Confirm your organiser setup
Before building your first auction, check that your organiser account uses a name supporters will recognise. This name appears across public auction pages and winner communications, so use the charity, school, PTA, club, or group name rather than an individual volunteer name.
Choose an Auction Hub URL that is short, memorable, and easy to print. If your community already knows you by a common abbreviation, use that only when it will be clear to new supporters too.
Understand the auction lifecycle
Aucly separates preparation from launch:
- Create a draft auction.
- Add auction details, images, item lots, and bidder instructions.
- Review the draft with your organising team.
- Schedule the auction and confirm the hosting option.
- Share the auction link and monitor bids.
- Close out winners, payments, and fulfilment after bidding ends.
Draft auctions do not have opening or closing times until you schedule them. This lets you prepare the auction without accidentally starting bidding.
Decide roles before launch
A smooth fundraiser usually needs someone to own each area:
- Prize lead: gathers item details, photos, restrictions, and donor acknowledgements.
- Auction editor: enters items and keeps bidder-facing descriptions consistent.
- Promotion lead: plans launch, reminder, and final-day messages.
- Payments lead: tracks winners, payment status, collection, and delivery.
Small teams can combine these roles, but it helps to agree who has final sign-off before scheduling.
First-auction checklist
Before your first launch, make sure you have:
- a clear auction title and purpose;
- bidder payment and collection instructions;
- enough item photos and descriptions for supporters to bid confidently;
- a planned closing time that your audience will understand;
- a promotion plan for the launch day, mid-auction reminder, and closing day;
- a nominated contact for winner questions.
