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🕵️ How to Add an Anonymous Bidder for Offline Donations

Want to track a donation without displaying a real donor's name? You can easily add anonymous bidders or offline donations using ClickBid’s Butler or Text-to-Give tools.

✍️ Method 1: Add an Offline Donation via Butler

Use this option when you want to log a donation for reporting purposes, but don't need to collect payment immediately.

👣 Steps:

  1. Go to Bidders > Manage Bidders.

  2. Click Add Bidder.

  3. In the First Name field, enter Anonymous
    In the Last Name field, enter Bidder (or a name of your choice).

  4. Enter a placeholder phone number and email, like 123-456-7890 and email@example.com. 

  1. Navigate to Event Central > Butler.

  2. In the Bidder field, type the name or bidder number you just created.

  3. In the Item field, enter the name or number of the donation item.

  4. A new field labeled Enter an Amount will appear. Enter the donation amount.

  5. Click Add Bid to save the offline donation.

 

➕ Method 2: Add a Buffer Amount for Offline Donations

If you’ve received donations offline (e.g., check or cash) and want them reflected in the total raised amount for a specific donation item, you can add a buffer amount.

This does not display a donor name or individual donation but adds to the total shown on your landing page thermometer or during an appeal display.

🛠 How to Add a Buffer:

  1. Go to your Items tab in the admin and locate the donation item you want to edit 

  2. Click the Edit (pencil icon).

  3. Scroll down to Projected Display Settings to edit the Buffer field.

  4. Enter the total offline donation amount you’d like to reflect (e.g., “500”).

  5. Click Save Changes.


💡 Tip (HubSpot callout): Buffer amounts are not tied to any bidder and won’t show as a line item in reports—they simply increase the displayed total raised for that item.

 

🧍🏽‍♂️ Method 3: Showing Anonymous Donations During a Live Paddle Raise with Butler

Want to show real-time progress during an in-person appeal without needing to assign bids to specific donors right away? Use the Placeholder option in the Butler > Appeal tool to reflect anonymous or unentered donations.

🎤 When to Use Placeholder Mode:

  • During a live Fund-A-Need or paddle raise

  • When donors raise their paddle, but bids aren’t entered yet

  • To create visual momentum on-screen without assigning names

🧩 How to Add Anonymous Donations Using Placeholder:

  1. Go to Event Central > Butler in your admin and click the Donation Item under the Appeal tab.

  1. Select the relevant donation item

  2. Choose from the preset donation amounts  

  3. Select Placeholder when a bid number is called

  4. A Yellow PH will appear below the Donation amount indicating that the bid was placed. 

Each time you submit a placeholder donation, the appeal display and item total will increase in real time.

🛎️ Info: These bids can be replaced or edited later with real bidder names once recorded.

⚠️ Warning: Be careful not to leave placeholder bids unassigned if you're relying on accurate reporting later—update them in the Items > Bids tab post-event.