It’s time. The changes we’ve teased for a couple of months now are being released. You can read about them and see screenshotson our support site.

Most of these changes are designed to accommodate customer requests for improving our mobile-bidding features; we’ve expanded the available email notifications to a new, more-customizable email and text-message notification center. You will be able to load up all of your potential guests and donors into the system (more on this below), and use our software to invite them to purchase tickets, donate items, come bid, and more.

We’re expanding the ability for Plus and Premium customers to use mobile-bidding in more places in your auction - including the live auction and paddle raise (please talk to your auctioneer first, however.) And we’ve added the ability to run fundraising events centered around live talent contests instead of (or in addition to) a live auction. This particular upgrade will also let you greatly improve the efficiency of Dessert Dashes and other items where you want to invite a group of your guests to bid together on a particular item - someone please use it to pit groups of parents against each other to see which classroom wins a special field trip; I’d totally do this if I were still in charge of a school auction (alas, my kid is on his way out of the school system this year, and I’ve long turned over his school’s auction to others).

Oh, yeah - that bit above about loading up your potential guests and donors? That’s now something you’ll be able to do yourself, rather than having to send spreadsheets to us. Yay!

This update is NOT going out to any sites for events that are being held this month - no need to make anyone who is in the home stretch have to deal with new stuff. For the rest of you, the changes should be visible by tomorrow morning at the latest.

Questions? Problems? Bug Reports? Send them to support@schoolauction.net

Thanks!

Roger