THE HOME ADVANTAGE

The Monumental Sports & Entertainment Foundation is the charitable arm of the organization that owns the Washington Capitals, Washington Wizards, and Washington Mystics. Led by a single full-time employee — Foundation Executive Director Liz Pace — MSEF needed a platform that could power auction fundraising across multiple professional sports franchises without adding operational complexity.

In 2015, the foundation was running auctions on paper at kiosks inside the arena during games. Bidders had to be physically present at the kiosk to place a bid — meaning fans who returned to their seats or left the venue were cut off from the auction entirely. The process was manual, limited, and left revenue on the table.

Liz was in the final stages of signing with GiveSmart when a personal introduction from Darren Montgomery, then head of ticketing and sales at Monumental Sports, changed the trajectory. She agreed to evaluate Handbid — and here they are, a decade later.

This wasn’t a complex custom build. It was something arguably harder: proving that a platform could deliver consistent, reliable results across hundreds of events over ten years — for a one-person operation managing three professional sports brands.

Handbid’s mobile bidding platform replaced the kiosk model entirely. Fans could now bid from their seats, from the concourse, or from home. The auction didn’t end when you walked away from a table — it stayed in your pocket.

Over the years, the partnership expanded organically:

• Started with Washington Capitals charity jersey auctions
• Expanded to Washington Mystics fundraising events
• Added alumni events and casino night activations
• Now includes a cross-franchise collaboration with the Washington Nationals
• Recently built a direct Salesforce integration so auction data and purchase results flow directly into MSEF’s financial reporting

Key point: Liz has never pursued a white-label deployment. Her fan base is familiar with the Handbid brand and trusts it. That’s not a limitation — it’s a testament to how well the platform experience represents the foundation.

"White-glove support for a team of one"

Liz Pace runs MSEF’s entire fundraising operation. She doesn’t have a tech team, a dedicated events staff, or an IT department backing her up. What she has is a platform that works and a partner that shows up:

• Consistent support across a decade of staff changes on both sides
• A platform that returning bidders already know — reducing friction season after season

• 177 auctions executed without requiring Liz to become a technology expert
• Buy Now pricing configured for tiered player popularity (star players priced higher)
• Direct Salesforce integration built collaboratively with MSEF’s IT team over the past two years

‍

The relationship has generated organic advocacy. Liz has offered to make introductions to other NHL teams — Penguins, Predators, Devils — and to the Washington Nationals. She has stated she is willing to be a reference “anywhere.”