School auctions parents actually join.
Put the class baskets, teacher experiences and principal-for-a-day online. Parents bid from the pickup line, and the PTO treasurer gets clean totals at the end.
What gets easier.
The parts of auction season that take the most volunteer hours.
Paper bid sheets
Illegible names, bids squeezed into margins and nobody sure who won. Online bidding keeps one clear record for every item.
Parents who can’t make it
Working parents and grandparents out of town can bid all week from a link, not just during the two hours of the event.
Chasing payments
Bidders save a card before they bid, so winners pay without a week of reminder emails and envelopes of checks.
Built in.
The tools behind every CausIO auction.
Bid from any phone
A link or QR code on the flyer is all parents need. No app, no account to create.
Text to bid
Parents text “42 250” to bid $250 on item 42, and get an outbid alert by text with a link back.
Max bids
Bidders set the most they’ll pay, and CausIO bids for them one step at a time.
Item photos in minutes
Drop in photos of every donated basket at once and AI drafts the title, description and category for a volunteer to check.
Volunteer roles
Give room parents a volunteer login without handing over payments or settings.
Reports for the board
Live totals while the auction runs, then a settlement report and a recap you can paste into the newsletter.
Family night tickets
Sell tickets online, check families in with a QR code at the door, and print name badges.
Class fundraising pages
Families start their own fundraising page, join their class team, and race up the leaderboard.
A Donate page
Families who don’t bid can still give, once or every month, and get a year-end giving statement.
How it works.
- 1Add donated items with photos, starting bids and any Buy Now prices.
- 2Share the link or QR code in the school newsletter, flyers and class group chats.
- 3Parents bid all week. Outbid alerts bring them back.
- 4The auction closes on time, winners are charged, and receipts go out by email.
Questions, answered.
Do bidders need to download an app?
No. Bidders open a link or scan a QR code and bid in their phone’s browser. They sign in with a one-time email link, so there is no password to forget. They can also bid by text message.
Can we run the auction for a week before our event?
Yes. Set a start and end time and CausIO opens and closes the auction by itself, in your time zone. You can also start and end it by hand on the night.
Can several parents help set it up?
Yes. Invite your team as admins, managers or volunteers. Each role sees only what it needs.
How much does CausIO cost?
Qualified nonprofits have no monthly plan: they pay a $200 entry fee and 5% of what each auction raises, or one yearly price with no platform fee. Other organizations pick a plan from $49 a month plus a 1.5% to 3% platform fee. Stripe’s standard processing fees apply, and funds go straight to your own Stripe account.
Run your best auction yet.
Nonprofits pay as they go, or once a year with no platform fee.