How do I bid?

Before Bidding you must Join the Event - Attendees can text the event keyword to 843-606-5995 to join the event OR an event organizer/volunteer can join attendees within the "Event Check-in tab" by entering attendees mobile numbers in the Add Attendees section. Attendees will receive a text message welcoming them to the event and a sperate message including a link to view all items that are available for bidding.

Item Numbers - The item number for each auction item will be clearly marked on the top left of the item card. All item numbers begin with zero.

Text to Bid on an Item - Type the item number of the item you are interested in to see the current level of bidding for that item. Remember to begin the item number with a zero, just as it is marked on the item card! You will receive a text reply confirming the name of the item and telling you the current bid level, or the minimum allowed at the time for that item. Input the dollar amount you wish to bid (do NOT include a dollar sign). The system will automatically recognize a number starting with zero as an item number and a number not starting with zero as a bid amount. You will receive a text to confirm your bid and congratulate you on being the winning bidder! Don’t worry, you will also get instructions on how to undo your bid if it was made in error.

Outbids and Rebids - You will receive a text message as soon as you are outbid and no longer the winning bidder for an item. You will be told the next bid level and asked if you would like to rebid at that level.

Mistakes or Misbids - As soon as a bid is confirmed by text, Event.Gives also gives the attendee the chance to correct their bid by replying ‘delete bid’ within 3 minutes of their bid. (The instructions are included in the text conversation.) If there is a clear misbid that needs to be corrected outside of this window of time, simply locate an event volunteer or the organizer and they will have the ability to remove the item within the Manager portal. To do this, they will need to locate the item within the search bar on the "Items" tab. Then, select the number of bids the item has received which will open up the items bid history. The volunteer or organizer can then select the red trash can icon to delete the bid that was made in error. If an attendee REBIDS or a bid is deleted via the dashboard, the next bidder in line will receive a text notification that they are once again the highest bidder.

Buy-it-Now - If an item has a Buy-it-Now price, that will be included in the text message to the attendee when checking the bid level. When a bidder bids at the Buy-it-Now price they will be the winning bidder and the item will be closed from further bidding.

Bidding via Mobile - After entering an event with an auction the attendee will receive a text with a link to the mobile bidding site. At any point in the auction, the attendee can click on this link and the mobile auction site, which looks and acts like an app, will appear on the screen of their smartphone. On the mobile site, auction items are listed how the event organizer arranged them. Users just need to scroll to the item they are interested in and click on that item to get a description of the item, see the current bidding level or to place a bid. If searching for a specific item, attendees can utilize the search bar to search by the item number. If a bid is placed through this mobile site, the bidder will receive a text to confirm the bid just as with the text bidding. Bidders can always refer to the text conversation welcoming them to the event to find the mobile link and bid via mobile.

Place a Bid for an Attendee -If an attendee wants to bid but does not have their phone, an event volunteer or organizer can place a bid for them within the Manager dashboard. Click on the circle with the three dots on the lower left side of the item card and select "Place Bid". Then a screen will pop up for you to enter the attendee's phone number and the bid amount for that item.

Text-to-Donate - At any time during an event, an attendee can text the word DONATE and make a donation to the cause.

Fund-a-Need, Tagged or Keyword Donations - If your event has a Fund-a-Need program then the donation keywords should be clearly marked at the event and the emcee can encourage bidders with the keywords. An example would be a school that needed to fund a new library and a new playground asking attendees to text the words LIBRARY or PLAYGROUND to donate and fund either need. Tagged or Keyword donations work in the same manner. For each such donation the bidder will receive a message confirming the donation and amount and allowing a chance to undo the donation if made in error.

**Event planners will be able to preprogram a number of different “fun facts” about their cause or organization that can be texted to bidders along with the texted bid confirmation. This all just adds to the fun and encourages the bidders to feel great about your cause.