If you want to contribute with products, get in touch via email only. I can be reached on luftrum (a) luftrum.com. I do not accept contributions via PM, Facebook, Twitter or other messaging systems. There is a maximum of five donations per company so when it comes to software, bigger packages are preferred over single licenses - pack some big bundles and donate those instead (after all, it's for a good cause...)

If you would like to be notified when the annual fundraising starts, either because you want to donate products or just participate in the bidding, then you can subscribe to this mailing list: http://eepurl.com/FGMuf

Before placing a bid you have read and agreed to the following:

1. You agree that if you win a bid, your name and email will be handed over to the company so they can contact you and organize the product.

2. You agree that winning an auction is not a direct purchase. You will not bid if you have an urgent need for the product. It’s a charity auction and not a direct purchase. If you urgently need the product, then buy it directly and please don’t bid. Contacting companies after auction end is a manual process that takes days, same goes for the companies sending out products, which they will process when they have the time - expect up to at least ten days, sometimes more (sometimes less).

3. You agree that claiming a refund is not an option because you regret what you won, because you don't really need it anyway, because you made a mistake or because you couldn't really care. Think, evaluate and be careful what you bid on.

4. You agree that it's your sole responsibility to check the requirement of the product before you place a bid, whether or not it requires a dongle, if it's compatible with your setup etc.

5. You agree not to contact Luftrum before November 15 asking when to expect your products and/or with questions whether or not company X or Y has been contacted.

Sorry, no. PayPal is not a payment option, only credit- and debit card. We would love if PayPal were an option, agree, but it is not and the reason is explained in this article.

There are no reservation made on your creditcard while you bid. Your credit card will not be billed for bidding on any auctions. Only if you win an auction, then your card will be charged.

Yes, there is a 4.9% fee added on top of all winning bids, this is the price for using the platform, meaning that if you win a $150 auction you will pay $157.

There are no fees to participate and no fees will be deducted from your credit card while bidding alone, only when you win an auction.

The software you are bidding on are all licensed as NFR (Not For Resale) meaning you cannot re-sell the software once you activate the license. I cannot speak for all companies on the list, but unless otherwise stated then it's NFR. You are also bidding on downloads only, unless otherwise stated, no boxed version will be sent to your home address, no physical shipping will take place (with the exception of hardware of course), you are bidding on licenses alone.

All auctions start at $5 and must be raised with $5 or more, meaning you can bid $5, $7, $12, $39 etc. as long as it is raised with at least $5. This applies throughout the entire duration of all auctions, right up to the auction end, including the final hours of the fundraising.

You can do that. The RallyUp platform has proven to be stable but maybe not suitable for extremely fast-paced bidding. It takes a while for bids to show up (sometimes up to a few minutes) so placing your bid in the last minute are not recommended. Doing that is on your own risk, don't blame us and say we didn't warn you. :-)

Please, place your final bids hours in advance.

Payment are to be made within 48 hours from the end of the auctions. Winning bids not paid in time will be offered to the 2nd highest bidder.

I will contact each company only when all payments regarding that developer group are made and that will mean a delay, if the last payment for a product is delayed.

After companies are contacted, give them at least ten days to process the products, since this is a pure goodwill from the developers. Licenses and products are send out when they find available time in their schedule. Patience is really the key word here.

It started on the forum of KVR Audio back in 2011, I can't find the 2011 thread anymore but the 2012 is here and we raised $15211 for Save the Children that year. Through many years the auction was hosted on the forum of KVR Audio until it moved to the RallyUp platform in 2019 - moving away from a very manual forum process to a more automated platform was much needed.

Throughout the years, different people have helped with a lot of practical stuff behind the scenes and running this would not be possible without my two true loyal helpers Andreas from Austria and Nawar from New Zealand, these two guys deserves all the credit and the result would not be nearly the same without their involvement.

If you would like to be notified when the annual fundraising starts, either because you want to donate products or just participate in the bidding, then you can subscribe to this mailing list: http://eepurl.com/FGMuf

Why you ask? Well, this is a way of giving back. I am privileged to be self employed and doing okay so in the light of my own well being, I see it as an Earthly responsibility to give something back. It also makes me feel damn good inside... the joy of giving is a feeling that is hard to describe but it gives a kick, sort of like an energy-booster knowing that with a relative little effort it's possible to make a difference.

Hopefully a side effect can be to inspire others to do the same, in the future or in another context.