CDawgVA uses Tiltify's auction functionality to raise $349,000+

The idea

YouTube and Twitch creator CDawgVA (Connor), wanted to throw an in-person “Sotheby’s” style auction but also allow his fanbase to participate, all to benefit the Immune Deficiency Foundation.

The event

On June 29, 2023, Tiltify hosted a hybrid in-person and online auction at the Biltmore Hotel in downtown Los Angeles. The event raised $165,000 in auction items, $123,062 in special raffle items, and an overall total of $349,000 in donations over a 4-hour livestream.

The in-person audience of 20 VIP guests participated in a meet and greet with Connor and bid on items live in person. Online bidding and donations came from CDawg's millions of followers on YouTube and Twitch.

This event was an excellent template of how to run a hybrid in-person and online auction using Tiltify's functionality. The online audience made their bids as soon as items opened up for bidding, while many of the in-person audience set up their Tiltify profiles and connected a payment source just before the event started. From there, they could make bids online in addition to raising paddles as is traditional with in-person auctions.

To ramp up the livestream entertainment, Tiltify utilized proxy bidders with earpieces within the audience calling out the highest online bid at the moment, as if the online bidder were also in the room making a bid. This ensured that Connor had the correct highest bid at the time.

Raffles!

How other nonprofits and content creators can use Tiltify to host their own successful hybrid events.

The event included eight raffles with two items each. The items were donated by fellow content creators and friends and included a Burberry-branded Xbox and a streaming starter kit full of products from Elgato.

Connor's team was able to create a raffle by repurposing the Tiltify donor rewards feature in which donors could select the reward item and donate a pre-selected minimum to enter the raffle.

After the audience had time to donate, CDawg ended the raffle section and event staff deactivated the reward from receiving donations. The donations spreadsheet was downloaded from CDawg's user account, sorted by the reward name, and winners were selected at random. CDawg was informed of the winners' usernames and announced them during the livestream.

The shipping address for each winner was captured during the donation process, so fulfillment of the items was easy after the event.

Overall, Tiltify's donor rewards feature was an effective way to create and manage the raffle for CDawgVA's charity event.

But was it also entertaining?

CDawgVA and his team know how to keep an audience entertained. Many of the content creators who provided auction items were able to attend in person and shared interesting or humorous anecdotes about their items. Those who couldn't attend sent in videos that were played live during the event.

Throughout the event, four "host punishment" sections added an element of fun and surprise. In the first, nerf guns were found under the attendees' seats, and Connor was bombarded with nerf arrows for the rest of the event. In the second, CDawg pulled up his pant leg and had his leg hair waxed. For the third punishment, he changed into a French maid's outfit, and for the final one, he and YouTuber Ludwig took bites of the extremely spicy "One Chip Challenge."

Overall, the event was a success, raising a significant amount of money for a worthy cause. Connor and his team did a great job of keeping the audience entertained and engaged throughout the event.