how HANDBID ELEVATES professional sports foundation auctions
YOUR FANS
ALREADY LOVE IT
Professional sports foundations run fundraising at a pace and scale that most platforms can’t handle. Multiple franchises, seasonal auction calendars, game-day activations, and a fan base that expects the same quality from your auction as they do from your franchise. Your fans are your bidders. Your brand is their trust. And a decade of partnership proves that the right platform becomes part of the fan experience itself.
why generic auction platforms fail for PRO SPORTS FOUNDATIONS
It’s a seasonal operation spanning multiple franchises, dozens of auctions per year, and a fan base that returns season after season. You need a platform that returning fans already know, that scales across multiple teams, and that a one-person foundation staff can manage without a tech team. Most auction platforms require too much setup, too much training, and too much overhead for the pace pro sports demands.
Your foundation needs a platform
that’s as reliable as your franchise’s commitment to winning.
how HANDBID works for YOU
Multi-franchise support
Run auctions across Capitals, Wizards, Mystics, and cross-franchise collaborations — all from one account.
Fan-familiar platform
Returning bidders already know Handbid. Season after season, familiarity reduces friction and increases engagement.
Mobile bidding from the arena
Fans bid from their seats, the concourse, or home. The auction stays in their pocket.
Salesforce integration
Auction data and purchase results flow directly into your CRM for financial reporting and donor management.
Buy Now pricing
Tiered pricing for player popularity. Star jerseys priced higher. Configurable per item.
Turnkey for small teams
Designed for foundation directors managing everything. No tech team required.
featured use case
The Monumental Sports & Entertainment Foundation — the charitable arm of the organization that owns the Washington Capitals, Wizards, and Mystics — has been on Handbid for over a decade. Led by a single full-time employee, Liz Pace manages auction fundraising across three professional sports franchises.
what WE DID
for the CAPITALS
Mobile Bidding
Real-time outbid notifications keep guests engaged and bidding from anywhere in the venue. With 16,500+ bids placed across Derby Day events, mobile bidding transformed a 130-item silent auction from a walk-around-and-scribble experience into a competitive, revenue-driving machine — doubling auction revenue in its very first year.
Tap-to-Pay Check-in
What once required paper forms, manual card entry, and a small army of volunteers now takes seconds. Guests tap their card or phone at a Stripe terminal, their payment method is stored, and they're ready to bid. At checkout, there's no line — invoices go straight to their phone, and guests leave on their own time.
Peer-to-Peer Fundraising
When COVID shut down in-person events in 2020, PWSA Colorado launched its first peer-to-peer campaign on Handbid — Race for a Cure. Supporters recruited their own networks, raised funds online, and proved that giving doesn't require a ballroom. Across four P2P campaigns, Derby supporters have raised over $127,000 beyond auction night.
Theme Manager
Derby Day's landing page isn't a generic template — it's a fully branded experience that matches the look and feel of Denver's classiest event. Handbid's Theme Manager gives organizers complete control over colors, logos, imagery, and layout, so guests feel the event's identity from the moment they land on the page.
Mobile bidding from the Arena
Fans bid from their seats, the concourse, or home — and Handbid knows who’s where. An in-app prompt asks each bidder whether they’re on-site or remote, tagging every bidder and invoice with that flag. Auction managers filter by location to know exactly who’s in the building to pick up winning items at the end of the game — no GPS tracking required. Over 10 years, 66,931 bids placed, $4.97M raised.
CRM Integration
Auction data and purchase results flow directly from Handbid into the MSE Foundation’s Salesforce CRM for financial reporting and donor management. Built collaboratively with MSEF’s IT team over two years, this integration eliminates manual data entry and gives the foundation real-time visibility into auction performance across Capitals, Wizards, and Mystics.
Enterprise SSO
Comcast Spectacor’s corporate security policy requires all staff to authenticate through Comcast’s central SSO servers — no separate logins for third-party systems. Handbid built a dedicated SAML-based single sign-on integration so Flyers staff access the platform through their existing Comcast credentials. GiveSmart refused to meet this requirement. Handbid said yes.
Contractor Access Controls
Professional sports organizations rely on third-party contractors for event execution. Comcast Spectacor needed a way to grant restricted, temporary platform access to outside vendors helping with specific Flyers events — without giving them permanent credentials or full system access. Handbid built scoped access controls that expire when the event does.
their
RESULTS
What began as a requirement for absolute control became confidence in the platform’s ability to support repeatable, high-stakes auctions.
$4.97M Total Revenue Raised
Nearly $5 million raised across 177 auctions over a decade of partnership.
177 Auctions Run
From charity jersey sales to casino nights to cross-franchise events — all on one platform.
21,564 Registered Bidders
A fan base that knows and trusts the platform, returning season after season.
10+ Year Partnership
No competitor can claim a decade of continuous trust from an NHL franchise’s foundation.
BEFORE
Set up seasonal auction calendars across franchises. Configure Buy Now pricing by player tier. Pre-register fans and send branded auction notifications.
AFTER
Auction data flows directly into Salesforce. Generate donor reports, sponsor analytics, and season-over-season performance comparisons.
DURING
Fans bid from their seats, the concourse, or home. Real-time dashboards track revenue, engagement, and bidding activity across all active auctions.
why foundation directors trust handbid
A decade of trust with an NHL franchise
A platform fans already know and love
One-person team, enterprise-level results
what this MEANS FOR YOU
When your platform becomes part of the fan experience, that’s not software — that’s partnership. Handbid gives foundation directors the tools to run enterprise-level fundraising across multiple franchises, with a single staff member, season after season.
FAQs highlights
Can one person really manage auctions across multiple teams?
Yes. Liz Pace manages fundraising across the Capitals, Wizards, and Mystics as a one-person team. Handbid is designed to be turnkey for small foundation staffs.
Do fans have to re-register for each auction?
No. Fans register once and are familiar with the platform season after season. Returning bidder familiarity is one of Handbid’s strongest advantages.
Can we integrate with our CRM?
Yes. Handbid has a direct Salesforce integration that pushes auction data and purchase results into your existing financial reporting workflows.
What about game-day or arena-based auctions?
Handbid was originally built for in-person mobile bidding. Fans bid from their seats, the concourse, or remotely — all in real time.
When your fans already love the platform,
that’s the only proof point you need.
