Member-only events are some of the best cultivation tools a museum, zoo, or garden has. A members’ preview night or a behind-the-scenes tour shows a prospect exactly what they’d be joining. The catch is the setup: the same rules that keep the event “members only” in Altru also keep out the major-gift prospect, the board member’s guest, or the corporate partner you actually want in the room.
There’s no single right answer, but there are a few workable patterns. Which one fits depends on how many outside guests you expect, whether they register online or through staff, and how carefully you want to track what happens afterward.
First, figure out how the event is restricted
“Members only” can mean different things in Altru, and the workaround depends on which one you’re dealing with:
- Restricted by who can register online. The web form or sales channel only offers the event, or its prices, to people it can identify as current members.
- Restricted by price. The event has registration options or prices meant for members, and nothing exists for non-members.
- Restricted only by policy. Altru would happily sell anyone a ticket; staff are just told to check membership at the door.
Before building anything, open the event and the web form it sells through and confirm which of these applies. If you’re not sure how your restriction is enforced, test it in a sandbox or a test web form with a non-member constituent record. Blackbaud support can also confirm what your version allows if the settings aren’t clear.
Option 1: A staff-only guest registration option
For small numbers of hand-picked guests, this is usually the cleanest approach. Add a separate registration option or price to the event, named something unambiguous like “Invited Guest” or “VIP Guest,” and don’t make it available on the public web form. Staff register invitees directly, typically at no charge or a set comp price.
Why it works well:
- The invited person gets a real registration on their own constituent record, so attendance shows up in their history.
- Your members-only web experience stays untouched.
- Reporting is simple: filter the event’s registrants by that option and you have your guest list.
The trade-off is staff time. Every guest goes through someone in development or membership, which is fine for twenty prospects and painful for two hundred.
Option 2: An invitation list for larger groups
When you’re inviting a defined group (lapsed members, recent donors who never joined, a donor’s referral list), start from a constituent selection or query rather than typing names in one at a time. Depending on how your Altru is configured, you may be able to manage invitees directly on the event; if not, the selection still drives your invitation mailing or email through your usual marketing and communications process.
Pair the list with the guest registration option from Option 1 so responses land in the same place. If you want invitees to register themselves online, you’ll need a web form or registration path that’s open to them but not advertised publicly. Whether a hidden or unlisted form works for your event type is worth testing before the invitations go out, not after.
Option 3: A complimentary or trial membership
Some organizations give VIP prospects a short complimentary membership so they pass every members-only check automatically. It works, but think it through first:
- It inflates your membership counts unless you exclude that level or program from reporting.
- Comp members can get pulled into renewal campaigns, member mailings, and benefit fulfillment you didn’t intend.
- It can blur the conversion picture. Was that “renewal” a real join or an expired comp?
If you go this route, use a dedicated membership level or program that’s clearly labeled, keep the term short, and make sure your renewal and reporting queries exclude it.
Flag the people, not just the registrations
Whichever option you choose, mark invitees on the constituent record itself: an attribute, constituency, or code such as “Cultivation Prospect” with the event and date. That flag is what lets you answer the question leadership will ask in three months: did inviting these people work?
With the flag in place, a query can show invitees who attended, invitees who later bought a membership, and invitees who later gave. Without it, you’re piecing the story together from memory and spreadsheets.
Plan the door, too
The setup in Altru is only half of it. If front-line staff are checking membership at entry, an invited guest with no active membership will look like someone who shouldn’t be there. A few things help:
- Give the check-in team a guest list (pulled from the guest registration option) separate from the member list.
- Tell staff the name of the option or code to look for, so “Invited Guest” reads as expected rather than as an error.
- Name a development or membership contact who’ll be at the event to greet VIPs personally. That handoff matters more than any record setting.
Follow up within days, not weeks
Invitees who came should hear from you within a few days, with a membership offer that refers to the event they attended. Invitees who registered but didn’t show deserve a different, lighter note. Both lists come straight out of the registration data if you used a dedicated option, which is one more reason to set it up that way.
Quick answers
Can a member bring a non-member guest instead?
Often, yes. Many organizations handle this with a guest registration option tied to the member’s registration or with a membership benefit that includes guests. Check how your membership levels define guest privileges before promising it.
Should prospects pay for the event?
That’s a policy choice, not a system one. A comp registration feels more like an invitation; a small price can reduce no-shows. Either way, record it on its own option so it doesn’t get mixed into member revenue.
