You set up a discount last spring that worked well, say 20% off general admission for a partner organization, with the right price types, sales methods, and date limits. Now a second partner wants the same deal under its own name and code, and you want to duplicate the first one rather than build it again from scratch.
The short version: as far as we know, Altru has no one-click “copy” or “duplicate” action for discounts. You rebuild the new discount by hand. Before you do, it’s worth checking whether you need a new discount at all, and how to rebuild one so it matches the original.
One caveat up front. Altru’s discount screens change between releases, and your permissions affect what you can see. If you aren’t sure whether your version offers a copy option, look at the actions available on an existing discount, or ask Blackbaud support. Don’t assume either way based on this article.
First, decide whether you need a second discount
Copying is often a workaround for something you can handle on the original discount. Ask:
- Is it the same offer for a new period? If last year’s discount just needs new dates, editing the existing one may be cleaner than keeping two near-identical records. The catch: if you report on discounts by name, reusing one blurs this year’s numbers with last year’s. Some teams prefer a fresh discount each season for that reason.
- Is it the same offer for a new audience? If the only difference is who gets it, a separate discount with its own name usually makes sense. Revenue reports will then show which partner or campaign drove which sales.
- Is it the same offer on new items? If you’re adding a new program or event, check whether you can just widen what the existing discount applies to.
A good rule: if you’ll ever want to report on it separately, make it a separate discount. Otherwise, edit the one you have.
Document the original before you rebuild it
Mistakes happen when someone builds the new discount from memory. Open the original and write down every setting, or take screenshots of each tab or section. Pay attention to:
- Name and description. Decide on the new name now. Something like “Partner 20% – [Org] – 2027” sorts well and reads clearly in reports.
- Calculation. Percentage or fixed amount, and the value.
- Where it applies. Whether it’s an order-level or item-level discount, and which programs, events, price types, or membership levels it covers.
- Sales methods. Daily sales, advance sales, online, group sales. Leaving one out is a common way the new discount ends up working at the desk but not on the web form, or the reverse.
- Qualification rules. Whether it’s applied manually, triggered by a promo code, tied to membership, or limited by quantity.
- Dates and limits. Start and end dates, and any usage caps.
- Revenue and GL setup. If your finance team maps discounts to specific accounts, confirm what the new one should use. Don’t copy the old mapping without asking.
Keep this record. A short spreadsheet, one row per discount and one column per setting, makes the next rebuild faster and gives you a written log of what each discount is supposed to do.
Build and test the new discount
Create the new discount and go through your notes line by line. Then test it before announcing it:
- Ring a test transaction in each sales method it should work in, and confirm the price is right.
- Try it on an item it shouldn’t apply to and confirm it doesn’t.
- If it uses a promo code, enter the code on your public web form, not just at the desk.
- Void or reverse the test transactions according to your usual process so they don’t land in revenue reports.
If you have an Altru sandbox or test environment, use it for the first run. If you don’t, run tests at a quiet time and tell your finance contact first.
Keep near-duplicates from piling up
Once a team starts copying discounts by hand, the list fills up with versions nobody remembers. A few habits help:
- Put the year or season in every discount name.
- Give discounts end dates instead of leaving them open. An expired discount stops showing up as an option and can’t be applied by accident.
- Once a year, review the list with whoever owns revenue reporting and retire anything that’s done.
- Use your settings spreadsheet as the place to start new discounts, so changes are deliberate rather than inherited from an old record.
Quick answers
Can I export a discount and import it as a new one?
We aren’t aware of an import path for discount configuration in Altru. Confirm with Blackbaud support before you plan around one.
Will editing an old discount change past transactions?
Generally, transactions already processed keep the amounts they were sold at. If you report on discounts by name, though, renaming an old discount changes how its history appears. Test in a sandbox if you’re unsure.
