A historic house with a single admissions table, a volunteer docent checking members in, and a gravel parking lot where phones drop to one bar. That is the setting a digital membership card has to work in. It is a different job from a large museum’s lobby with turnstiles and Wi-Fi, and it’s worth planning for that before you put a card in anyone’s Apple Wallet or Google Wallet.
This guide covers what a wallet card needs to do at a historic site, the questions to settle in Altru before launch, and how to roll it out without leaving your longtime members behind.
Why historic sites have different needs
Historic sites tend to share a few traits that shape how membership cards get used:
- Volunteers at the door. Many check-ins are handled by docents or part-time staff who may not log into Altru at all. The card has to be readable at a glance: name, membership level, and expiration date, clearly visible.
- Weak or no connectivity. Stone walls, rural locations, and outbuildings are hard on cell signal. A card that only exists as a link to a web page fails when the page won’t load. A pass saved to the phone’s wallet is stored on the device, which makes it far more dependable at the gate.
- Multiple properties. Organizations that run several houses, a visitor center, and a museum store need one card that means the same thing at every location.
- A loyal, older membership base. Plenty of members will be happy with a phone card. Some will want a plastic card for years to come. Plan for both.
- Reciprocal visitors. If your site belongs to a reciprocal network, members of other organizations will show their home cards at your door, and your members will show yours elsewhere. Check the network’s current rules for what a member card must show, make sure those details appear on the digital card, and confirm the network accepts digital cards before you stop printing.
What to settle in Altru before launch
A digital card can only be as accurate as the membership data behind it. These are the decisions that cause trouble later if you skip them.
Who gets a card in a household membership
Decide whether each adult member on a household or dual membership gets their own card, or whether one card covers the household. Look at how your membership program lists primary and secondary members in Altru, and check that each person who should get a card has a constituent record with a usable email address.
Email addresses
Wallet cards are almost always delivered by email or a download link. Run a query of active members missing an email address, or with duplicates of the same address across different constituents, and clean that up first. A card sent to a spouse’s inbox, or to an address from three moves ago, becomes a phone call to your office.
What the barcode encodes
If you scan members today, find out exactly what value your scanners expect: the membership’s lookup ID, a card number, or something else. The barcode on the digital card has to match that. If you don’t scan and just look at cards, decide whether you want to start; it’s the easiest way to record member visits for reporting.
What happens at renewal
Ask how the card reflects a renewal, upgrade, or lapse. Does the existing pass change, or does the member get a new one? Your renewal communications should tell members what to expect so they aren’t standing at the gate with last year’s card.
A sensible rollout
- Pilot with staff and board members. Have a dozen people add the card to both iPhone and Android phones, then try checking in at each of your entrances, including the one with the worst signal.
- Brief your docents. A one-page sheet is enough: what a valid card looks like, where the expiration date appears, and what to do if a member’s phone is dead (look them up, or check a printed member list).
- Offer it to new joins and renewals first. Including the card in the welcome or renewal email reaches people when they’re already paying attention.
- Then invite current members. Send a separate message to active members with a short explanation and a clear note that physical cards are still available on request.
- Keep printing for those who ask. Track who wants plastic with a constituent attribute or a similar flag in Altru, so the request doesn’t depend on someone’s memory.
What to ask any vendor
- Does it work with Apple Wallet and Google Wallet, or only one?
- Where does the membership data come from, and how current is it?
- What barcode formats does it support, and can it match what we already scan?
- How are household members handled?
- What does the member see after they renew?
If a vendor can’t answer the data questions clearly, test with a handful of real member records before committing. And if you’re unsure how a detail of your membership program setup behaves in Altru, try it in a sandbox or ask Blackbaud support rather than finding out at the front door.
Where Social Good fits
Our Digital Membership Cards give Altru members an Apple Wallet or Google Wallet card built from their Altru membership, so your membership program and records stay in Altru. The preparation above, especially clean emails and a clear household policy, still matters whichever tool you choose.
Quick answers
Do members need an app?
Usually not. Apple Wallet is built into iPhones, and Google Wallet comes preinstalled on many Android phones (others can get it free from the Play Store). Members save the card there instead of downloading an app from your organization.
Should we stop printing plastic cards?
Not right away. Offer digital as the default, keep printing for anyone who asks, and look at the request volume after a full renewal cycle before deciding.
