A box of plush otters shows up at the loading dock. The packing slip says 144, the box holds 132, and nobody can find the order that said how many you asked for or what you agreed to pay. Then the shop manager asks why Altru still shows zero on hand. Merchandise purchasing usually breaks down at this point: ordering happens in one place, receiving in another, and inventory in Altru only changes when someone remembers to update it.
This guide covers what to expect from Altru on the purchasing side, how to confirm what your database supports, and a purchase-order-and-receiving process that keeps on-hand counts accurate either way.
Start by confirming what your Altru can do
Altru’s merchandise area covers the selling side well. You set up items, prices, and categories, and stock goes down as items sell through daily sales or the online store. On purchasing, though, experienced admins often disagree about how much of a formal purchase order workflow (vendor, order, partial receipt, cost) lives inside Altru, and what’s available can depend on your configuration and on which features your organization has turned on.
Don’t guess. Before you design a process:
- Look through the merchandise area with an admin login and note every task related to vendors, ordering, stock adjustments, or receiving. A cashier role may not show these.
- Search Blackbaud’s Altru help documentation for “purchase order,” “receive,” and “inventory adjustment,” and read what each one actually records.
- Ask Blackbaud support directly whether your database can record a purchase order and receive it against inventory, including partial shipments.
- Test it in a sandbox or on one low-value item first. Make one small order, receive part of it, and check that on-hand quantity and any cost fields change the way you expect.
What you find tells you where the purchase order lives. Either way, the process below holds up.
A purchasing process that keeps counts honest
1. Give every order a number before it’s placed
Whether the PO is created in Altru, in your accounting system, or on a shared spreadsheet, assign it a number and record the vendor, order date, expected arrival, and each line: item, quantity ordered, and unit cost. Use the same item names or lookup IDs your Altru merchandise records use. If the PO says “Otter plush, large” and Altru says “Sea Otter 12in,” receiving turns into guesswork.
2. Get approval in one place
Decide who can approve a buy and up to what amount. A short rule, such as “the shop manager approves under a set amount, finance approves above it,” avoids surprise invoices. Keep the approval with the PO record, not in someone’s inbox.
3. Receive against the PO, not the packing slip
When boxes arrive, count what’s actually there and compare it with the PO, not with the vendor’s slip. For each line, record quantity received, quantity damaged, and quantity still owed. Partial shipments are normal. The PO stays open until every line is received or canceled.
4. Update Altru the same day
On-hand quantity in Altru should go up when items are on your shelf, not when they’re ordered. If Altru supports receiving against a purchase order, use it. If it doesn’t, record the received quantity through whatever inventory adjustment your database offers. Use a consistent reason or note that includes the PO number so you can trace each increase back to an order.
5. Close the loop with finance
Match the vendor invoice to the PO and the receipt before it’s paid. If the invoice bills for 144 and you received 132, finance needs to know before the check goes out. This three-way match is usually handled in your accounting system, not Altru, and that’s fine. Altru’s job here is accurate stock and sales.
Checks worth scheduling
- Weekly open-PO review. List every order with lines still owed. Chase vendors on anything past its expected date.
- Monthly spot count. Pick a handful of high-volume items, count the shelf, and compare with Altru’s on-hand number. A gap usually points to a missed receipt or an untracked transfer between the shop and the stockroom.
- A merchandise query or report on stock levels. Build one that shows items at or below the quantity where you’d normally reorder, so purchasing starts from data rather than from someone noticing an empty peg.
Common mistakes
- Adding inventory when the order is placed. Altru then shows stock you can’t sell, and online sales may oversell.
- Letting several people adjust inventory without notes. Six months later, nobody can explain a jump of 200 units.
- Creating new item records for reorders. A reorder of an existing product should add to the existing item, or your sales history splits in two.
- Skipping damaged goods. Record damaged items separately so they don’t sit in on-hand counts and so you can claim credit from the vendor.
Quick answers
Should the purchase order live in Altru or in accounting?
If Altru can record and receive POs in your setup, keeping them there puts orders next to inventory. If it can’t, keep the PO in accounting or a shared sheet, and use Altru only for the quantity received. What matters is a single home, not which system it is.
How do I handle consignment items?
Consignment works differently because you don’t own the stock until it sells. Confirm with Blackbaud support how your database handles consignment items before you mix them in with regular purchasing.
