A guest says their ticket was already used when they got to the gate. A volunteer insists they never scanned it. Your finance lead wants to know how many people came through the east entrance versus the main lobby last Saturday. All three questions come down to the same thing: for a given scan, who did it, and where?
Altru reliably tells you that a ticket was scanned. Who scanned it and which entrance it came through are harder to get, and how much you can see depends on how your scanning is set up. Below is how to find out what your database actually records, and how to set up scanning so the answer is there the next time you need it.
Start by finding out what Altru records today
Don’t rely on memory or a forum post for this. Test it in your own database, ideally a sandbox if you have one.
- Scan a test ticket yourself. Sell or comp a ticket to a test constituent, then scan it using your normal device and login. Write down the exact time, the device, and the user you were logged in as.
- Open the ticket and order records. Check whether the scan shows a date and time, a status change, and any user name. Look at both the ticket itself and the related sales order.
- Build a ticket query. In the query designer, browse the fields available for tickets and look for anything tied to scanning or redemption: a scan date, a status, a “changed by” or “added by” user. Add every candidate field to the output and run it against your test ticket.
- Compare against what you wrote down. If the query shows the user you were logged in as, you have a “who.” If it shows nothing that identifies the device or entrance, you don’t have a “where,” and you’ll need one of the setups below.
Be careful with fields like “changed by.” They often show the last person who touched the record for any reason, which may be a refund or reprint, not the scan. Rescan, refund, and reprint your test ticket so you know which action each field really reflects.
If the fields aren’t there or the results are ambiguous, ask Blackbaud support directly whether scan user and scan location are stored for your version and how to report on them. That’s a quick ticket and saves a lot of guessing.
Getting a “who” you can trust
Even if Altru stores a user against each scan, the answer is only as good as your logins. The most common reason this data is useless is a single shared “frontdesk” or “scanner” account that every volunteer uses.
- Named logins for anyone who scans regularly. Staff and long-term volunteers should sign in as themselves. Check how this affects your Altru user licensing before you add accounts.
- A sign-in sheet for shared devices. If seasonal or event volunteers have to share an account, keep a simple log of who held which device and when. Matching scan times to that log is tedious, but it settles disputes.
- Sign out at shift change. A device left logged in as the morning supervisor will credit every afternoon scan to them.
Getting a “where” when nothing records it
Location is usually the harder half. If your test shows no entrance or device information, you have a few practical options.
One account per entrance
Create a scanning login for each gate, such as one for the main entrance and one for the garden gate, and keep each device signed in as its gate. The user field then tells you the location. The trade-off is that you lose the individual “who,” so pair it with the shift log above.
Separate events or programs by entrance
If certain entrances serve certain experiences (a special exhibition, a timed tour, a members-only hour), selling those as their own program or event gives you location for free in your sales reporting. This doesn’t work for general admission that can enter anywhere.
Device-to-gate assignment by time
Assign each device to a fixed entrance for the day and record it. When you need to know where a scan happened, match the scan time and user to that assignment. It’s low-tech, but it holds up in a dispute.
Resolving the “already scanned” complaint
When a guest says their ticket was used before they arrived, the scan time is your best evidence. Pull the ticket, note when it was scanned, and compare that against when the guest says they arrived and who was working which entrance then. Common explanations are a forwarded screenshot of the ticket, a party member who went in first, or a staff member scanning a stack of printed tickets ahead of time. Knowing the user and the gate turns a he-said-she-said into a two-minute lookup.
Scanning on mobile devices
Many organizations put scanning on phones or tablets so staff can work any entrance or the line outside. Social Good’s Ticket Scanner scans Altru tickets and membership barcodes at the door on mobile devices. Whatever scanning tool you use, the same advice applies: test what each scan records, and set up logins and device assignments so the who and where are there when you need them.
Quick answers
Can I report on scans by entrance in Altru?
Only if something in your setup ties a scan to an entrance, such as a login per gate or a separate program. Run a test scan and check your query fields to confirm what’s stored.
Will a shared login show who scanned?
It will show the shared account, not the person. Use named logins or keep a device sign-in sheet.
