iConnectX

iConnectX is a multi-purpose fundraising service for nonprofits and businesses running events that need registration, auctions, donations, and Text-To-Give together. It is best suited to teams coordinating a campaign across those channels, particularly when a virtual audience matters. The free technology lowers the entry price, but transaction charges and separately priced support affect the real operating cost.

Overview

iConnectX combines event administration with fundraising rather than treating them as separate jobs. Hosted Events can provide a private event webpage, ticket sales, an online auction, and a virtual venue for as many as 1,000 participants. That is a useful package for charity galas, hybrid campaigns, and other events that need one public-facing destination.

The service is a product of Sqwirrel LLC, a Bloomfield Hills, Michigan company that says it began in 2017. It targets both nonprofits and businesses, so its positioning is broader than a tool built only for charitable organizations.

Key features

Ticketing and hosted events

Ticketing supports several ticket levels, early-bird pricing, emailed tickets with codes, and complete purchase reports. In practice, that gives organizers more control over admission pricing and a clearer sales record than a basic registration form. The virtual event option is listed with Zoom, and the hosted-event format can accommodate up to 1,000 participants.

Auctions and bidding

Auction tools include item watching, automatic bidding, and notifications by text and email. These features help bidders follow items and respond without constant manual messages. The BYO package has a concrete ceiling: up to 80 auction items per auction. Organizations with larger catalogs should check that limit before committing.

Donations and Text-To-Give

Donation forms accept custom amounts and issue receipts, while donation reports and social sharing support follow-up and outreach. Text-To-Give assigns each event a private mobile number and also handles custom amounts and receipts, giving supporters a separate mobile route to contribute. Together, these options cover online, event-based, and phone-led giving rather than forcing every donor through ticketing or an auction.

Payments and records

iConnectX says payment processing is secured by Authorize.net and lists Visa, MasterCard, and American Express. Event and donation data can be generated or downloaded as files for entry into a CRM. That export approach supports data handoff, but it is not presented as a direct CRM integration. Event registration, online donations, auction tools, donor reporting, and mobile bidding are all included capabilities.

Pricing

The Hosted Events plan is free at no cost. It is free technology for nonprofits, with only transaction fees applying. Credit-card processing is 2.29% plus $0.15 per transaction. The plan is self-serve, so support is excluded and support packages cost extra at the provided rates.

The free price is attractive for organizations that can manage setup and attendee questions internally. The BYO package listing allows up to 150 tickets per ticketed event, while the auction limit is 80 items per auction; those quotas matter for larger fundraisers even when the software fee is zero.

Platforms

iConnectX runs on Android, iOS, and the web. That combination covers mobile participants and browser-based administration without restricting the service to one device type.

Who it's for

Choose iConnectX when a nonprofit or business needs ticketing, auctions, donations, and Text-To-Give in the same event campaign, especially with a virtual component or an audience of up to 1,000. It also fits teams that can work self-serve and accept file-based CRM transfers.

Look elsewhere if your auction routinely exceeds 80 items, your ticketed event needs more than 150 BYO tickets, or support must be included rather than purchased separately. The transaction fee also makes the zero-price plan less suitable for organizations focused on minimizing per-payment costs.

Pros and cons

Pros

• Broad event toolkit: Ticketing, auctions, donations, and Text-To-Give can be combined in one campaign.
• Useful auction automation: Item watch, auto-bid, and text/email alerts reduce manual bidder updates.
• Virtual reach: Hosted events support up to 1,000 participants and list Zoom as a virtual option.
• No software charge on Hosted Events: Nonprofits can use the technology free, paying transaction fees instead.
• Actionable records: Purchase and donation reports, receipts, and CRM-ready file exports support post-event administration.

Cons

• Transaction costs remain: Card payments incur 2.29% plus $0.15 per transaction.
• Support costs extra: The free plan is self-serve and excludes support packages.
• BYO caps: The listed limits are 80 auction items and 150 tickets per ticketed event.
• File-based CRM workflow: Data is exported for entry into a CRM rather than described as a direct integration.

Alternatives

For a broad comparison, see Fundraising Event Software.

Givebutter is the better fit when you want a freemium service with a free-forever plan covering donation forms, fundraising pages, events, auctions, donor management, CRM, and marketing.

Choose Auctria instead when auction economics and explicit capacity are central: its free Explorer plan allows $10,000 in annual income, 250 bidders per event, three team members, unlimited events, and a 1% credit-card fee.

Generosity Works is an alternative paid platform for organizations seeking its stated platform-with-auctioneer offering.

Events.org suits organizers prioritizing event promotion, free-event hosting, attendee tracking, registrations, and automated thank-you letters.

GiveSmart is aimed at organizations willing to consider a paid service with unlimited events and campaigns.

RunSignup is a stronger match for race and registration workflows, including free events with no processing fee on a $0 cart.

RallyUp offers a free plan with no platform fee, donor tipping, and core fundraising components, while its Flex plan uses platform fees ranging from 2.9% to 6.9%.

Enthuse is worth considering for UK-focused fundraising, with a free Mass Participation plan in GBP and a paid Fundraising plan.

Verdict

iConnectX is a strong choice for nonprofits and businesses that want one event workspace spanning admission, bidding, donations, and text giving, with virtual participation built in. Its main reason to choose it is that breadth at a zero software price; its main reason to look elsewhere is the combination of per-transaction charges, paid support, and BYO event limits.