Michigan Nonprofit Fundraising Software: Why ClickBid Is Built for the Mission (and the Moment)

If you're a nonprofit in Michigan searching for fundraising software, there's a good chance you've typed some version of "best fundraising platform for nonprofits in Michigan". Here's the short answer: ClickBid is Michigan's own nonprofit fundraising software, founded, built, and staffed right here in the state, and used by nonprofits across Grand Rapids, Detroit, Ann Arbor, Lansing, and beyond to run auctions, ticketed galas, peer-to-peer campaigns, and giving days that actually work and save your team time on event night.

But we don't just want you to take our word for it because we're local. We want you to understand why a Michigan-founded, Michigan-headquartered company builds fundraising software differently, and why that difference shows up in the moments that matter most for your organization.

Our Story: From a One-Time Hospice Auction to Thousands of Nonprofits a Year

ClickBid didn't start as a software company looking for a market. It started with a problem.

In 2002, our founder, Matt Burnell, was working alongside a hospice organization in Grand Rapids, Michigan, helping run a fundraising auction the old-fashioned way, paper bid sheets, manual tallying, volunteers scrambling at the end of the night to figure out who won what. Matt saw firsthand how much time, money, and donor goodwill got lost in that chaos.

So he did something about it: he coded and built the software himself, envisioning something nonprofits desperately needed but didn't have, a simple way to bring technology into the auction process without adding complexity to an already stressful event.

That first electronic auction in 2002 made ClickBid one of the earliest mobile bidding platforms in the country, and Michigan has been home base ever since.

More than two decades later, ClickBid has grown into a second-stage company with 24 employees across departments like account management, product, development, quality assurance, and partner relations, headquartered in Norton Shores, MI, with remote employees across the state. We now support thousands of nonprofits and more than 4,000 fundraising events every year, but the mission Matt started with hasn't changed: make fundraising simpler, so nonprofits can focus on the cause, not the logistics.

Who We Serve

ClickBid works with nonprofits of every size and mission, hospice organizations, schools and PTOs, animal rescues, food banks, hospital foundations, youth sports leagues, faith-based organizations, and community foundations across Michigan and nationwide.

Whether you're running your very first mobile bidding gala or your fiftieth annual auction, our platform is built to scale with you, from small community fundraisers to large hybrid galas with hundreds of guests.

Why We Do It

Our mission is simple: help charities raise awareness for their causes, strengthen donor relationships through great events, and open the door to year-round giving, not just one night a year. We do that by pairing an easy-to-use platform with a service team that's actually invested in your event's outcome, not just your software license.

We know that for a nonprofit, a fundraising event isn't just a night out, it's often the single biggest revenue driver of the year. That kind of pressure deserves a partner, not just a login.

The Team Behind the Product

Here's what makes ClickBid's product development different from most software companies: our team actually attends nonprofit events. Account managers, product staff, and even developers get out from behind their desks and into real auctions, galas, and fundraisers, helping manage check-in lines, watching guests navigate bidding on their phones, watching what happens when the WiFi hiccups thirty minutes before the paddle raise.

That first hand exposure to the high-stakes reality of event night directly shapes what we build. Features don't start as a whiteboard idea, they start as a real problem someone on our team watched happen in a ballroom or a gymnasium.

We also lean on two additional feedback channels to keep building the right things:

• A Client Advisory Board made up of nonprofits actively using the platform, giving direct input on what's working and what isn't.
• A Partner Program of event planners, consultants, and professional auctioneers who bring an outside, expert perspective on what makes an event run smoothly.

This combination of observation, active client feedback, and industry-expert input, is why ClickBid's features tend to feel less like generic software and more like tools built by people who've actually run an event before.

What ClickBid Offers

ClickBid is a full event fundraising platform, not a single-purpose tool. Our core features include:

• Mobile bidding for silent and live auctions
• Online ticketing and event registration
• Peer-to-peer fundraising campaigns
• Text-to-give
• Day-of-event tools and displays for check-in, leaderboards, and live updates
• CRM integrations to keep donor data connected across your systems
• Live video event streaming for hybrid and virtual attendees
• Custom email and text messaging to keep donors engaged before, during, and after the event

Every one of these features is built to be volunteer-proof, because on event night, the people running the software aren't always tech experts, and they shouldn't need to be to complete event activities.

What Makes ClickBid Different

There's no shortage of fundraising software out there. Here's what nonprofits tell us actually sets ClickBid apart.

A real person, every event, every time.

Every ClickBid client gets a Michigan based dedicated account manager for onboarding, training, volunteer prep, and pre-event questions. And on the night of your event, a ClickBid team member is assigned to your event for live, after-hours support.

If you're standing in front of a major donor and something in the software isn't cooperating or you can't remember a process, you call us, and we stay on the phone until it's resolved. For a high-stakes, one-shot events, that's often the difference between a stressful night and a successful one.

Transparent pricing, no surprises.

No hidden fees, no percentage cuts off your donations, no donor "tips" baked into checkout. What you see is what you pay.

ClickBid has two license options built for all types of fundraisers from galas, golf tournaments, school auctions, church benefits, or hospital foundations. Our two license options offer a wide varity of features available 365 days a year with unlimited events and campaigns. 

Fast to launch, easy to customize.

Some nonprofits sign on the week of their event and are fully set up in a matter of hours. Others take advantage of full branding and customization to match their organization's identity. Either way, the day-of experience is designed to be simple enough that no intensive volunteer training is required.

Features shaped by real events, not assumptions.

As covered above, we build what we see nonprofits actually need on event night, because we're the ones standing next to them when it happens. Fundraising events need quick solutions and easy features. ClickBid can guarantee our features are volunteer and donor proof, creating an easy process from beginning to end. 

Michigan Nonprofit Success Stories

Nothing tells the ClickBid story better than the nonprofits using it.

Mittens for Detroit

Mittens for Detroit came to ClickBid after years on a platform that had turned into an impersonal call center, clunky reporting a dated donor experience and a little to none real support when something went wrong. Since switching to ClickBid, their team has used mobile bidding, day of event tools and board-ready reporting to run a smoother event with volunteers no longer chasing down paper bid sheets and a long post-event reconciliation process. Mittens for Detroit shares how ClickBid's dedicated support contact makes the switching transition easy, and fosters a relationship-first environment that turned a routine software switch into a real partnership. (Read the full Mittens for Detroit story here.)

New Day Foundation for Families

New Day Foundation for Families has partnered with ClickBid since 2019, expanding their use of the platform across multiple annual events rather than sticking to a single auction. Their biggest event draws over 450+ supporters, but of their portion of their donor base is immunocompromised and can't attend in person, so their team utilized ClickBid's Live Video EventStream to let those supporters watch, and participate safely from home. Layered with a silent auction, ticketing, and messaging tools, EventStream is one example of how ClickBid's feature set has a long-term partner do more events each year without switching or adding new platforms. (Read the full New Day Foundation Families story here.) 

The Hope Project

The Hope Project increased net event income by 326% after moving to ClickBid and streamlining their annual event into a more philanthropic fundraiser. Their efforts of moving to mobile bidding, hiring an auctioneer, incorporating fundraiser games, and streamlining event ticketing has made an easy and simple donor experience that has resulted in higher donor turnout and increased revenue for their mission.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is ClickBid a Michigan-based company?

Yes. ClickBid was founded in 2002 in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and is headquartered in Norton Shores, MI.

What kind of nonprofits use ClickBid?

Nonprofits of every size and cause, hospice organizations, schools, animal rescues, food banks, hospital foundations, and community groups, use ClickBid for auctions, galas, ticketed events, and giving campaigns.

Does ClickBid offer support during the actual event?

Yes. Every event is assigned a dedicated ClickBid team member for real-time, after-hours phone support on event night, in addition to a dedicated account manager for pre-event onboarding and training.

Is ClickBid's pricing transparent?

Yes. ClickBid uses transparent pricing with no hidden fees, no percentage cuts on donations, and no donor tips added at checkout.

How quickly can a nonprofit get set up on ClickBid?

Some organizations launch an event within hours or days of signing up, while others take advantage of custom branding options for a more tailored setup.

Ready to See If ClickBid Is a Fit for Your Next Event?

If you're planning a fundraising event anywhere in Michigan, or anywhere in the United States or Canada and want software that's actually built by people who understand what event night feels like, we'd love to talk and show you how ClickBid can help.

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