Setting Up and Using Your Live Tab

Tips for choosing a Video Streaming Platform      Chat       Managing Live Event

The Virtual “Live” Tab is a great tool, it allows your guests to watch the virtual live program while simultaneously bidding and donating.  This tab is compatible with YouTube, Facebook and Vimeo*.  Once on the page you will see 4 sections, 3 of these are used for the set up and 1 is used for managing live items on the night of the event.

Live Stream Video Setting:  To set up the Virtual “Live” Settings tab with your Admin Login click on the Dashboard button at the top right of your screen, then click on Virtual “Live” Settings under the Event Management section in the dashboard menu on the left hand side. 

1. Turn on Virtual “live” Tab:  Toggle this on when you are ready for your guest to be able to view the Live Tab.

2. LiveStream Date/Time: Set the time and date for your Live Stream

3. Select streaming source:  Choose from the drop down menu the video platform you will be streaming from.

4. Embed Code: You will pull this code from the platform you are using. 

-YouTube: You will need to add the YouTube Video ID to the base code below. To get this go to the YouTube video you will be using and copy just the video id from the end of the URL for your video.  You will replace the words YourVideoID in the base code with these numbers.

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v= 123456abc) 

Base Code: <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ YourVideoID?controls=0" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe

-Facebook:  Open your Facebook on your computer, go to the video you would like to use.  Click the Ellipsis (...) and select Embed. **This will only be an option if your video is set to public. Copy the code that appears on the screen.

- Vimeo: On your computer go to the Vimeo video you would like to use, under the video click Share. In the pop up you will see the the URL, in the URL find the Vimeo Video ID at the end of your URL and insert it into the base code below. (eg. https://vimeo.com/event/123456) 

Base Code:<iframe src="https://vimeo.com/live-chat/YOUR VIMEO VIDEO ID/" width="100%" height="1250" frameborder="0"></iframe>   This becomes the Embed code you need.

** https://vimeo.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/360040837872-Embed-your-event-on-your-website

5.  Include Chat Box on the Virtual “Live” page:  If you toggle this on, the video will be spaced to include a chat box for embedding your chat.  Chat will not work on mobile devices, only desktop.  Chat may also have some restrictions based on the platform and users will need to be logged in on the other platform on the computer in order to participate.

6.  Chat Embed Code: To make the code to embed for your live chat you will need to add two things to the base code (see Base Code Below).

- The chat URL: To get this go to the YouTube video you will be using and copy just the video id from the end of the URL for your video.  You will replace the words YourVideoID in the base code with these numbers.

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v= 123456abc)  You will also need to replace the word SUBDOMAIN in the base code with yours from your MaxGiving.bid site.  **Your Subdomain is the first part of your MaxGivng.bid URL, example the yellow part of video.maxgiving.bid.

Base Code:
<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/live_chat?v= YourVideoID&embed_domain=SUBDOMAIN.maxgiving.bid" width="600" height="350" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>

**Once you have added those 2 pieces of information into the code, copy and paste the completed embed code into the text box.

**Remember to Click the SAVE button when making any changes.

**** If chat is giving you issues using YouTube or Vimeo or is unavailable for your video platform, reach out to our support team and we can provide an alternative option.

Select  what Auction Items, Donation Levels and Items for Sales will be available for the Virtual Live:  These lists will display all of the items that you will have in your livestream.  ***You can use the text boxes  to search for an item by simply typing in the text box.

7. Choose the Auction Items you would like to use: Click the box next to the items you would like to use in your live Event. Once you click an item you will see it appear in the Manage Virtual Live Event Section. 

8. Choose the levels you would like to use: Click the box next to the donation you would like to use in your live Event.  Once you click an item you will see it appear in the Manage Virtual Live Event Section.

9. Choose the Items you would like to use: Click the box next to the items you would like to use in your live Event.  Once you click an item you will see it appear in the Manage Virtual Live Event Section.

Managing your Virtual Live Event: This is the section you will use on the night of your event to present, sell update bidding increments on the fly and close auction items.

10. Live:  When you click on the Live button that item will show on the Live Tab and your guest will be able to bid on it from the Live Tab.  When you are done with an item you can simply click on LIVE for the next item and that item will instantly replace the previous item.  You will notice when you click the live button it is replaced with the Offline button.  You will not need to click this unless you would like nothing on display in between your items. **Note: you can jump between donation levels and auction items.  Donation levels will only display an option for donating at the selected level and only recognize donors at that level on the page.

11. Close Bids: Clicking on the close button will sell the item at its current bid and mark the item as sold.  The item will remain visible on the page until you make the next item or donation level live.  **This is how you close the item when the Auctioneer says SOLD.

12. Updating bidding increments on the fly: You can increase or decrease the starting bids and raises on your items on the fly! 

- Use the plus or minus under "Starting Bids" will allow you to increase or decrease the item's starting bid price by a dollar amount. 

- Using the plus or minus under "Bid Raise" will allow you to increase or decrease the item's bidding increment. 

Helpful Hints:

Choosing a Video Streaming Platform

Vimeo's requirements are likely less restrictive than some other video platforms, provided that you are paying for a subscription level that permits live streaming on their platform.

**Each video streaming platform will have their own account based restrictions or requirements for embedding video and/or chat.  We suggest getting familiar with the individual rules, regulations and requirements of the platform you are using and not to wait too close to the event to choose your platform.

Requirements vary between different platforms, and requirements may change.

YouTube's requirements for embedding a live stream on a MaxGiving website as of March 2021, include at least the following:

  • YouTube account verification
  • Enable live streaming on your YouTube account
    •  This includes a 24-hour waiting period after it's been enabled.
  • Have 1,000 subscribers to your YouTube account (this requirement might not apply to older YouTube accounts that were created more than 1 year ago -- it's important to test on a case by case basis).
  • Your YouTube account cannot have live streaming restrictions (e.g. various violations of YouTube's policies can cause your account to be restricted from live streaming)

Testing your Video Live Stream

It is  essential to do at least one and preferably two practice live streams, one of them more than a week before your fundraiser, to ensure that your video producer has successfully connected all the links in the chain -- your video camera equipment, your video software (such as OBS), the video streaming platform (Vimeo, YouTube, or Facebook), and our website.


More than one practice session will allow not only for a more flawless technical experience, but also an effective and lower-stress event production overall.
When testing, it is essential to:

  • Test your broadcast from the same Vimeo, YouTube, or Facebook account, preferably the owner or administrator account with the highest level of permissions, from which you will broadcast on the day of the event. 
    • One account may have full privileges to allow broadcasting a publicly available live stream whereas another may not
  • Open a different web browser and test that a user who is not logged in to your channel (Vimeo, YouTube, or Facebook) is able to watch your video live stream.
    • This is because YouTube and Facebook allow creation of public and private content. In order to successfully embed your video on a MaxGiving website, it must be considered fully public content.
Did this answer your question? Thanks for the feedback There was a problem submitting your feedback. Please try again later.