CharityBids
CharityBids is a bootstrapped, founder-owned firm founded in 2011 that runs charity auctions, event production, and celebrity talent booking for 1,500+ non-profits and foundations, earning revenue through consignment commissions and professional services fees.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2011
- HeadquartersNew York, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What CharityBids does
CharityBids is a privately held, founder-owned services firm founded in 2011 that designs, produces, and executes charity fundraising auctions for non-profits, foundations, and increasingly corporate event buyers. Its core offering combines three service lines: auction item consignment and procurement (packages ranging from $80 minimums to $10,500+ celebrity experiences), end-to-end event production (galas, virtual and hybrid shows, themed events), and celebrity talent booking drawn from a roster of 250+ collaborators. The firm does not operate a proprietary technology platform; its public presence runs on Squarespace and its delivery model is bespoke, human-curated, and relationship-driven rather than software-mediated.
The business model is a hybrid of consignment commissions on auction items sold and professional services fees for event production and talent booking. Go-to-market is primarily sales-led and referral-driven, with the firm citing 1,500+ organizations served since inception, marquee clients including the Andrea Bocelli Foundation, Elton John AIDS Foundation, American Friends of Magen David Adom, Chai Lifeline, the Kennedy Center, and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, and cumulative fundraising of $500M+ for charitable causes (a transaction-flow figure, not company revenue). The firm has expanded its geographic footprint across North America, Europe, the Caribbean, Central America, the Middle East, and APAC, with a UK-based sister entity, Seloquence, providing localized EMEA execution.
CharityBids remains bootstrapped, with no disclosed external funding rounds, no disclosed revenue, and a small senior leadership team (CEO, Managing Director, VP of Operations, Director of Client Experience, Creative Director). Recent strategic signals include a 2020 pivot to virtual and hybrid live auctions (100+ virtual/hybrid shows executed during COVID-19), a digital auction catalogue product launch, and a 2026 expansion into investment-themed events such as J2J Expo and Convergence 2026. There is no evidence of proprietary AI/ML, a technology platform, or patent portfolio; competitive advantage is anchored in celebrity relationships, curation expertise, and event production know-how rather than software.
CharityBids firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- CharityBids
- Legal name
- CharityBids
- Website
- https://charitybids.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2011
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- CharityBids is a bootstrapped, founder-owned firm founded in 2011 that runs charity auctions, event production, and celebrity talent booking for 1,500+ non-profits and foundations, earning revenue through consignment commissions and professional services fees.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
CharityBids industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Non-profit fundraising services
- NAICS
- Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events without Facilities (711320), Convention and Trade Show Organizers (561920)
- SIC
- Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Community Fundraisers & Charity Events (Gala/Walks excluded) (MPAGAEAK)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Sponsorship Activation & Experiential Marketing (THAHAGAC)
Keywords
Where CharityBids is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New York
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
CharityBids business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Auction Consignment: Provides exclusive experiences/packages for charity auctions with no upfront costs to charities. Generates revenue through the spread between consignment price and final auction sale price, as well as coordination fees for experience redemption management.
- Event Production Services: Full-suite event production services for in-person, virtual, and hybrid events including design, ideation, creative development, talent booking, script writing, filming, and location scouting. Fees typically included within client budgets rather than charged as flat fees.
- Talent Booking: Books A-list talent and entertainment for non-profit events and projects, leveraging exclusive relationships in the talent industry to provide access at discounted rates.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Auction Consignment Packages |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels3 records
CharityBids product offering
Product offeringCore offering
CharityBids provides auction consignment, A-list talent booking, and full-suite event production services for non-profit fundraising. Exclusive experiences and packages are offered on a no-upfront-cost consignment basis for charity auctions, with revenue earned through the spread between consignment and final sale prices plus coordination fees. Event production covers in-person, virtual, and hybrid galas, including creative design, script writing, filming, talent booking, and location scouting.
Product overview
CharityBids is a service-based platform offering three interconnected core products: Event Production (full-suite services for in-person, virtual, and hybrid events), Talent Booking (access to A-list celebrities and entertainers for non-profit events), and Auction Consignment (providing exclusive experiences and packages for charity auctions via a digital catalogue). The Digital Catalogue serves as the product catalog for the consignment service, offering various experience categories including travel, culinary, sports, fashion, theatre, and virtual experiences that charities can include in their fundraising auctions.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Event Production Full-suite event production services for in-person, virtual, and hybrid fundraising events, including pre-production, post-production, design, creative development, script writing, filming, and location scouting. Built for non-profits and philanthropic institutions.
- Talent Booking
Quantifiable outcome
- $500M+ raised for charity through their services
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use CharityBids
Customer profileNamed customers9 records
Segments1 record
Ideal customer profiles2 records
CharityBids technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
CharityBids partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators7 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
CharityBids competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- OneCause: Software and services platform for non-profit fundraising, including online auctions, event management, and mobile bidding — competes with CharityBids on the digital auction and event-execution layer and serves an overlapping non-profit customer base.
- Givebutter: Modern fundraising platform for non-profits supporting online auctions, events, donations, and ticketing — comparable to CharityBids' auction and event production offering from a software-first angle, increasingly expanding into curated experiences.
- BetterWorld: Online charity auction and fundraising platform used by non-profits for galas and events — directly comparable on the auction technology and charity event services axis to CharityBids' consignment and event production stack.
- Charitybuzz: Online charity auction platform offering exclusive celebrity experiences, luxury travel, and unique packages to non-profits — closely comparable to CharityBids' auction consignment and digital catalogue business, with a similar consignment/no-upfront-cost model.
- Handbid: Mobile bidding and event fundraising platform built for non-profit galas and silent auctions — competes with CharityBids' event production and auction services for the same non-profit fundraiser buyer.
Broad incumbents
- Sotheby's: Global auction house that runs dedicated charity and benefit auctions (often in collaboration with non-profits) — overlapping with CharityBids on the high-end charity auction and luxury experience auction space, but at much larger scale and with broader auction verticals.
- Endeavor (WME): Global entertainment and talent agency (parent of WME) that books celebrity talent for live events including charity fundraisers — overlaps with CharityBids on talent booking for non-profit galas, but operates as a broad entertainment platform.
- Creative Artists Agency (CAA): Global talent agency that books A-list entertainers for events including non-profit galas — directly comparable to CharityBids' talent booking line, with substantially broader talent rosters and corporate scale.
- Christie's: Major international auction house that conducts charity sales and benefit auctions for philanthropic institutions — comparable to CharityBids on the charity auction and UHNW philanthropy axis, though Christie's primary business is fine art and luxury goods auctions.
Emerging players
- Live Auctioneers: Online auction platform that has expanded into charity and benefit auctions with timed and live formats — partial overlap with CharityBids' auction consignment offering, primarily focused on goods/art rather than experiences.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
CharityBids social profiles
Digital presenceCharityBids financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
CharityBids leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
CharityBids funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
CharityBids M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about CharityBids
What does CharityBids do?
CharityBids provides auction consignment, A-list talent booking, and full-suite event production services for non-profit fundraising. Exclusive experiences and packages are offered on a no-upfront-cost consignment basis for charity auctions, with revenue earned through the spread between consignment and final sale prices plus coordination fees. Event production covers in-person, virtual, and hybrid galas, including creative design, script writing, filming, talent booking, and location scouting.
Is CharityBids a public or private company?
CharityBids is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was CharityBids founded?
CharityBids was founded in 2011. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is CharityBids based?
CharityBids is headquartered in New York, United States, in the North America region.
How does CharityBids make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Auction Consignment is the primary driver. The others are event Production Services and talent Booking.
Who are CharityBids's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are OneCause, Givebutter, BetterWorld, Charitybuzz and Handbid. Broad incumbents are Sotheby's, Endeavor (WME), Creative Artists Agency (CAA) and Christie's. Live Auctioneers is listed as an emerging player.
Does CharityBids have an API?
No public API is recorded for CharityBids.
What industry is CharityBids in?
CharityBids's product category is Non-profit fundraising services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAGAEAK, Community Fundraisers & Charity Events (Gala/Walks excluded), with a secondary code of THAHAGAC, Sponsorship Activation & Experiential Marketing. Its NAICS code is 711320 and its SIC code is 7990.