Aquarium members tend to visit often. A family with a household membership might visit every few weeks, often with a stroller, a diaper bag, and two kids already pressed against the glass by the time a parent reaches the entrance. Asking that parent to dig out a plastic card or a printed letter is where the line slows down. A card that lives in the phone’s wallet app is a better fit for how aquarium members actually visit.
This page covers what a wallet membership card needs to do for an aquarium on Altru, which questions to settle before you roll one out, and where the common snags are.
What a wallet card replaces
Most Altru organizations start with some mix of mailed plastic cards, printed cards from a desk printer, and “just give us your last name” at admissions. Each has a cost:
- Plastic cards need stock, printing, and postage, and they go missing. Replacing lost cards falls to membership staff.
- Name lookups at the desk work, but they’re slow, and they depend on staff finding the right constituent among similar names and households.
- Emailed PDFs are cheap but get buried in inboxes. Members end up scrolling at the front of the line.
A wallet card sits in Apple Wallet or Google Wallet next to the member’s boarding passes and store cards. It opens from the lock screen, shows the member’s name and membership details, and carries a barcode staff can scan.
Questions to answer before launch
Who gets a card in a household?
Aquarium memberships are heavily family and dual memberships. Decide whether each named cardholder gets their own wallet card or whether the primary member gets one card for the household. Look at how your membership levels define cardholders in Altru today, because that’s the data a card will draw from. If cardholder names on your memberships are inconsistent, clean that up first.
What will staff do with the barcode?
A barcode only speeds things up if something at the door reads it. Confirm how your admissions team will check members in: scanning at the admissions counter, scanning on a handheld at the entrance, or a visual check when the line is long. If you plan to scan at an Altru sales station, confirm in a sandbox or with Blackbaud support how a scanned membership barcode is handled there before you promise it to staff. Test the barcode with the actual hardware you use. Bright lobbies and cracked phone screens both affect scan reliability, so try it in the real entrance, not just at a desk in the office.
What happens at renewal or upgrade?
Members will renew, upgrade from individual to family, or add a cardholder. Work out what the member should see afterward and how they get a current card. Put that in your renewal confirmation emails so members aren’t left wondering whether the old card still works. If you’re unsure how a renewed or upgraded membership will show up in your card setup, test a few renewals end to end before telling members.
How do members get the card in the first place?
The usual moments are the join or renewal confirmation email, a reminder email before the next visit, and a member portal where they can add it on demand. Plan at least two of these. Members who skip the first email will want another way to get it without calling you.
What about members without smartphones?
Some members, often grandparents who bring the grandkids, won’t use a wallet card. Keep a fallback: a printed card on request or a name lookup at the desk. A wallet card should shorten the line for most members, not lock out the rest.
Data hygiene matters more than the card
A wallet card shows whatever your Altru records say. Before rollout, it’s worth a few hours on the basics:
- Duplicate constituents. If a member exists twice in Altru, they may get two cards or a card tied to the wrong record. Run a duplicate review on active members first.
- Email addresses. Cards usually travel by email. Query active members with a missing or bounced primary email so you know who won’t receive one.
- Cardholder names. Check for placeholder names, missing second adults, and kids listed as cardholders when your benefits don’t call for it.
- Expiration dates. Spot-check that expirations on member records are what you expect. A card that shows the wrong date creates a desk conversation you could have avoided.
Aquarium-specific details worth thinking through
- Members-only hours and events. Early-morning member hours or after-hours events are when everyone arrives at once. Those are the best first test of whether wallet scanning holds up.
- Guest passes and member tickets. If your members reserve timed entry, decide whether staff scan the membership card, the reservation, or both. Keep the rule simple for front-line staff.
- Reciprocal visitors. Members from partner institutions won’t have your card. Keep your reciprocal check-in process separate so it doesn’t confuse the new flow.
- Signage. A small “Have your membership card ready in your phone’s wallet” sign before the entrance catches the members who never opened the email.
How Social Good handles this
Social Good’s Digital Membership Cards give Altru members Apple Wallet and Google Wallet membership cards, while Altru remains where memberships are managed. The planning questions above apply whichever approach you take.
Quick answers
Does a wallet card replace Altru’s membership records?
No. The card is a way to carry and present the membership. The membership itself, including levels, cardholders, and expiration, stays in Altru.
Do members need to download an app?
Generally no. Apple Wallet is built into iPhones, and Google Wallet is available on most Android phones, though some members may need to install or open it the first time.
Should we stop printing plastic cards right away?
Running both for at least one renewal cycle, then making plastic opt-in, is a cautious approach. It gives members time to switch and shows you how many still want a physical card.
