Trellis.org

I have had nothing but success working with Trellis.org. Setting up the webpage, inputting silent auction items, and using the LIVE Streaming platform, the experience was virtually seamless. Trellis support staff was always on the job from the easiest to the most complicated questions, they had my back from day 1. The only constructive feedback that I got from my fundraising users was they wished there was a search bar on Trellis.org to search for a specific fundraiser. In my case, it would have been nice to be able to search "Journey to Olympics". I plan to host more silent auctions in the future, and keep my trellis website live for continued donations.

As a donor, my experience with trellis was incredibly off-putting. An individual in our community was recently diagnosed with cancer and the other businesses decided to rally to create a silent auction for her benefit during this difficult time. Having frequented her establishment, I was eager to take part and support her in this way. Immediately upon arriving on the website, I thought it was a little odd as I had to create a profile just to see all the items available. So without even knowing if there were any items I'd be interested in, I had to sign up. Secondly, you can't bid without giving credit card information and no other payment options are available. As someone who does not like giving out my credit card number, this was uncomfortable as well - especially since I hadn't won anything yet. It also limits anyone who may not have a credit card. Third, I realized near the end of the auction that there are quite hefty service fees associated with the site (I ended up winning $320 worth of items and paid over $20 in additional service fees). Lastly, the automated bidding option, while convenient for anyone wishing to use it, is both confusing and (in my opinion) dishonest. When a person chooses their limit, they automatically out-bid any other bidder, regardless of dollar amount. So if a donor out-bids a previous price at say $20 and an automated bid was set to a maximum of $20, even though the other donor bid $20 first, the automated bidder will still win unless the first donor out-bids (themselves, essentially) with a higher amount. Any auction I have ever seen honors a first-bid, first-served basis. Trellis completely throws this out the window. I feel quite violated and feel the integrity of silent auctions and the spirit of friendly competition is completely crushed with these unnecessary additions. I will not be using this platform again. If another fundraiser chooses to use this site, I will donate directly to the organization itself and forego Trellis entirely. I do not recommend. At all.

We've hosted multiple events using the Trellis platform and always have a great experience. The platform is very well built and user friendly. When we do need support or have questions, the team gets back to us quickly. Great company to work with. Looking forward to many more events together!