“Digital membership” means two different things depending on who’s asking. Sometimes it’s a new, lower-priced level for supporters who live too far away to visit: they get your newsletter, online programs, and a shop discount, but no free admission. Other times it’s an ordinary membership that’s simply delivered electronically, with no plastic card and no welcome packet in the mail. Both can be built with Altru’s standard membership tools, but they need different setup decisions, so it helps to know which one you’re building before you open the membership program.
Option 1: A virtual or remote membership level
This is a real product with its own price and its own benefits. In Altru it’s simply another level inside a membership program, the same way your Individual, Family, and Patron levels are. Nothing special is required to create it. The work is in deciding what it is and keeping it from being confused with a level that includes admission.
Decide what the member actually gets
A remote level only sells if the benefits make sense to someone who may never walk through your gate. Common choices:
- Member pricing on online talks, classes, or virtual tours
- A discount in your online shop
- The member newsletter or magazine (digital edition)
- Early notice of events and programs
- A one-time guest pass or discounted admission for the occasional visit
Be specific. “Supporter benefits” is hard to sell and harder for desk staff to honor. Also ask your finance lead or accountant how the benefits affect the tax-deductible portion of the price; a level that’s mostly a gift is treated differently than one that’s mostly benefits.
Set it up as its own level
- Use a separate level, not a discounted version of an existing one. You want to report on it on its own, and you want staff to see the level name on the constituent record and know immediately that it doesn’t include free entry.
- Name it plainly. “Digital Member” or “Remote Member” works better at the desk than a clever name nobody recognizes.
- Configure benefits deliberately. If your membership program attaches admission benefits or discounts automatically at the level, double-check that the remote level carries only the ones you intend. Test a sale in a sandbox or on a test constituent before going live.
- Plan the upgrade path. Some remote members will move closer or start visiting. Decide whether they can upgrade mid-term to a full level and how you’ll credit what they’ve already paid. Run an upgrade on a test record so you know what the new expiration date will be.
Selling it online
Remote members are, almost by definition, buying online. Make sure the new level appears on whatever membership web form you use, with a short description that states what’s not included. If your web form shows levels in price order, the cheapest option will sit right next to the levels that include admission, so a clear “does not include general admission” line prevents disappointed visitors and refund requests later.
Option 2: Paperless delivery for every membership
Here the product doesn’t change. You’re cutting out printing and mailing, which saves money and gets the card into the member’s hands sooner.
- Collect an email address on every membership sale. Paperless delivery falls apart if a third of your records have no email. Make it required on web forms and part of the desk script.
- Change how you produce cards. If your current process is a query or export that feeds a print vendor, decide what replaces it. Some organizations email a PDF card; others rely on the member’s account number or a lookup at the desk.
- Keep a fallback. A few members will still want something physical, especially for gift memberships. Decide whether you’ll print on request and how staff flag those records.
- Tell the desk what to accept. A card on a phone screen, a confirmation email, a photo ID lookup: write down which ones are fine so every shift handles it the same way.
Whether Altru can email a membership card on its own, and in what format, depends on how your organization has set up communications and acknowledgments. If you’re not sure, test with a staff membership or ask Blackbaud support before you announce that plastic cards are going away.
Things that trip people up
- Remote members showing up for free entry. It will happen. Give the desk a polite, consistent answer (and ideally an upgrade offer) rather than leaving it to each cashier.
- Gift memberships. Buyers often want something to hand over. A printable certificate or a forwarded email solves this for both options.
- Renewal reminders. If renewal notices go out by mail, a paperless member may never see them. Move reminders to email for anyone without a physical card.
Where a wallet card helps
Either option works without extra software. If you want members to carry their card on their phone, Digital Membership Cards issues Apple Wallet and Google Wallet membership cards for Altru members. That covers paperless delivery for full members and gives remote members something to show when they use a shop discount or visit with a guest pass.
Quick answers
Do I need a separate membership program for a virtual level?
Usually not. A new level inside your existing program keeps reporting and renewals in one place. A separate program may make sense if the remote offering has a different term or renewal schedule.
Can a digital-only member still get a card?
Yes. “Digital-only” describes the benefits, not the card. Many organizations still give remote members a card, delivered electronically, so they can claim discounts.
