🎁Managing Item Donors

🙋 Ways to Add Donors in ClickBid

There are several ways to add donor information to your items in ClickBid, depending on your workflow and how many items you are managing. Here is a quick overview before we walk through each option.

Option 1: Manage Donors page: Add and manage donors at the organization level, then link them to items. Best for reusing donors across multiple events or keeping a central donor database. See the section below.

Option 2: Manage Items page: Add a donor directly to a specific item while editing it. Best for adding donor details on the fly as you build out your item list.

Option 3: Item Import Template: Include donor information in your item import spreadsheet. Best for bulk item entry when you have donor details ready in advance. Note that this method only works when importing new items.

Donor Self-Entry via the Item Donation Form: If you have a Donate an Item content block on your landing page, donors can submit their own information and item details directly through the form. This populates in ClickBid for you to review and manage. See your Landing Page Builder settings to enable this feature. 

🖊️Option 1: Manage Donors page:

⚙️ Accessing Manage Donors

1. Log in to your ClickBid event admin dashboard.
2. In the left-hand navigation, click Items to expand the menu.
3. Click Manage Donors.

🔗 Sharing the Item Donation Form

The Item Donation Form lets donors submit their own items directly through a public link, no admin access required.

1. At the top of the Manage Donors page, locate the Item Donation Form Link section.
2. Copy the link displayed or click Copy Form Link to copy it to your clipboard.
3. Share the link with prospective donors via email, social media, or however works best for your event.

➕ Adding a New Donor

1. In the All Donors section, click the Add Donor button.
2. Fill in the donor's information in the form that appears, including:
   • First Name and Last Name
   • Display Name (the name that will appear publicly on items and letters)
   • Address, City, State, and Postal Code
   • Email
   • Phone
3. Save the record when complete.

⚙️ Editing Donor Records

The Manage Donors table works like a spreadsheet. You can edit donor information directly without opening a separate form.

1. Locate the donor you want to update in the All Donors table.
2. Click into any field you want to edit and make your changes directly.
3. Press Tab to move to the next field and keep editing across columns quickly.

👥 Merging Duplicate Donors

If you have duplicate donor records in your system, you can merge them into a single record.

1. In the All Donors table, check the checkboxes next to the donor records you want to merge. The Merge Donors button at the bottom of the table will become active once two or more donors are selected.
2. Click Merge Donors.
3. In the modal that opens, select which donor record to keep.
4. Review the donor details and make any final edits before confirming.
5. Click to confirm the merge.

🗑️ Deleting Donors

1. In the All Donors table, check the checkbox next to each donor you want to delete.
2. Scroll down to the Batch Update section.
3. Check the Delete checkbox.
4. Type Delete in the confirmation field.
5. Click the Update button to confirm.

🖊️ Option 2: Add Donors at the Item Level

You can also add donor information directly from within an individual item on the Manage Items page. This is useful when you are editing an item and want to add its donor at the same time.

1. In the left-hand navigation, click Items to expand the menu.
2. Click Manage Items.
3. Locate the item you want to add a donor to and click the edit icon to open it.
4. Scroll down and expand the Donor Information section.
5. Click Create New Donor to add a new donor, or use the Add Existing Donor search field to link a donor already in your system.
6. Fill in the donor details and changes will save automatically.

📥 Option 3: Add Donors Using the Item Import Template

If you are importing new items using the Item Import Template, you can include donor information directly in the spreadsheet. This saves time when you have a large number of items to add at once.

1. In the left-hand navigation, click Items to expand the menu.
2. Click Manage Items.
3. Under the Import Items section, click Download a Template to get the spreadsheet.
4. In your spreadsheet, fill out the donor columns along with your item details:
   • Column W: Donor Name
   • Column X: Donor Display Name
   • Columns Y through AJ: Donor contact and item info (address, phone, email, donated FMV, etc.)
5. Save your spreadsheet and upload it using the drop files to upload zone on the Manage Items page.

👀 Where Donor Names Are Displayed

Once a donor is added to an item, their name can appear in several places throughout your event. To make sure donors are acknowledged properly, always enter a Donor Display Name, that is the name that shows publicly.

Donor display names appear in the following locations:

• Auction Preview
• Bidding Site
• Display Cards
• Thank You Letters

📝 Using Donor Records for Thank You Letters

The Manage Donors page also feeds into your Thank You Letter workflow. Several fields can be used to group donors when generating letters.

The fields available for grouping are:

• First Name
• Last Name
• Display Name
• Address
• Email
• Phone

📝 Summary

Manage Donors keeps all of your item donor information organized in one place. Add donors manually, share the donation form link to collect donations directly, edit records right in the table, and use the Merge tool to clean up duplicates. A tidy donor list means better Thank You Letters, cleaner item displays, and smoother event management overall.