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About OneCause

Silent, Live & Online | Item Procurement | Mobile Bidding | Paddles | Auctioneer Tools | Express Check-In & Checkout | Auction AI

Learn more about OneCause

Pros:

It can be updated and changed rapidly. The custom features really help donors focus on the needs and the stories of the organization, and add to their desire to bid on tiems.

Cons:

The cost makes us stop and consider alternative products every once in a while.

OneCause ratings

Average score

Ease of Use
4.4
Customer Service
4.8
Features
4.4
Value for Money
4.5

Likelihood to recommend

8.9/ 10

OneCause has an overall rating of 4.7 out of 5 stars based on 351 user reviews on Capterra.

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Hannah
Hannah
Event Planning Consultant in US
Verified LinkedIn User
Nonprofit Organization Management, 2–10 Employees
Used the Software for: 6-12 months
Reviewer Source

OneCause is a One Stop Shop!

5.0 2 years ago

Pros:

The OneCause platform is super user-friendly and easy to use. As an admin of our account and someone who hadn't used a platform like this before, I was really happy with the features and the ability to customize the Giving Center to look on-brand. We appreciated the support team's readiness and willingness to help us whenever needed, and they were always able to answer our super-specific questions.

Cons:

While there are a lot of customizable options, there were a few things we wanted to do that we couldn't. For example, we wanted to turn off max-bidding, which wasn't possible. We also wanted to use HTML for our package restrictions.

Jenny
Philanthropy Officer in US
Nonprofit Organization Management, 201–500 Employees
Used the Software for: 2+ years
Reviewer Source

Alternatives Considered:

OneCause Is Great for Events

5.0 10 months ago

Comments: Overall we've had a great experience with OneCause. This is specifically for our event online silent auctions, event online donations, and event check in. The check in for OneCause is fantastic and intuitive and mostly everything about the new platform is great. Inputting and packaging auction items is easy and works well, building the site is easy, etc. It all works so well and is easy to use and I think easy too from a user experience standpoint.

Pros:

We switched over to the new OneCause Fundraising Platform and it is AMAZING. You can tell it was made and tested by actual fundraisers who actually put on fundraising events. The user experience is pretty great, and the customer service is incredible. I was a beta tester for the fundraising platform, and after we used it for the firs time, our customer service rep did a whole hour long breakdown with me and listened to me complain about all the things that went wrong lol. BUT THEN this year, we connected and she went down and addressed EVERY ISSUE we had had and shared whether it had been fixed or solved. They are constantly evolving and updating it. Seriously fantastic customer service. (shout out to Casey). Also our salesperson Mark, was great and we got a consultant for free when we first implemented OneCause plus waived ticketing fees. OH and the new platform has the AI Auction Description Assistant which is a GAME CHANGER. No more hours of writing interesting auction descriptions. Just click the AI generator and poof! You've got one. Most only need a few minor edits. SO HELPFUL. And check out is really a breeze with the new platform too and makes so much sense, so much easier to get people their auction items and paid and out the door.

Cons:

On the one fundraising platform, electronic tickets are required, which is annoying for our older guests who have trouble with technology. So far, we have been able to work around it. Originally, you HAD to have it tied to an email address, so I literally sent electronic tickets to fake email addresses so our attendees wouldn't be bothered. Thankfully this year, they have done away with that, AND added an option to import tickets, which is really helpful. But it's just a little tricky to work around that. But the pros to the system far outway this con.

Karen
President in US
Philanthropy, 11–50 Employees
Used the Software for: 1+ year
Reviewer Source

OneCause Disappoints

2.0 4 months ago

Comments: Very disappointing. The database deleted items after we had already packaged them. It was not a quick fix as the OC reps insinuated. There were 3 people working on it for a few hours. The database erroneously indicated a sale was made the day before our event. Portions of the database deleted the letter "D" and replaced it with "=" making it difficult to search names to resolve problems. The database randomly added a guest from last year to the receipt for an unrelated person this year. I can only wonder what errors were not caught by us.

Pros:

It has a database of several of our previous galas.

Cons:

The software has a LOT of glitches and the people at OneCause don't really seem to care at all.

OneCause (formerly BidPal) Response

3 months ago

Thank you for the feedback, Karen. We're sorry to hear about the issues you encountered and would like to learn more. This is not typical of the OneCause experience. We'd love to chat live if you are willing. Please send us a note at [email protected] so we can set something up.

Andrea
Chief Operating Officer in US
Fund-Raising, 2–10 Employees
Used the Software for: 2+ years
Reviewer Source

Funding our Cause with OneCause

5.0 4 months ago

Comments: Our event coordinator at the Gala was very supportive and training our students well so that they were able to help our guests sign in, purchase and bid.

Pros:

The simplicity of purchasing tickets/items on line and actually bidding at our Gala.

Cons:

The length of time having to spend on a conference all with our event coordinator. We have been doing charitable events for 7 years with OneCause and clearly understand our rolls. All we really need is a quick review

OneCause (formerly BidPal) Response

4 months ago

Thank you for your review! We’re glad to hear that OneCause made ticket purchasing and bidding simple for your gala, and that your event coordinator provided great support, especially with training students. We appreciate your feedback on the time in pre-event calls and will share it with our team to improve the process. Thanks again for your continued partnership over the years!

Paul
Director of Advancement in US
Primary/Secondary Education, 51–200 Employees
Used the Software for: 2+ years
Reviewer Source

Alternatives Considered:

Great Auction Software and Customer Service

5.0 last year

Comments: Switching to this software really improved the quality of our annual Auction and helped us reach a new level. We have used the software for 5 years now and are very happy with the quality and service we receive (taking into account the comments about the old software being better than the new software).

Pros:

This online bidding software is incredibly user-friendly for our bidders and has very good administrative options for our Auction team. Also, the customer service at One Cause is always excellent. We pay extra to have an on-site representative at our event, and it has always helped our event to go smoothly. Using this software is an investment, we pay around $3,000-$4,000 total to use it just for our Auction event every year, but it is well worth the cost for the amount of money we raise and the ease of use of our bidders and team.

Cons:

Last year (2022) we used the new bidding software that OneCause was developing. There were many significant problems with this bidding software that made things difficult for our bidders and our team running the event. This year (2023) we were able to switch back to their older software, and that was a much better experience. We will want to continue using this older software in the future.

Jennifer
Board Member in US
Nonprofit Organization Management, 2–10 Employees
Used the Software for: 2+ years
Reviewer Source

Fantastic Auction Resource!

5.0 7 months ago

Comments: OneCause has been fantastic to work with. Even being a small non-profit, we have maximized its use in every way. We have seen increased revenue in the ease for donor use.

Pros:

I like how easy it is to navigate, duplicate events, and keep track from year to year. I like being able to pull reports for different events, and store donor information. Importing of info is easy, and great support and online resources, too!

Cons:

High equipment rental cost High processing fees

OneCause (formerly BidPal) Response

4 months ago

Thank you for your wonderful review! We’re thrilled to hear how much OneCause has helped you streamline your events and increase revenue. It’s great to know you’ve found the platform easy to use and appreciate the support and resources. Thank you for sharing your concerns about rental costs and processing fees--we’ll share that feedback with our team. Thanks again for choosing OneCause!

Janell
Development Associate in US
Entertainment, 11–50 Employees
Used the Software for: 1-5 months
Reviewer Source

MPAC Starlight Ball

5.0 last year

Comments: Amazing! In-house products combined with your staff made our experience exceptional.

Pros:

In house iPads and swipers!! Additionally, the staff provided night of was amazing.

Cons:

The Dashboard -- again I may just be used to GiveSmart I just wish it was nicer to look at. It was very easy to view the dashboard night of to see the progress of the silent auction

Luci
Administrative Office Manager in US
Individual & Family Services, 11–50 Employees
Used the Software for: 2+ years
Reviewer Source

OneCause brought our fundraising out of the dark ages!

5.0 7 months ago

Comments: As with so many other non-profits, we were forced to pivot during the pandemic to find other ways to fundraise. We purchased OneCause as a result and as it turns out, was one of the best purchases we've made. There are many facets to OneCause including event management, online auction, donation tracking, credit card processing, etc. The event website build requires some patience, but OneCause provides an outstanding help center including a "University" to help users succeed. Each support request that I've had over the past 4 years has been answered in a timely manner. On top of all that, OneCause provides regular webinars covering a variety of helpful topics. The event management piece is easy to use and track attendees. The online auction provides an outstanding guest experience and has increased our silent auction proceeds from the antiquated paper bid sheets. Overall OneCause is a powerful fundraising tool, and we are happy to have this software in our fundraising toolbelt.

Pros:

The best aspect of OneCause is the online auction. As important as the proceeds are from a fundraising event, the guest experience is just as important. Our guests are thrilled with the convenience that an online auction provides. The days of going back and forth to write down a bid are gone! OneCause delivers an outstanding, simple and convenient auction experience.

Cons:

What I like the least about OneCause is building an event website. The inability of uploading photos and videos directly into the custom pages is inconvenient. Instead, photos need to be uploaded to Google or Dropbox and then the link is placed behind the scenes with some tweaks. The same process is required for videos.

OneCause (formerly BidPal) Response

4 months ago

Thank you for your thoughtful review! We’re thrilled to hear how OneCause has transformed your fundraising and elevated the guest experience through our online auction feature. It’s great to know the platform has become such a valuable tool for your organization, and we’re glad our help center and webinars have been helpful over the years. We appreciate your feedback on the event website functionality, and we’ll share it with our team for future improvements. Thanks again for your support and for choosing OneCause to power your fundraising efforts!

Gina
Program Director in US
Nonprofit Organization Management, 2–10 Employees
Used the Software for: 2+ years
Reviewer Source

OneCause Helps with Our Cause!

5.0 9 months ago

Comments: I love OneCause! No more paper bid sheets! No more raffle tickets! Everything is on the OneCause platform where tickets, bidding, and donations are simple.

Pros:

OneCause is very userfriendly and when I don't know how to do something, their training videos and websites are very helpful as is customer service when I need a little more help! We've used OneCause for over a decade and I've been working with it for the past three years for our event planning. We've had events where OneCause provided support persons and equipment and we've had events that were completely DIY. As the event is approaching and ending, I use OneCause multiple times a day to track progress and do post-event reports. Our most recent experience with OneCause was for a golf tournament (a new event for us) and integration and implementation was easy and seamless!

Cons:

My only issue with OneCause is when I'm entering items for our auctions and click Save and Next, it doesn't always save my entry. It's not a deterrent, I just go about entering, saving, and entering the next item differently.

OneCause (formerly BidPal) Response

8 months ago

Thank you for your wonderful review! We're delighted to hear how OneCause has been user-friendly and instrumental in your event planning over the years. It's fantastic to know our training resources, customer service, and support have been helpful to you. We appreciate your feedback about the auction item entry process and will look into this issue. Your insights are important to us as we continue to improve our platform. We're thrilled that OneCause has made managing tickets, bidding, and donations simple and efficient for you. Thank you for sharing your experience and for your continued partnership!

Kemba
Special Events Manager in US
Nonprofit Organization Management, 51–200 Employees
Used the Software for: 6-12 months
Reviewer Source

OneCause-A Breath of Fresh Air

5.0 4 months ago

Comments: We used another CRM company in the past, and they couldn't compare it to OneCause. Our entire experience was like night and day.

Pros:

i love the customer service, the troubleshooting expertise, and the professionalism of OneCause's staff

Cons:

First American's processes system. There should be some alternative options for making payments through First American.

OneCause (formerly BidPal) Response

3 months ago

Thanks for your review, Kemba! We're glad to hear that OneCause has been a positive change for you over a CRM, and that our customer service has been helpful! We appreciate you trusting us to be a part of your fundraising.

Brian
Executive Director & Chief of Staff in US
Nonprofit Organization Management, 11–50 Employees
Used the Software for: 6-12 months
Reviewer Source

Easy to use platform & Ideal for Event Auction

5.0 2 years ago

Comments: They were very helpful to us as a new client. We really appreciated their insights to improve our auction and make our process go smoothly and easily.

Pros:

OneCause provided an easy-to-learn and easy-to-use platform that was perfect for our silent auction at a major fundraising event. The customer service was very helpful to assist with questions along the way.

Cons:

We wish the platform was conducive to hybrid auctions, both online bidding AND at event bidding with paper and pencil.

Lana
Membership and Special Events Manager in US
Performing Arts, 11–50 Employees
Used the Software for: 1-5 months
Reviewer Source

Streamline Your Auction With OneCause

5.0 last year

Pros:

The Customer Service team was always quick to respond and the same representative stayed with us through our event. Did not have to use a third party to have staff at our event.

Cons:

That you could not change the view of the item details on your page or mobile device

Jenny
Executive Director of Development & Advancement in US
Primary/Secondary Education, 11–50 Employees
Used the Software for: 6-12 months
Reviewer Source

OneCause is worth it!

5.0 2 years ago

Comments: I actually enjoyed our event for the first time. Since I had someone from OneCause helping with the technical check-in, processing in person gifts and auction check out, I could visit with our guests and ask them about their bids, if they were enjoying the event and thank them for attending. It was a huge win for me!

Pros:

The training classes are helpful. Software is easy to use. Any questions I had-they were there to help.

Cons:

The cost. But it is worth it. It’s just hard for our non- profit to spend money on something that makes my life easier.

OneCause (formerly BidPal) Response

2 years ago

We are so happy to hear about your positive experience with our software, Jenny. Thank you so much for taking the time to write this review. So grateful to be partnered with your cause.

Elizabeth
Director of Development & Communications in US
Nonprofit Organization Management, 11–50 Employees
Used the Software for: 1+ year
Reviewer Source

Alternatives Considered:

It'll Get the Job Done

4.0 4 years ago

Comments: I would say that overall the end-user experience has been good with minimal complaints and confusion. The back-end for these systems is very confusing and takes a lot of technology understanding, Googling, calling the help center, and trial and error. There was a lot of frustration in our office as we navigated setting up the system (both years, because we unfortunately had to learn an entirely new system this year from the one we learned last year). I am so glad the events went well and the end-users were pleased with the experience, but the set-up was definitely hard to navigate. I hope the new VEC is more set-up friendly, and will integrate more of the OneCause products into one location.

Pros:

The end-user experience was seamless and fairly easy to navigate. Our donors were impressed and excited about the interactivity and the ability to participate in the silent auction and get reminders right on their phones. We hosted an event last year in-person and used the Mobile Bidding Software for our silent auction, and our revenue was significantly increased because of the engagement. We then used the Virtual Event Software for an entirely virtual event this year including a silent and live auction and appeal. The engagement was great, and our live auction went far better than expected.

Cons:

The fact that the Mobile Bidding Software (MBS) and the Virtual Event Center (VEC) do not integrate and the VEC was still under construction make it hard to leave a review for what I liked least. But in terms of the MBS; the software is not very intuitive and there are a lot of areas where I didn't like having to duplicate my process (like in the item vs. package). The reports you could run at the end using the MBS were really helpful, but the VEC had hardly any options for reporting and we had to create a lot of our own reports, which was incredibly time consuming. The lack of ticketing functionality in the VEC led us to use the MBS for ticketing only and then we had to comp every single ticket individually because the VEC did not allow us to upload a csv file for all of our comped tickets. There are a lot of pieces that can be improved in the VEC but they are planning to improve them as they continue to build the software. More knowledge about the system in the "help center" and "knowledge bank" would have been really great.

OneCause (formerly BidPal) Response

4 years ago

Thank you for your review, Elizabeth! We're so glad to hear your event went even better than expected. Happy to be partnered with you!

Brandi
Assistant Director of Alumni Relations in US
Events Services, 201–500 Employees
Used the Software for: 2+ years
Reviewer Source

Alternatives Considered:

Wilmington University loves One Cause!

5.0 3 years ago

Comments: Our overall experience has been amazing. From the technical support, customer service, and overall event management One Cause has improved our entire events process.

Pros:

We started out with the mobile bidding software and it streamlined our fundraising events increasing revenue and accessibility for guests to attend globally even if they couldn't attend in person. We then moved on to include peer to peer for donor management and campaigns. This software has changed our overall event production providing a smooth process for the user and the attendees.

Cons:

I think the one improvement I would suggest is having the option to text attendees through the peer to peer software similar to the mobile bidding software.

OneCause (formerly BidPal) Response

3 years ago

Thank you so much for the feedback, Brandi. We love seeing the impact that our products have on our customer's fundraising experience. So grateful to partner with your cause.

TESSA
Marketing Specialist in US
Nonprofit Organization Management, 11–50 Employees
Used the Software for: 2+ years
Reviewer Source

The Best Out There!

5.0 9 months ago

Pros:

I love the one-on-one support we receive from our event managers. It is so helpful to have someone willing to help at all times.

Cons:

The site customization is limited and can make it difficult to incorporate our branding.

OneCause (formerly BidPal) Response

8 months ago

Thank you for your review, Tessa! We're thrilled to hear that you love the one-on-one support from our event managers and find their assistance helpful. We appreciate your feedback on site customization and understand the importance of incorporating your branding. Your input is valuable as we continue to improve the OneCause Fundraising Platform. Thank you for choosing OneCause and sharing your experience with us!

Marc
Director of Development and Membership in US
Nonprofit Organization Management, 11–50 Employees
Used the Software for: 2+ years
Reviewer Source

OneCause offers a great service for running an online auction

5.0 10 months ago

Comments: We are in our 2nd 3-years contract with OneCause and have been more than satisfied for all of our events managed through BidPal. The customer service has been excellent, we have had no complaints from our supporters, and we continue to increase the dollars raised through our auction.

Pros:

We selected OneCause for its BidPal service, and the high quality it provides in running online auctions. It allows attendees to easily track their bids, manage their payments, and saves valuable staff time while increasing the dollars raised at our annual event. The bidding site is customizable to your organization, and is mostly user friendly.

Cons:

While building the bidding site, some features are a little out of date, such as uploading/embedding photos and video.

Diane
Regional Impact Officer in US
Nonprofit Organization Management, 51–200 Employees
Used the Software for: 6-12 months
Reviewer Source

Logic based platform

5.0 last year

Comments: I love it

Pros:

I like how logical the layout of use is.

Cons:

The steps required to upload auction items could be streamlined

Masud
Human Resource Manager in US
Information Technology & Services, 51–200 Employees
Used the Software for: 1+ year
Reviewer Source

My Experience With OneCause

5.0 last year

Pros:

I like the registration and attendee management It makes scheduling easy and is so easy to use With OneCause, we have had it easy managing events

Cons:

Well, OneCause has been amazing and really no issues

Maureen
Development & Special Events Coordinator in US
Nonprofit Organization Management, 11–50 Employees
Used the Software for: 1+ year
Reviewer Source

OneCause is wonderful!

5.0 2 years ago

Comments: We've used OneCause for smaller fundraising events with a silent auction and large gala events with a live auction. For any event, it's been the key to our event success.

Pros:

The customer service sets OneCause apart. Knowing that you can always speak with someone at OneCause leading up to your event is incredible. They answer the phone quickly and are so easy to understand. They always present the optimal way to set it up too. The software is very intuitive to use. Both event attendees and employees have positive interaction with the software.

Cons:

I can't think of any -- it's really a great platform.

Jackie
Senior Director Marketing & Communications in US
Nonprofit Organization Management, 11–50 Employees
Used the Software for: 2+ years
Reviewer Source

OneCause makes fundraising easy!

5.0 2 years ago

Comments: OneCause has elevated our event processes and in turn our fundraising. The next advancement they have rolled out with the new platform is truly NEXT LEVEL. It provides even more integration and opportunity for opening events to people outside the room with increased functionality and support, in addition to support features for non-event specific fundraising. The creativity and passion that goes into creating their software and services offered makes OneCause stand out.

Pros:

We've used OneCause for several years on multiple events and it's such an easy platform. The team is supportive and always provides best practices to help keep us on track and making things the most effective. They stay in touch throughout the process which makes the day of easier on everyone. I like the extensive reporting options and variety of ways to export the data. The onsite staff is crucial for event success - their team thinks about events in a big picture way often enabling them to be a step ahead. They manage so much behind the scenes that keep the nonprofit members able to focus on guests.

Cons:

Integration was easy and I can't think of anything that's missing for my needs.

Dev
Assistant Director in US
Nonprofit Organization Management, 2–10 Employees
Used the Software for: 1+ year
Reviewer Source

OneCause is great for nonprofit fundraising and virtual events.

5.0 2 years ago

Comments: Great customer support and technical assistance.

Pros:

It's great because attendees can bid, buy raffle tickets, and donate on their own phones at the event, and virtual attendees can as well.

Cons:

It's a bit pricey for a small nonprofit organization.

Mary D
Executive Director in US
Mental Health Care, 11–50 Employees
Used the Software for: 2+ years
Reviewer Source

Showing Up and Looking Good

5.0 2 years ago

Comments: We have had a great relationship with everyone over the years at OneCause! From support, to contracts, to our consultants and on site personnel, the team is ready to help us be successful and are fully vested in our efforts!

Pros:

Utilizing the event management feature is critical to the success of our annual fundraiser. It allows for even a small nonprofit like ours to make a big splash and look very professional.

Cons:

The software doesn't exactly work hand in hand with our established donor software.

Erin
Communications and Development Associate in US
Music, 11–50 Employees
Used the Software for: 1-5 months
Reviewer Source

A successful auction earns OneCause a happy customer

4.0 2 years ago

Comments: OneCause is a great, affordable fundraising and event managing software with awesome customer service and reports/analytics.

Pros:

The features that I used and appreciated the most were mobile marketing, ticketing, and reports/ analytics. The customer service at OneCause is top notch. I was responded to immediately with affective answers.

Cons:

The dashboard and lingo used in OneCause could be more intuitive (donors vs supporters for example). My organization did a silent auction of mostly fine art. I was not thrilled with the low-resolution photos that were too small to see the art. If you upload more than one photo, you cannot click to see the photos unless you pause and stay on the page for several seconds. I ended up having to create a high resolution share folder and insert the link into the description of each auction package. Several donors (young and old) could not easily see the various sub-groups and only looked at the Featured Items tab so I ended up including all packages in the featured items tab.

OneCause (formerly BidPal) Response

2 years ago

Thank you so much for taking the time to write this review, Erin. We appreciate the thoughtful feedback. It is through reviews like this that we can continue to make enhancements to our products. Grateful we get to partner with your cause!

Stella
Development & Special Events Coordinator in US
Nonprofit Organization Management, 201–500 Employees
Used the Software for: 2+ years
Reviewer Source

OneCause User

5.0 3 years ago

Comments: I like using OneCause because it is easy to manage and easy to train people on. I love working with the OneCause staff online and most especially on site. The OneCause support staff is knowledgeable and promptly responds to questions or needs. The onsite staff is very friendly and work really hard to provide us with feedback on how best to maximize the features of the platform. They make recommendations but make sure they know who the client is and not overstep their bounds.

Pros:

I have used this platform in my previous job and I found it to be very easy to use, like the newly updated features i.e. sponsors able to send a unique invite link to their guests. Our events team was able to jump in and use it right away. I also like that disbursements are made the next day after the event and the financial reports are easy to use or download..

Cons:

Not being able to upload images directly on the site. I have to use a dropbox link to store the images I use for the pages.

OneCause (formerly BidPal) Response

2 years ago

Thank you so much for taking the time to provide us this review, Stella. We love hearing how our software was easy to use and seamless for your organization. So glad we get to partner with your cause.