HMRC treats auction lot payments as payment for goods and services at fair value. The winning bid is not a donation, so Gift Aid does not apply to the lot value itself.
A pure top-up gift, 'fund-a-need' pledge, or optional donation added on top of the winning bid is a genuine donation. It is Gift Aid eligible provided the donor signs a Gift Aid declaration confirming they are a UK taxpayer and have paid enough Income Tax or Capital Gains Tax in the year to cover the claim. Your charity can then reclaim 25p per £1 on that portion only. (HMRC Gift Aid guidance; Charity Tax Group)
If your event includes small cash or contactless donations of £30 or less, the Gift Aid Small Donations Scheme (GASDS) lets you claim a 25% top-up on up to £8,000 per tax year without a written declaration, provided your charity is HMRC-recognised and has at least two complete years of Gift Aid claims behind it. Useful for fete-and-auction combinations where cash still flows at the door.
Is your auction actually a lottery?
A pure silent auction where the highest bidder wins the named lot is not a lottery. No gambling licence is required.
If the event also includes a raffle, blind envelopes, or a prize draw where tickets are sold in advance to the public, that element is a small society lottery under the Gambling Act 2005. You will normally need to register with your local licensing authority (council) before selling tickets. The registration fee is £40 initially and £20 for annual renewal. Key limits: £20,000 in ticket sales per single draw; £250,000 annually; at least 20% of proceeds to the good cause; maximum single prize £25,000.
The exception is an incidental non-commercial lottery, where tickets are sold and the draw is conducted entirely at the event. No registration is needed for a raffle that stays within the room on the night, such as a dinner raffle or school fete prize draw.
Quick comparison of silent auction software for UK charities
1. Zeffy: the free silent auction platform for UK charities
Capterra rating: 4.8
Zeffy's silent auction software is a practical, straightforward tool with a range of features to help UK charities plan and manage an online or hybrid auction from start to finish.
Top features
Optimal bidding experience: Organise comprehensive silent auction fundraisers that include key details for each item, clear bidding increments, and a smooth mobile experience for bidders.
Automatic payments: When the auction closes, payments are automatically charged to the winning bidder's card on file. No manual chasing needed.
Customisable branding: Tailor your silent auction form to your charity's brand elements for a professional, cohesive appearance.
Automated personalised outreach: Customise the automated email sent to auction winners with your charity's tone and contact details.
Bid tracking dashboard: Monitor incoming bids throughout the auction. Filter by item to spot lots with no bids and adjust your strategy to keep the event moving.
Tap-to-pay at the event: Bidders and donors increasingly arrive without cash. Zeffy supports card payments from a phone, which helps at fetes, gala nights, and sports-club dinners where venues do not always have shared card terminals.
Stacked-tool consolidation: Many small UK charities currently pay separately for ticketing (Ticket Tailor or Eventbrite), a bidding tool (Givergy or GalaBid), a CRM (Beacon or Donorfy), and payment processing (Stripe or GoCardless). Zeffy brings auction, ticketing, memberships, raffles, and supporter management into one free platform.
Pros and cons
Pros
No platform fee and no transaction fee
Auction, ticketing, memberships, raffles, and donor management in one place
Customisable forms and automated winner emails
Tap-to-pay from a phone at in-person events
Fundraising Regulator-aligned fundraising practice
Cons
Zeffy-specific Gift Aid declaration workflow: confirm current UK product behaviour before relying on automated Gift Aid capture; use the top-up donation separation approach as a conservative baseline
Newer to the UK market than incumbents such as Givergy or GalaBid
Pricing
Free. No platform fee and no transaction fee.
What users say
2. Choose Givergy for donor-covered gala mobile bidding
Capterra rating: Verify at givergy.com/en-gb before publish.
Givergy is a UK-built mobile bidding platform for charity gala evenings, with a London headquarters and a strong track record across schools, sports clubs, and hospital charities. Its 'Keep it FREE' initiative means UK charities pay nothing to use the platform; the fee is instead covered voluntarily by donors at checkout.
Standout features
Mobile bidding from guests' smartphones, with outbid notifications and a self-checkout experience.
Live and silent auction support in one platform.
Countdown clocks and leaderboards to build urgency and energy on the night.
Winner emails and payment receipts sent automatically after the auction closes.
Honest take for UK charities
Givergy's donor-covered fee model is genuinely free for the charity, which appeals to cost-conscious trustees. The trade is that donors see an additional fee prompt at checkout. UK VoC research shows donors are sensitive to platform fees that appear without warning, so brief your audience in advance and explain that the voluntary contribution keeps the tool free for your charity. Well-suited to gala dinners and golf days with engaged donor audiences who are already committed to the cause.
Pricing
'Keep it FREE' for UK charities (donor-covered voluntary contribution model). Verify current terms at givergy.com/en-gb/ before publishing.
3. Pick GalaBid for silent auctions and raffles in one platform
GalaBid is a mobile bidding platform with more than ten years of UK and international experience, particularly strong for school charity nights, sports club dinners, and hospital fundraisers. Its sister product CrowdComms handles event tech for larger gatherings.
Standout features
Silent auction and raffle management in one platform, useful for events where both run alongside each other.
Mobile bidding from guests' smartphones, with instant outbid notifications.
Ticketing, registrations, and donations integrated alongside the auction.
Reporting and post-event data export.
Honest take for UK charities
If your event bundles a raffle with the auction, note that tickets sold in advance make the raffle a small society lottery under the Gambling Act 2005, requiring council registration (see 'Is your auction actually a lottery?' above). GalaBid does not handle the licensing process, but its workflow is compatible with running both. Pull current UK fees from the Zeffy vs GalaBid compare page before committing; do not rely on historical figures.
4. Consider Beacon or Donorfy if the CRM is the priority
Neither Beacon nor Donorfy is an auction platform, but both are worth naming for UK charities where the auction is a one-off event and the real need is a supporter database that handles Gift Aid, direct debits, and post-event stewardship.
Beacon
Rated the UK's top fundraising CRM for six consecutive years by Fundraising Magazine.
Native HMRC Gift Aid claim submission via Charities Online.
Modern, intuitive interface with fast onboarding.
From £33.50 per month, scaled by supporter volume.
Free for up to 500 constituents; tiered pricing above that.
Good fit for charities that need a CRM first and will pick a lightweight auction tool alongside it.
Honest take for UK charities
If you already have a CRM and need only an auction tool, pair it with Zeffy, Givergy, or GalaBid. If you have neither a CRM nor an auction platform, Zeffy's free all-in-one approach is often simpler than setting up two separate systems.
5. Look at Ticket Tailor if paired ticketing is the bottleneck
Ticket Tailor is not an auction platform, but it is the UK's most-recommended charity ticketing tool and frequently appears alongside GalaBid or Zeffy in a small charity's gala-night stack. UK-founded, B Corp certified, and bootstrapped.
Standout features
Flat fee per ticket rather than a percentage, so a £20 gala ticket costs far less than on Eventbrite.
50% charity discount and free for free events under 2,000 tickets per year.
Direct Stripe or PayPal payouts mean funds reach your account quickly.
Dietary requirements, seating preferences, and RSVPs all handled.
If your charity already uses Zeffy for ticketing, you have this covered within the same free platform. Ticket Tailor is the natural backup if you need to keep systems separate.
6. Try GoodBox for tap-to-donate on the night
GoodBox produces UK contactless donation hardware and apps, and is the go-to solution for in-person card giving at events where cash is no longer practical.
Standout features
GBx contactless donation devices for churches, museums, visitor attractions, and gala nights.
Tap-to-donate from any amount, with no staff input needed.
UK-based support and Gift Aid integration for eligible donations.
Honest take for UK charities
Cash is declining at UK charity events. Venues do not always have shared card terminals, and many supporters no longer carry notes. GoodBox devices solve that problem with dedicated hardware, but there is a device cost and a per-transaction fee. Zeffy's angle: tap-to-pay from a phone at no cost. If you want dedicated branded devices, GoodBox is the UK market leader.
Also considered: OneCause, ClickBid and Classy Live
OneCause, ClickBid, and Classy Live are US-anchored auction platforms with limited UK footprint and no native Gift Aid handling. They are worth knowing if your charity operates internationally, but they are not recommended as primary tools for UK gala nights. UK charities running events under Fundraising Regulator standards and UK GDPR need platforms that understand the UK regulatory context.
How to choose between these tools
The right choice depends on what the auction sits alongside:
Auction only, and free is essential: Zeffy.
Gala night with mobile bidding, donor-covered fees: Givergy.
Auction and raffle in one place: GalaBid.
Need a CRM first, auction second: Beacon or Donorfy, paired with a lightweight auction tool.
Ticketing is the gap: Ticket Tailor, or Zeffy for ticketing plus auction in one.
Cash is dying at your events: GoodBox for tap-to-donate hardware, or Zeffy's in-app card payments.
Most small UK charities running a gala night currently stitch together three or four paid tools: Ticket Tailor or Eventbrite for tickets, Givergy or GalaBid for bidding, a CRM such as Beacon or Donorfy, and a payment processor such as Stripe or GoCardless. Zeffy's case is consolidating that stack into one free platform, with auction, ticketing, memberships, raffles, and supporter management under one roof.
Choose the right platform and run a better auction
Whether you are planning a gala evening, a school PTA fete, or a hybrid fundraiser, the platform you choose shapes the bidder experience, the ease of Gift Aid capture on top-up donations, and the amount your charity keeps.
Start by choosing a platform that handles item listing, mobile bidding, and checkout in one place. Create your item catalogue with photos, descriptions, fair market values, and starting bids. Set up online registration so bidders can save payment details before the event begins. On the night, open bidding and let the platform manage notifications and bid tracking automatically. When the auction closes, winning payments are charged to cards on file and winners receive automated email receipts. If any guests pay by cash or cheque on the night, mark those items as paid manually in the system. If a raffle runs alongside the auction and tickets were sold in advance, confirm beforehand that your charity has registered this as a small society lottery with your local council under the Gambling Act 2005.
silent auction bid sheet lists the item name, a short description, the fair market value, the starting bid, and the minimum bid increment. Add a QR code linking to your online bidding page so guests can switch to mobile bidding from any starting sheet. Leave rows for bidder names and amounts if you are running traditional paper sheets alongside the digital platform. Using a platform such as Zeffy allows you to generate item display sheets automatically, each with a unique QR code, so bidders can scan and bid from their phone without paper handling. For inspiration on what to include, see our silent auction item ideas guide.
Online and hybrid silent auctions extend your reach beyond the room. Bidders who cannot attend in person can still participate, and online platforms handle all bid tracking, notifications, and checkout automatically, saving your volunteers significant time on the night. Contactless card payments and mobile bidding matter more each year. Cash carriage at UK charity events is falling and many venues no longer have a shared card terminal, so a platform with in-app payment or tap-to-pay support is increasingly essential. Online auctions also make the post-event Gift Aid process easier: the platform captures payment details and, where a top-up donation was made alongside the winning bid, a compliant Gift Aid declaration can be collected digitally.
No. HMRC treats the winning bid as payment for goods or services at fair value, so the lot value itself is not Gift Aid eligible. (HMRC Gift Aid guidance)
However, if a donor makes a pure top-up gift or 'fund-a-need' pledge on top of their winning bid, that additional amount is a genuine donation. It is Gift Aid eligible provided the donor has signed a valid Gift Aid declaration and has paid enough UK Income Tax or Capital Gains Tax in the year. Your charity can reclaim 25p per £1 on the donation portion only. Look for a platform that separates the lot payment from any optional top-up at checkout so that eligibility is clear and the declaration is captured correctly. (Charity Tax Group)
UK auction lots that reliably generate strong bidding include: a weekend break at a UK holiday cottage, afternoon tea for two at a local hotel, signed sports memorabilia from a Premier League club or Six Nations team, a pair of West End theatre tickets, a distillery or vineyard tour, a National Trust family membership, a hamper from a local farm shop or artisan producer, and a private dining experience at a local restaurant. Experiences tend to outperform physical goods because they are harder for bidders to find themselves. For a broader list of ideas, see our charity silent auction item ideas guide.
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Silent Auction Basket Ideas for UK Charities: 58 Themes for 2026
58 themed silent auction basket ideas for UK charities, PTAs and community groups, with sourcing scripts, £ value bands, Gift Aid guidance, and a step-by-step guide to setting starting bids and running the auction for free on Zeffy.
Look for people who attend related events, follow relevant Facebook groups, or subscribe to aligned newsletters.These aren’t just potential donors—they’re your future advocates.
Look for people who attend related events, follow relevant Facebook groups, or subscribe to aligned newsletters.These aren’t just potential donors—they’re your future advocates.
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