Locked out of Altru because your phone is gone and the recovery code is nowhere to be found? Your Altru administrator usually can’t fix it from inside Altru. Two-step verification for Altru sits with your Blackbaud ID, the sign-in account Blackbaud uses across its products. Altru only decides what you can do once you’re signed in. So recovery goes through Blackbaud’s sign-in and support process, not through Altru security roles.
Below is what to try depending on what you still have, what an Altru admin can and can’t do for you, and how to set things up so the next lost phone is a minor annoyance instead of a lost day.
Start with what you still have
You have your recovery code but not your phone
This is the easy one. At the verification step on the Blackbaud ID sign-in screen, choose the option to use a recovery code instead of your authenticator or text message. Once you’re in, go to your Blackbaud ID security settings right away, remove the old device, set up two-step verification on your new phone, and save the new recovery code that’s issued. Treat the old code as used.
You have your phone but lost the recovery code
You aren’t locked out yet, but you’re one lost phone away from it. Sign in normally, open your Blackbaud ID security settings, and look for a way to view or generate a new recovery code. If you can’t find one, reset two-step verification while you still have a working device so a fresh code is issued. Store the new code somewhere other than the phone.
New phone, same number
If text message verification is set up and you kept your number, codes should still reach you. Authenticator apps are different: unless the app backed up its accounts to the cloud and you’ve restored that backup, the new phone won’t have your Blackbaud entry. Check the app before assuming you’re locked out.
You have neither
This is the case that needs Blackbaud. Contact Blackbaud Support and say plainly that you’ve lost both your two-step device and your recovery code for your Blackbaud ID. Expect them to verify who you are before they reset anything. That’s the point of MFA, so it can take some back-and-forth. It goes faster if you have:
- The email address tied to your Blackbaud ID
- Your organization’s name and site ID or account number, if you know it
- A colleague who’s an Altru admin or a listed support contact for your organization and can confirm you work there
Don’t sign in as a coworker to get by in the meantime. Shared logins defeat audit trails and probably violate your organization’s own security policy. Have someone else handle your urgent tasks until your access comes back.
What an Altru administrator can actually do
Admins are often the first people locked-out staff call, so it helps to know where an admin’s reach ends.
Usually within an Altru admin’s control:
- Seeing whether the person still exists as an Altru user and which security roles they hold
- Removing or deactivating access when someone leaves
- Inviting or adding a user again if their account needs to be re-linked
Usually not within an Altru admin’s control:
- Viewing another person’s recovery code
- Turning off or resetting someone’s two-step verification
- Seeing a reliable per-user MFA status report inside Altru
Blackbaud has been adding organization-level user management tools over time, and what’s available can depend on your account setup. If you’re an admin and want to know whether you can view MFA status or start a reset for your staff, ask Blackbaud Support directly what your organization’s admin role allows. Don’t take this article’s word for it, or a coworker’s memory. Once you know the answer, write it down in your internal procedures.
Set it up so this doesn’t happen again
Most lockouts come down to the recovery code living in one place: the phone that just got lost, or an email nobody can find. A little prep goes a long way:
- Save recovery codes in a password manager, not in a photo on the same phone or a sticky note at the desk. If your organization has a shared password manager, each person keeps their own code in their personal vault.
- Add a second verification method where Blackbaud ID allows it, such as both an authenticator app and a phone number, so one failure doesn’t lock you out.
- Keep at least two Altru administrators. If your only admin is locked out, nobody can manage users, and a sole admin who leaves can leave you stuck.
- Add MFA to onboarding and offboarding checklists. New staff confirm they’ve saved their recovery code on day one. Departing staff have their Altru access removed the same day.
- Know who your Blackbaud support contacts are. Support may only accept certain requests from authorized contacts. Make sure that list is current and has more than one name on it.
- Remind people before phone upgrades. Moving an authenticator app to a new phone before wiping the old one avoids most of these tickets.
Quick answers
Can I turn off two-step verification for Altru?
It’s part of Blackbaud ID sign-in and is generally expected to stay on. Plan for recovery rather than trying to opt out.
Will resetting MFA affect my Altru data or permissions?
It shouldn’t. Two-step verification controls how you prove who you are. Your Altru security roles and the records you work with are separate. If something looks off after you get back in, have an Altru admin check your user setup.
How long does a support-assisted reset take?
It varies with how quickly your identity can be verified. Having the details listed above ready, plus an admin who can vouch for you, is the best way to speed it up.
