From the Virtual Terminal, you can:
Monitor your auction live at your event. You can view the overall auction progress as well as bidding activity for each bidder.
Place bids for guests who aren’t using the app.
Purchase store and fund-a-need items for guests after those categories have ended in the app. This is a great option if you closed out your categories for the evening and a guest wants to make a last-minute fund-a-need purchase as they're picking up their items.
This article explains how to use the web Virtual Terminal on your computer. For information about how to use the Bloomerang Fundraising mobile app on your mobile device, read Bloomerang Fundraising App: Managing Auction Donations, Registrations, and Bids.
If your volunteers are using the web Virtual Terminal for managing your auction on a computer, feel free to share this video with them.
Monitor and Manage Your Auction
To monitor and manage your auction:
Click Terminal.
In the Auctions section, select your auction from the list.
Click Items. By default, items in all categories appear.
To view items in only one category, click All Categories and select Auction Items, Store Items, or Fund-A-Need Items.
For each auction item in the list, you can view:
Item Number
Name: The name of the auction item, its category, and any tags associated with the item.
Start/End: The start and end times for when items can be purchased or bid on. If the auction is live, a countdown appears.
Raised: If you set an amount in the item’s Procurement Cost field, the amount you see in the Raised column will be the total raised by the item’s sale minus the procurement cost.
Activity: The number of bids, purchases, or contributions for the item. For auction items, the name of the winning bidder appears here.
Status: Where to track bids for auction items, fundraising progress for fund-a-need goals, and remaining inventory for store items. Colored-code circles in green, orange, or grey give you a quick indication of the item's status. For details, hover over an orange or grey circle. For example, an orange circle in an auction item's status column indicates the item's reserve is not yet met.
Action: Links to the item's details in the auction-level control panel so that you can manage the item and make any changes you need to.
Important: During your auction, make sure to periodically refresh this page to make sure the most current data appears. This page doesn't automatically refresh on its own.
View Auction Items
To view a list of your auction items:
Click Terminal.
In the Auctions section, select your auction from the list.
Click Items.
From the All Categories list, select Auction Items.
To sort the list, click the item number, item name, highest bid (the Raised column), or number of bids (the Activity column).
To view the details for an auction item:
Click the auction item. The item information appears, which includes when the item ends, the current winner, and the number of bids that have been placed.
If your event has a large number of bidders, and you want to find a bidder in the list, enter the bidder’s name, email, or bidder number in the search box.
Bid on Auction Items
You can place a bid for a bidder even if they don’t have a saved payment method.
To place a bid on an item on behalf of a bidder:
Click Terminal.
In the Auctions section, select your auction from the list.
Click Items.
From the All Categories list, select Auction Items.
Click the auction item. A list appears that shows current bidders for that item.
Click Attendees.
To find the bidder, do one of the following:
Enter the bidder’s name, email, or bidder number in the search box.
Click QR Scanner. Your device’s camera starts. Use that camera to scan the bidder’s QR code.
Next to a bidder's name, click Place a Bid.
Do one of the following:
To bid, enter the bid amount and click Place Bid.
If the bidder wants to pay outright to win the item, change the bid amount to the Buy Now price and tap Buy Now. The Buy Now option appears only if you entered a Buy Now price in the settings for your auction form.
Tip: You can also place a bid for an attendee from the Attendee Details page.
Cancel Bids
To cancel a bid on behalf of a bidder:
Click Terminal.
In the Auctions section, select your auction from the list.
Click Items.
From the All Categories list, select Auction Items.
Click the auction item. A list appears that shows current bidders for that item.
Next to the bidder, click the down arrow to see all of their bidding activity for that item.
To cancel a bidder's bid for that item, click Cancel Bid. If a bid has been cancelled, it will be displayed highlighted in orange in the auction item's bid history.
After you open checkout for the auction, a Fulfill option appears next to the winning bidder for the item so you can mark the item as fulfilled when the bidder picks it up. You can also manage fulfillment from the Checkout tab.
Purchase Store Items
For store items, the table shows the number of purchases of the item in the Activity column. If you have limited inventory of an item, you can see the total quantity and quantity remaining in the Status column.
You can add a store item to a guest’s cart even if the guest doesn’t have a saved payment method.
When items are sold out, the status changes to Sold Out.
Purchase Store Items for One Attendee
To purchase a store item for one attendee:
Click Terminal.
In the Auctions section, select your auction from the list.
Click Items.
From the All Categories list, select Store Items.
Click the item. A list appears that shows bidders for that item.
Click Attendees.
Next to the attendee, click Buy.
Select the quantity. Some items might have quantity limits.
Click Buy Item to purchase. The item is added to the attendee’s cart.
Bulk Purchase Store Items for Multiple Attendees
To purchase a store item in bulk for multiple attendees:
Click Terminal.
In the Auctions section, select your auction from the list.
Click Items.
From the All Categories list, select Store Items.
Click the item. A list appears that shows bidders for that item.
Click Bulk Purchase.
Select the bidders who would like to purchase the item. You can select bidders from the list or enter part of the bidder’s name and then select that bidder.
Click Purchase. The item is added to the attendees’ carts.
Tip: You can also purchase an item on behalf of an attendee from the Attendee Details page.
Make Fund-a-Need Contributions
The Virtual Terminal makes it easy to accept fund-a-need contributions. These are donations attendees make in the form of a purchased item. If no amount is specified, attendees can input their own desired amount. If a price is set, donors can't set their own amount.
You can add a fund-a-need item to a bidder’s cart even if the bidder doesn’t have a saved payment method.
You can sort fund-a-need items by item number, item name, amount Raised, and number or contributions (Activity).
To make a fund-a-need purchase for one bidder:
Click Terminal.
In the Auctions section, select your auction from the list.
Click Items.
From the All Categories list, select Fund-a-Need Items.
Click the fund-a-need item. The item's details and activity appear.
Click Attendees.
To find the bidder, do one of the following:
Enter the bidder’s name, email, or bidder number in the search box.
Click QR Scanner. Your device’s camera starts. Use that camera to scan the bidder’s QR code.
Click Contribute. The button changes to a green Confirm button. If the bidder chooses not to complete the donation, click the red x next to the Confirm button.
Click Confirm, which purchases one fund-a-need item.
To purchase another fund-a-need item, repeat these steps.
As fund-a-need purchases are made, the Total Raised amount increases in the Item Details view.
To bulk purchase a fund-a-need item for multiple bidders:
Click Terminal.
In the Auctions section, select your auction from the list.
Click Items.
From the All Categories list, select Fund-a-Need Items.
Click the fund-a-need item. The item's details and activity appear.
Click Bulk Contribution.
Select the bidders who would like to purchase the item. You can select bidders from the list or enter part of the bidder’s name and then select that bidder.
Click Contribute. The fund-a-need item is added to the bidders’ carts.
Private Items
In addition to publicly-viewable auction items, the Virtual Terminal can also show items from categories marked Private. These items don’t appear in the app and are exclusively listed in the Virtual Terminal. Within the Virtual Terminal, private items appear the same way auction, store, and fund-a-need items do.
Because you must mark an entire item category as private, name the category something that indicates the items within it are private items. This helps you find these items.
Note: If you mark all item categories as private, and you do not set an open bidding date and time, attendees will not see the auction in Givi. When an auction is not accessible to attendees, Bloomerang Fundraising informs you with a banner.
Next Steps: Check Out and Pay for Items
To pay for store items, auction items, and fund-a-need contributions in attendees’ carts, attendees can pay:
At checkout
During the event if they need to leave early
You can also select to pay later.
For information about how to check out and pay for store items, read Auction Virtual Terminal: Checkout.
Tip: If the attendee is winning an auction item in an open category but wants to go ahead and pay for store items, you can click Pay Balance on the Attendee Details page and then run the payment again if the attendee wins the item that is pending.
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