Camp registration forms usually ask about more than allergies and pickup contacts. “Do you need before-care?” “Add a lunch plan?” “Camp T-shirt?” Each of those answers carries a price, and families expect the total to update when they say yes. In Altru, it usually doesn’t.
This article covers why, the setups that do work, and how to choose between them before registration opens.
The core limitation
Registration questions in Altru collect information. As far as we know, Altru doesn’t let the answer to a question change the price of the registration. A “yes” to extended care gets stored on the registrant, but it doesn’t add a charge to the order.
We haven’t found a supported way around this. Your version and setup may differ, though, so before you build anything, test it in your sandbox or ask Blackbaud support directly: “Can a registration question answer add a fee to the order?” If they say yes, that’s the cleanest option. If they say no, pick one of the patterns below.
The basic rule: anything that costs money should be something you sell, not a question you ask. Keep questions for things that don’t change the price, like T-shirt size, dietary needs, or an authorized pickup person.
Three ways to price add-ons
1. Build the add-on into the price options
Give each camp session separate prices for each combination: “Week 3, Member,” “Week 3, Member + Extended Care,” and so on. The family picks one option and pays the full amount in a single step.
Works well when: you have one add-on, or two at most.
Breaks down when: the add-ons multiply. Extended care, lunch, and a field trip fee across member and non-member rates gives you sixteen price options per session. Staff will choose the wrong one, and your reports will be hard to read.
2. Sell the add-on as its own item
Set up extended care (or lunch, or the trip) as its own sellable item, either as its own program or event or as a merchandise-style item, depending on what fits your Altru setup. Families register for the camp, then add the extra to the same order.
Works well when: the add-on has its own capacity. Extended care is the usual example, because the number of counselors limits how many kids you can take. As a separate item, it can usually carry its own capacity limit and post to its own revenue account. Confirm how capacity behaves for the item type you choose by testing a few registrations in your sandbox first.
Watch out for: families who forget to add it. Then you find out on the first morning that a child needs before-care you never charged for. Your confirmation email and the camp instructions should both tell families to add extended care to the cart.
3. Ask the question, then bill later
Keep the question on the form, then run a query of everyone who answered yes and send each family a separate invoice or payment request.
Works well when: the add-on is optional, low-volume, or priced after the fact (like a field trip whose cost isn’t final yet).
Watch out for: unpaid balances. Every invoice you send is one you have to follow up on, and nobody on the camp team wants to chase small balances while the session is running.
Picking a pattern
- Limited spots for the add-on? Sell it as its own item (option 2), so capacity stays accurate.
- Only one simple add-on, always the same price? Add it to the price options (option 1).
- Price not known at registration, or very few families want it? Ask the question and bill later (option 3).
- Several add-ons? Combine the first two patterns: build at most one add-on into the price options and sell the rest as separate items.
Things to settle before registration opens
- Member discounts. Decide whether the member rate covers add-ons or only the camp itself, and make the pricing match. Settle it in writing so front-desk staff and the online form give the same answer.
- Refunds and transfers. If a camper changes weeks, does extended care move too? With separate items, staff have to move both. Put that in your desk procedures.
- Revenue reporting. Ask your finance team if they want add-on income tracked separately from tuition. If they do, rule out option 1, because the add-on income is mixed into the camp price.
- Roster and pickup lists. Counselors need to know who is staying for after-care. Build a query that joins camp registrants to add-on purchases, and test it with sample registrations before the first day.
A reconciliation check worth running weekly
If you keep any pricing-related question on the form, even just as a reminder, compare its answers with what families actually bought. A query of registrants who said “yes” to extended care but have no extended care purchase will catch most mistakes while there’s still time to collect payment. Run it every week during registration season and again a few days before each session.
Where Social Good fits
Option 2 depends on families adding the extra item themselves. If you sell online through Social Good Checkouts, the Upsells feature can offer add-ons in the checkout cart, so an item like extended care or a lunch plan is put in front of families instead of depending on them to remember it. The orders and revenue still land in Altru.
