There are really three ways to give members a different ticket than the general public in Altru: a member price type on the same program, a member discount applied at the time of sale, or a completely separate program or event that only members can book. Each one behaves differently for capacity, online sales, and reporting, so the right choice depends on what “separate” means for your organization.
Before building anything, answer one question: are members getting a different price for the same experience, or a different experience (an early-access hour, a members-only lecture, a reserved block of camp seats)? The first is a pricing problem. The second is an inventory problem. Mixing them up is how organizations end up with a dozen near-identical programs nobody can report on.
Option 1: Member price types on the same program
This is the most common setup for scheduled programs like planetarium shows, tours, or timed galleries. You add price types such as “Member Adult” and “Member Child” alongside “Adult” and “Child” on the same program, each with its own price (for general admission, member prices are sometimes $0).
What works well:
- All buyers draw from one capacity pool, so a 40-seat show stays a 40-seat show.
- Reporting is simple. You can see member versus non-member attendance by price type without stitching programs together.
- Pre-registered programs (classes, camps, workshops) handle this the same way, which keeps registration and pricing in one place.
The catch: a price type by itself doesn’t verify anything. At the front desk, staff need a habit of looking up the constituent and confirming an active membership before selecting a member price. Online, the question is whether your web form shows member prices to everyone or only to signed-in members. How much control you have there depends on your form setup and Altru version, so test it in a sandbox or ask Blackbaud support before you publish member prices on a public form.
Option 2: Member discounts instead of member price types
Some organizations prefer one set of public price types and a discount that applies to members. Altru supports discounts, and membership benefits can be tied to membership levels, but how automatically a discount is applied to a given sale (desk versus web, scheduled versus pre-registered) is worth confirming in your own environment rather than assuming.
Discounts make sense when the member benefit is a percentage off (say, 20% off classes) rather than a flat member price. They keep your price type list short. The tradeoff is reporting: you’ll analyze member usage by discount rather than by price type, so make sure the queries and reports your team relies on can see discount information before you switch.
Option 3: A separate program or event for members
When members get something non-members can’t buy at all, a separate program (or separate event times within a program) is the cleaner answer. Typical examples:
- A members-only preview of a new exhibition
- A camp registration window that opens to members a week early
- A reserved block of seats held back for members at a popular show
The important thing to understand is that separate programs mean separate capacity. If you create a “Members” version and a “Public” version of the same 3:00 tour, Altru tracks them independently. You can sell out the public side while 15 member seats sit empty, and nobody at the desk will see one combined number. If the experience is truly the same and you just want a held block, decide in advance when unsold member seats get released and who is responsible for moving that capacity.
For early-access registration on pre-registered programs, a common workaround is to publish the program only to members first (through a members-only link or form), then open it publicly on a set date. Whether you can restrict the form itself or simply rely on not advertising the link depends on your web setup, so be honest with yourself about how “private” a link really is once it’s shared on social media.
Choosing between them
- Same experience, different price: use member price types on one program. Train staff to verify membership before selecting them.
- Same experience, percentage benefit: consider a discount, after confirming it shows up in the reports you need.
- Different experience or reserved access: use a separate program or event, and plan for capacity release.
Whichever you choose, keep the naming consistent. “Member Adult” on one program and “Adult – Member” on another will make every query and report harder than it needs to be. A short naming standard written down now saves a lot of cleanup when someone asks for member attendance across the year.
A few setup habits that prevent problems
- Put the rule on the screen. If member price types require verification, say so in your desk notes or quick-reference sheet, not just in training.
- Decide what happens with expired members. A member whose card lapsed last week will ask for the member price. Pick a policy (honor a short grace period, or offer renewal at the desk) so staff aren’t improvising.
- Check household members. If your memberships cover more than one person, make sure staff know who on the household qualifies, especially for camps and classes registered under a child’s name.
- Audit periodically. A query of member-price sales where the constituent has no active membership on the sale date will tell you quickly whether the honor system is holding up.
Quick answers
Can a single program have both member and non-member prices?
Yes. Adding separate price types to one program is the standard way to do it, and it keeps capacity shared.
Will Altru stop a non-member from choosing a member price?
Don’t assume it will. At the desk, verification is a staff step. Online, test your specific web form in a sandbox to see exactly what a non-member can select.
Should members-only events be their own program?
Usually, yes, when non-members can’t attend at all. Just remember that separate programs don’t share capacity with the public version.
