ClickBid 101: Butler

The Butler is your all-in-one, day-of tool: check bidders in, check them out, add bids on their behalf, and record donations, quantity items, and raffles. This walkthrough covers everything from the video above.

Quick Summary

• Give volunteers a shared login with only Butler permissions under Software Settings > Users.
• Use Bidder Lookup to check people in, add missing info, and send the automatic check-in text.
• You can add a bidder on the spot, or merge two bidders (like a couple) into one shared profile.
• The Add a Bid / Multi Sale section handles live auction, silent auction, donation, and quantity items on someone’s behalf.
• Paddle raises use a donation item with preset denominations, and can be projected live on a screen.
• You can remove a bid, pick a raffle winner, and manage bidder paddle numbers, all from the Butler.

Step 1: Set Up Butler Access for Volunteers

1. Go to Software Settings > Users and click Create New User.
2. Name the account something like Butler User and use an email you have access to.
3. Click Create User. That person receives an email to set up their account, and it appears in the user dropdown.
4. Give the account access to Butler permissions only.

💡 Creating one shared login for all your volunteers means you only have to set up access once, and everyone can sign in with the same credentials.

You’ll need the Butler sign-in URL for volunteer devices. Find it under Software Settings > Auction Settings > Butler Settings. If you’re already logged in yourself, you can also reach the Butler directly through Event Central > Butler.

Step 2: Check In Bidders

1. Use Bidder Lookup at the top of the Butler to search by first or last name.
2. Review their profile. Click the edit pencil to add a phone number, email, or credit card if any are missing.
3. Click Complete to check them in and send their check-in text.

ℹ️ A phone number lets you reach bidders throughout the event (mass messages, outbid notices, checkout texts), and an email is where their payment receipt gets sent.

ℹ️ You can customize the check-in text under Software Settings > Auction Settings > Bidder Settings. We recommend keeping the [U] shortcode in place, it automatically sends a personalized bidding link so guests can log into their own profile.

If a guest isn’t in the system at all, whether they didn’t buy a ticket or were missed during setup, click Add New Bidder, enter their first and last name, then click anywhere else on the page to populate their profile.

Step 3: Merge Two Bidders Into One Profile

This is useful when, for example, a married couple wants to share one account and one credit card, while still keeping both phone numbers and emails on file.

1. Look up one of the two names and click edit.
2. Click Merge Bidder in the top right.
3. Search for and select the second bidder, then click Continue.
4. Confirm which phone numbers, emails, and credit card to keep, then click Merge Bidders.

Step 4: Add Bids on Someone’s Behalf

The Add a Bid / Multi Sale section in the middle of the Butler works for live auction, silent auction, donation, quantity, and raffle items. It’s most commonly used for live auction and for helping silent auction bidders who need assistance.

Live Auction

1. Make sure a live auction item exists under Items > Manage Items (item type Live, with a fair market value set).
2. In the Butler, type the winning bidder’s name, select the item, and enter the winning amount.
3. Click Add Bid or Place Bid to add it to their cart.

💡 Live auction items support multiple winners. If more than one person purchases the same item, for example multiple trip packages, add each winner and amount the same way.

Silent Auction

Look up the bidder, select the silent auction item, enter the amount they’d like to bid, then click Add Bid.

Step 5: Run a Paddle Raise or Appeal Display

1. Under Items > Manage Items, edit your donation item (for example, Cash Donation) and review the Preset Denominations section. These are the amounts your auctioneer will call out from the stage. You can add, remove, or change them.
2. In the Butler, open the Appeal Quick Entry section and select your donation item to see those denominations.
3. As the auctioneer calls out an amount and a bidder raises their paddle, type in that bidder number and press enter to add the donation to their cart.

To project donations live on a screen, edit the donation item and open Projected Display Settings below the denominations. From there you can set a theme, item goal, and image, and choose whether to show your progress toward the goal. As donations come in through the Butler, names and amounts update on the display in real time.

ℹ️ If a donor wants to stay anonymous, click Placeholder instead of entering their bidder number. The total still updates, but their name won’t display.

Step 6: Add Quantity Items (Raffles, Mulligans, and More)

There are two ways to quickly add a quantity item to someone’s account.

1. Quick Buy: look up the bidder, choose Quick Buy under Select an Action, set the quantity, then click Continue and Add Bids and Checkout.
2. Multi Sale / Quick Entry: select the quantity item (for example, Mulligans), choose the package (like one for $10 or four for $20), look up the bidder’s name, and click Save.

Step 7: Remove a Bid

Bidders can’t remove items from their own cart, so this has to be done from the Butler. Look up the bidder, find the item in their cart, click the red X, then click Remove Bid.

Step 8: Pick a Raffle Winner

1. Go to Items > Manage Items and find the raffle or quantity item.
2. Filter by the Has Bids tag to see everyone who purchased entries.
3. Click Download Quantity Purchases to export the list to Excel. Each entry appears as its own row, so someone who bought four tickets will appear four times.
4. Use a random number generator set to the range of total entries, then match the winning number back to the row in your spreadsheet.

Step 9: Manage Bidder Paddle Numbers

There are two common approaches:

1. Pre-assign numbers individually under Bidders > Manage Bidders, then place matching paddles at tables or hand them out at check-in.
2. Batch reassign everyone to numbers 1000 and above by selecting all bidders and using the bidder number field in the batch update section. Then, as each person checks in, edit their profile and assign them an actual physical paddle number instead (for example, 145) before clicking Complete.

ℹ️ As long as the paddle number matches the bidder number on their profile, everything stays in sync.

Related Best Practices

Want more detail on any of these steps? Check out:

• Check-in options → How to Check In Guests with Pre-Printed Programs, How to Use QR Codes for Guest Check-In, and QR Code Check-In
• Updating contact info at check-in → How to Reassign Contact Info at Check-In
• Adding bids for bidders → How to Add Bids in ClickBid Butler
• Multiple winners on one item → Split Item Cost Between Multiple Donors
• Quantity items → Butler Multi-Sale Quick Entry for Quantity Items
• Removing a bid → How to Remove a Bid in ClickBid
• Collecting payment in person → Tap To Pay: How to Set Up & Use BidKit Payments & M2 Reader
• Other checkout scenarios → How to Add a Shipping Charge to a Bidder in ClickBid and Separating Payments for a Bidder at Checkout