About CharityAuctions
Last updated: September 9, 2026
CharityAuctions is charity auction software for nonprofits, schools, and PTOs. Since 2007 we have helped more than 50,000 organizations run silent, live, and hybrid auctions online and in person, with no-app mobile bidding, published fees, and no platform cost to start. We are a small, founder-led team, and we build for the volunteer chair running an event on top of a full-time job, not the enterprise gala shop with a paid events staff.
Why We Built This
By Tom Kelly, Founder & CEO
In 2007, I tried to help my mom run a fundraising auction for her organization. The tools available at the time charged steep commission fees, locked organizers into rigid formats, and still left most of the actual work, entering items, chasing bids, collecting payment, on a volunteer's plate the night of the event. I built the first version of what became CharityAuctions to fix that: a platform a first-time chair could set up herself, that guests could use from their phones without downloading anything, and that did not take a cut of every dollar raised just because the organizer had no other option.
That starting point has not changed even as the platform has. Today CharityAuctions runs silent, live, and hybrid auctions for more than 50,000 nonprofits and schools, still built around the same idea: a volunteer should be able to launch a real auction in under 30 minutes, keep more of what is raised, and never have to make a sales call to get started.
I have spent the years since talking with nonprofit leaders about what actually moves the needle on fundraising, on my podcast, in my book Million Dollar Nonprofit, and at events including a TEDx talk on building something you are proud of. Everything I have learned from those conversations goes back into the product. Read my full story →
How We Work
CharityAuctions.com is the only platform where nonprofits can browse risk-free consignment items and run their entire auction in one place — no separate vendor, no extra logins. You will not find a required app, a hidden tip prompt at checkout, or a sales call standing between you and a free account. Our fees are published: 5% with nothing upfront, $499 plus 3% if you prepay, or 0% on our custom discount plans. You can preview a full auction on your own phone before anything is public.
By the Numbers
50,000+
nonprofits and schools served since 2007
4.9/5
average rating
$0
upfront to create an account
10 min
median time from account creation to first published item
Our Team
CharityAuctions is run by a small, founder-led team based in the Chicago area, working directly with the nonprofit chairs, school volunteers, and PTO organizers who use the platform every day. When you contact support, you are talking to someone who has helped build the product, not a call center reading from a script.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who founded CharityAuctions?
When was CharityAuctions founded?
CharityAuctions was founded in 2007 and has served more than 50,000 nonprofits and schools since.
Is CharityAuctions the same as CharityAuctionsToday?
Yes. CharityAuctions was formerly known as CharityAuctionsToday. The platform and account are the same.