Events & auctions
OneCause
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OneCause is dedicated event-and-auction software: mobile bidding, live auction management, ticketing, seating charts, and check-in. Entry runs from roughly $200 pay-as-you-go (plus about 5% of funds raised) to annual packages around $2,995 a year plus fees. The buying question is event size: for a six-figure signature gala, the fee is insurance on your biggest revenue night.
Who it fits
Shops whose gala is a production: hundreds of guests, a live auctioneer, sponsor tables, and a volunteer check-in crew. When one night carries a six-figure target, purpose-built machinery from bid paddle to payment is what you’re buying, and OneCause is the category leader.
Pricing
| Route | Price |
|---|---|
| Pay-as-you-go | ~$200 entry + ~5% of funds raised |
| Professional auction package | ~$2,995/yr + platform fee |
| Processing | ~2.9% + 30¢ |
| Implementation / per-event add-ons | varies by scope |
Packages are quoted per event, so have the sales team price your actual gala. The demo is worth it for the mobile-bidding walkthrough alone.
How it compares
Givebutter runs ticketing and silent auctions free (donor-tip funded) and covers most community-scale events well. OneCause earns its cost when the event needs live-auction support, complex seating, and on-site staffing. Run the fee as a percentage of expected revenue and the answer usually becomes obvious.
Bottom line
Size the tool to the event. If your gala clears six figures or is headed there, book the OneCause demo before your next event cycle and price your real program. And whatever platform runs the night, move every bidder into your CRM the week after.
Strengths
- Purpose-built auction machinery: mobile bidding, live-auction support, seating, check-in
- Scales to six-figure event nights without improvisation
- Pay-as-you-go entry lets a shop trial it on one event
Other options
- Event under about $100k? The package pricing and event-night production here are sized for large managed auctions; a smaller event pays for capacity it will not use. Read our Givebutter write-up →
- Want one vendor for a mid-size gala? Greater Giving bundles bidding, check-in and hardware without the enterprise footprint. Read our Greater Giving write-up →
- Budgeting the true cost? A percentage of event funds sits on top of the annual package, so model both together before signing.
Keep comparing
OneCause head to head