A guest buys a ticket online at 9:52 for a 10:00 tour. They’re still parking when the group walks off, and the docent never saw their name on a printed list pulled at 9:30. Or a ticketed dinner closes its headcount with the caterer on Thursday, and three more people buy on Friday morning. Either way, the fix people go looking for is the same: stop the web from selling a little before the event starts.
Here’s what to look for in Altru, what to do if the setting you want isn’t there, and how to keep the cut-off from turning into a reminder someone forgets.
First, figure out what kind of cut-off you need
“Cut-off” means different things for different events, and the right approach depends on which one you mean:
- A rolling cut-off for every timed entry or tour. Online sales close a set number of minutes before each start time, every day, without anyone touching it.
- A hard close for a single event. A gala, class, or members’ night stops selling online at a specific date and time, usually for catering, materials, or check-in lists.
- Online closes, the desk keeps selling. You still want walk-ups to buy remaining space at admissions after the web is shut off.
Most organizations need the third one combined with one of the first two. Keep that in mind, because the bluntest workarounds shut off all sales, not just online ones.
Check what your Altru setup supports natively
Start with the program or event setup itself. Altru separates how a program is sold (daily sales, advance sales, online), and the online availability settings are where any built-in cut-off would live. Look at the sales and online settings on the program, then on the scheduled event, since some behavior is set per event rather than per program.
We’re deliberately not going to give you a click-path here. What’s available depends on how your programs are built and on your Altru release, and some of these options have changed over time. If you can’t find a “stop selling online X minutes before start” style option, don’t assume it’s hidden somewhere:
- Create a test event in a sandbox (or a clearly named test event in production that isn’t on any public form) starting in the next hour.
- Try to buy it through your web form at several points before the start time.
- Note exactly when, if ever, it stops appearing or stops accepting the purchase.
- If nothing changes, ask Blackbaud support directly whether a per-program or per-event online cut-off exists for your configuration, and get the answer in writing in your case notes.
That test takes fifteen minutes and saves you from building a policy on a setting that doesn’t behave the way its label suggests.
Workarounds when there’s no built-in cut-off
Cap online capacity instead of time
If your events allow capacity to be split by sales method, you can allocate a portion to online and hold the rest for the desk. It isn’t a time cut-off, but it solves the most common real problem: the web selling the last spots that admissions needed for walk-ups. Test whether unsold online capacity rolls back to the desk the way you expect before relying on it.
Close the event manually at a set time
For one-off events, someone changes the event so it no longer sells online at the agreed time. That might mean removing it from the web form, reducing online availability to what’s already sold, or changing its online status, depending on what your setup allows. Confirm which option leaves desk sales open. This works, but only if it’s someone’s job:
- Put the cut-off date and time in the event’s planning doc, not just in someone’s head.
- Assign one named person and a backup.
- Set a calendar reminder 15 minutes before the cut-off, not at it.
- After closing, check the public calendar from a private browser window to confirm it’s actually gone.
Split the web listing from the desk listing
Some teams publish an earlier-ending version of an event on the web and keep the full event available at the desk. This adds reporting complexity, so only do it if your reports and attendance counts can easily combine the two. For recurring timed entry, it’s usually more trouble than it’s worth.
Change the time you print lists, not the cut-off
Sometimes the cut-off is really a check-in problem. If the issue is that late buyers aren’t on the printed roster, pulling a fresh list from a query closer to start time, or checking guests in against live data on a device, may remove the need for a cut-off altogether.
Tell buyers what the rule is
Whatever you choose, say it on the event page and in the confirmation email: “Online sales close two hours before start. Remaining tickets may be available at admissions.” A guest who knows the rule doesn’t call the front desk asking why the button disappeared. If you can’t enforce a cut-off automatically, a clear note at least sets expectations for the few who buy late.
Quick answers
Will removing an event from the web form cancel tickets already sold?
It shouldn’t, since existing orders are already recorded in Altru. Still, check one sold order after you make the change so you know for certain in your setup.
Can I set different cut-offs for members and the public?
We haven’t seen a straightforward way to do this in standard Altru web forms. If you need it, ask Blackbaud support and test any proposed approach in a sandbox before announcing it to members.
