A parent calls to ask whether they signed up for the member rate or the nonmember rate on next month’s camp week. You open their constituent record, click into registrations, and see the event, the date, and a status. What you don’t see is the one detail the caller actually wants: which registration option they bought.
The short version: the registrations list on a constituent record isn’t built to show registration options at a glance, and as far as we know there’s no supported way to add your own column to it. The option is stored, though. You just have to go one level deeper or pull it out with a query. Below are the ways we’d handle it, from the quickest one-off lookup to a setup that works for a whole program.
Where the registration option actually lives
When you set up an event in Altru, you define the registration options for it: the price points and registrant types, like “Member child,” “Nonmember child,” or “Sibling discount.” Each registration links a registrant to the event and to one of those options. So the data exists on every registration. The constituent-level list just summarizes it.
Some Altru list views let you show or hide columns, and some don’t. If you aren’t sure whether your version lets you customize this particular list, check in a test environment or ask Blackbaud support before you promise staff that a new column is coming. Don’t assume either way.
Option 1: Open the registration itself (one-off lookups)
For a single phone call, drill into the specific registration from the constituent’s list. The detail view shows the registration option along with the price and payment information. It’s an extra click per event, but it’s reliable, and it’s the right move when you’re on the phone with one family.
Where this falls apart is a family with several kids across several sessions. Clicking into eight registrations to answer “what did we pay for?” is slow, and it’s how mistakes happen.
Option 2: Look from the event side instead
If the question is about one event (“Who on the Tuesday tour registered at the group rate?”), start from the event record rather than the constituent. The event’s registrant list is built around that event, so registration option information is easier to get at there. That’s usually faster than going constituent by constituent.
Option 3: Build a registrant query (the real fix for most teams)
When staff need this regularly, a saved query beats any amount of clicking. Use the event registrant (or registration) source view in query and include:
- The constituent’s name and lookup ID
- The event name and start date
- The registration option
- Registration status, plus attended or canceled if you track those
- The amount paid, if your front-desk staff are allowed to see it
Add a filter on lookup ID or constituent name, and set it to prompt at runtime. Now anyone can run the query, type in the family, and get every registration with its option in one list. A second version filtered by event date range works well as a pre-program roster check.
Field names in query vary a bit depending on how your events are set up, so build it once in a sandbox or with a test registration, confirm the option field returns what you expect, then share it with the staff who need it. Keep the query in a clearly named folder so it doesn’t get lost among a hundred others.
Option 4: Make the event name do some of the work
This is a low-tech habit, but it helps. If a program has meaningfully different tracks, like a half-day and a full-day camp, consider setting them up as separate events rather than as registration options on one event. The event name already appears in the constituent’s list, so the distinction shows up without anyone drilling in.
Don’t overdo it. Splitting member and nonmember pricing into separate events would make capacity and reporting messier. Save this for differences staff need to see at a glance, not for every price point.
Which approach to pick
- Occasional calls about one registration: open the registration.
- Questions about a single event: work from the event record.
- Regular questions, families with many registrations, or roster prep: a saved registrant query with a runtime prompt.
- Program tracks that staff confuse often: think about separate events next time you set up the season.
Quick answers
Can I add a column to the constituent registrations list?
Not that we’re aware of. Test it in a sandbox or confirm with Blackbaud support for your version. Until then, plan around a query.
Will a query show options on registrations from past seasons?
It should, as long as the events and their registration options haven’t been deleted. Spot-check a few older registrations against the query results the first time you run it.
