The short version: the number of people on a membership in Altru is something you set, level by level, inside each membership program. It isn’t one fixed number for the whole system. A “Dual” level might allow two members, a “Family” level four or six, and a patron level whatever your benefits promise. So when someone asks “how many members can be on one membership,” the useful answer is usually “however many that level is configured to allow,” followed by a closer look at what “member” means at your organization.
Where the limit actually lives
Each level in an Altru membership program carries its own settings for how many members it includes, along with things like price, term, and how cards are issued. When staff add people to a membership at the desk or in the back office, Altru checks against the level’s setting. That is why one family can have six names and another only two: they are on different levels, not running into a system ceiling.
Whether there is an upper bound on what you can enter for a single level is something we would not state as a hard number. We are not aware of a published maximum, and in practice organizations rarely go beyond what fits on a family or patron package. If you are planning something unusual, such as a corporate or school membership covering dozens of named people, test it in a sandbox or ask Blackbaud support before you sell it. That will answer the question for your version far more reliably than a forum post.
“Members” is doing a lot of work in that question
Much of the confusion comes from mixing up a few different things that all get called members:
- Named members. Constituents added to the membership record. They count toward the level’s limit and are the people your reports and benefit checks recognize.
- Cardholders. The people who get a physical or printed card. Depending on your setup, the number of cards may not match the number of named members. Check how your levels handle card issuance before you promise “a card for everyone.”
- Children and guests. Many organizations sell a level as “two adults plus all children under 18” or “two adults plus two guests.” Altru does not need every child or guest added as a named member for that to work. Often the benefit is enforced at admission, not on the membership record.
- Household members. A household in Altru groups constituents who live together. Being in the same household does not put someone on the membership, and putting someone on the membership does not change the household. Keep those two ideas separate when training staff.
Once you separate these, most “Altru won’t let me add another person” problems turn out to be one of two things: the level’s member count is set lower than the benefit you are advertising, or staff are trying to add children or guests as named members when the level was never meant to track them that way.
Choosing the right number for each level
A few practical considerations when you set or revisit the count:
- Match the marketing copy exactly. If your website says “up to four named adults,” the level should allow four. Mismatches lead to front desk overrides and members who feel misled.
- Decide who needs to be named. Named members are useful when you need to verify identity at the door, send each adult their own renewal or event emails, or report on who actually visits. Unnamed guest slots are simpler for families whose babysitter or grandparent changes week to week.
- Think about data quality. Every named member is a constituent record. Higher member counts on popular levels mean more records to keep clean, and more chances for duplicates when the same grandparent is added to two families’ memberships.
- Plan for changes mid-term. Divorce, a new baby, a nanny who leaves. Write down how staff should swap or remove a named member, and whether that requires a supervisor, so the membership count stays accurate.
When a member wants more people than the level allows
You have a handful of options, and the right one depends on your benefit structure:
- Upgrade them to the next level that covers the extra people. This is the cleanest option and keeps your revenue and reporting tidy.
- Sell a separate add-on or guest benefit if your program offers one, rather than squeezing an extra name onto a level that was not priced for it.
- Create a new level if the request keeps coming up. A “Grandparent” or “Family Plus” level is a common answer to the same question asked repeatedly at the desk.
What we would avoid is raising the count on an existing level just to accommodate one family. That change affects every membership on that level going forward and can quietly hand out a benefit you did not intend to sell.
Quick answers
Is there one system-wide limit on members per membership?
Not in the sense most people mean. The count is set on each level in each membership program. If you need to know the largest value Altru will accept, confirm it in a sandbox or with Blackbaud support.
Do children have to be added as members?
Only if your level is set up to track them by name. Many organizations cover children as a benefit checked at admission instead.
Does adding someone to a household add them to the membership?
No. Households and memberships are separate. Add the person to the membership directly if they should count as a member.
