In this stage, just get familiar with Altru and how to use some of the resources available to you. Don't worry about learning the details of daily, weekly, and monthly tasks yet; simply focus on the layout, features, and concepts of Altru. With this foundation, you’ll quickly learn the details in the next stages and prepare yourself to work in Altru.
Week One:
- Get a Blackbaud.com account. Blackbaud.com Login Help
- Complete the Basics of Altru eLearning course.
- Join the Altru Community.
- Get alerts about Altru system issues and outages by subscribing to the Altru System Status Blog.
- Read the following chapters and chapter sections in Altru for Beginners.
- Introduction
- Constituents
- Tickets and Programs
- Memberships - Get Members: You Really Like Me!
- Sales
- Group Sales and Facility Rentals - Check In Groups: We're Here!
- Group Sales and Facility Rentals - Check Out Groups: Where’s Our Security Deposit?
- Data Management - Query at Your Fingertips
- Reports and KPIs
- Outroduction
- Complete the Altru: Basics of Daily and Advance Sales eLearning course.
- Enroll in the Blackbaud University online instructor-led courses. These two courses are prerequisites for all other Altru online instructor-led courses:
- If you are also responsible for membership at your organization, check out the role-based training guide for Membership Managers: What training is recommended for a new Membership Manager?
- If you are also responsible for Group Sales at your organization, check out the role-based training guide for Group Sales Coordinators: What training is recommended for a new Group Sales Coordinator?
- If you are also responsible for the Gift Shop at your organization, check out the role-based training guide for Gift Shop Managers: What training is recommended for a new Gift Shop Manager?
- If you are also responsible for Volunteer Management at your organization, check out the role-based training guide for Volunteer Managers: What training is recommended for a new Volunteer Manager?
Stage 2: Learn how to do your job
The trainings and resources in this section are arranged so that your most common tasks are addressed first.
Week Two - Daily Tasks:
Daily and Advance Sales Tasks
As the Guest Services Manager, you will regularly assist your patrons when they visit and when they purchase tickets and registrations to your organization's future programming.
- Complete the Altru: Basics of Daily and Advance Sales eLearning course.
- Enroll in the Blackbaud University online instructor-led course Altru: Sales Management.
- Check out these Help Topics:
- Watch the Videos in this playlist: Daily and Advance Sales
- Refer to these Knowledgebase articles:
- I need to add a note to my sales order
- How to send confirmation emails for Advance Sales orders
- I need to refund a sales order
- A constituent wants to reschedule tickets to a different program (includes video)
- I need to process a refund, but the customer doesn't have their receipt
- I need to change designation/fund on a sales order
- When looking up merchandise through the Daily Sales Page, it doesn't come up
- Credit card receipt doesn't print immediately for orders in daily sales
- Tickets will not scan into daily sales
- Can we accept round up donations in Daily Sales?
- Adjustable discount does not apply to the purchase of memberships
- Review this Altru Masters Workshop Recording & Handout: Transaction Adjustments - Reversals, Refunds, Rescheduling, and More
Daily Cash Drawer and Financial Reconciliation Tasks
Cash drawer management and financial reconciliation is a key part of the sales process in Altru.
- Enroll in the Blackbaud University online instructor-led course Altru: Daily Financial Reconciliation.
- Check out this Help Topic: Daily Tasks and the Create Deposits Process
- Watch these Videos:
- Refer to these Knowledgebase articles:
- When is a cash drawer created?
- How do I open and close my cash drawer?
- How to close someone else's drawer
- Did not count initial cash
- Cash drawer is showing an overage or shortage when approving the closed drawer
- My drawer shows an overage after I refunded a cash payment with no other transactions in the drawer
- Payments from a previous closed drawer are showing in a future day's drawer
- How to know which users opened the cash drawer for no sale
- How to reconcile Altru to General Ledger
Constituents
As a Guest Services Manager, you’ll be interacting with constituent records in your database regularly. Use these resources to understand the constituent record in Altru.
- Complete the Altru: Basics of Constituents eLearning course.
- Check out these Help Topics:
- Watch these videos:
- Introduction to the Constituent Record
- Overview of the Revenue Tab in Altru Constituent Records
- How to Add a New Individual Constituent Record in Altru
- Adding an Organization Record to Altru
- Adding Individual Relationships to Constituent Records in Altru
- Adding Organization Relationships to Constituent Records in Altru
- Track Social Media Accounts for Constituents
- Enroll in the Blackbaud University online instructor-led course Altru: Constituent Record Management.
Week Three - Weekly Tasks:
Unresolved Online Sales Orders
When Altru encounters an issue processing a transaction in online sales, the system assigns a status of “Unresolved” to those sales orders after website users make payments. The program uses this temporary status to create records for online sales orders even if errors prevent it from fully processing the orders. Guest Services Managers regularly review any unresolved orders, correct the errors, and complete the orders.
- Check out the Help Topic: Unresolved Online Sales Orders
- Watch this Video: Understanding Unresolved Online Sales Orders.
- Refer to these Knowledgebase articles:
- What are unresolved online sales orders and how do I resolve them?
- Online sales order came through but I can't find it
- How do I know if the credit card has been charged when looking at an unresolved online sales order?
- Do patrons get an email or notification when an unresolved online sales order has been resolved?
- Error: an error occurred while building an item in the cart. To complete the order, edit the item and enter any missing information - when completing an unresolved online sales order
- Error: The program billed the credit card but could not link the payment to the sales order. The credit card transaction ID is (transaction ID) - when viewing an unresolved online sales order
- Error: a membership on this order is missing a primary member. To complete the order, edit the membership and enter the missing information- in unresolved online sales orders
- Error: A duplicate credit card charge occurred while processing this sales order. Please review the payments for the order and refund the duplicate charge - when resolving an unresolved online sales order
Query
Query is a grouping tool that allows you to group records with similar characteristics. Queries are used throughout Altru to filter what records should be included in a mailing, report, export, or process.
- Complete the Altru: Basics of Query eLearning course.
- Enroll in the Blackbaud University online instructor-led courses:
- Check out the Help Topic: Getting Started in Query.
- Watch the Altru Query videos.
- Practice query with a few of these sales order related queries:
- How to query on how many people attended each program event
- How to exclude refunds from a sales order query
- How do I report on rescheduled tickets?
- How to report on daily admission sales for each day of year?
- How to get a list of constituents who used a certain discount
- The system field Date added is different from the transaction date for daily sales orders
- Review this Altru Masters Workshop Recording & Handout: Focus on the Field - Query Tips for Ticketing
Reporting and Analysis
Altru offers many reports and other analytical tools to assist you in analyze revenue raised and your progress toward your fundraising and financial goals.
- Enroll in the Blackbaud University online instructor-led course Altru: Data Analysis.
- Check out these Help Topics:
- Refer to these Knowledgebase articles:
- Can I change or modify the fields in a report?
- How can I see all sales for a particular user on a particular day?
- How to report on hourly sales
- How to report on scheduled program event revenue by price type
- I want to see how much revenue a specific program has generated
- How to report on the sales of combination tickets
- How to report on tickets applied to memberships
- How to report on scanned tickets
- I need to report on sales from members
- Total Revenue and Payment Report does not match Program Revenue Report
- What are KPIs in Altru?
- What is the KPI Dashboard?
- What can I use Smart Fields for in Altru?
- What Revenue and Transaction/Application types should I select when creating a Smart Field?
- Search the Knowledgebase using the keywords "How to report on" for the answers to commonly asked reporting questions.
- Watch this Video: Configuring Smart Fields in Altru
- Review this Altru Support Seminar Recording & Handout: End of Year Reporting and Analysis Part I: Sales, Ticketing, and Attendance
Week Four - Monthly & Occasional Tasks:
Program Configuration
Before any tickets and registrations can be sold in Altru, you must configure programs and schedule program events and all of their component pieces.
- Enroll in the Blackbaud University online instructor-led course Altru: Program and Ticket Sales Setup.
- Check out these Help Topics:
- Watch the Videos in these playlists:
- Refer to these Knowledgebase articles:
- How to decide whether to create a special event, scheduled program or preregistered program in Altru
- How do I create a pre-registered program?
- I need to remove a membership restriction placed on a program
- I need to add a member-only ticket restriction to an event
- On-Sale period does not update for Scheduled Program Events in Altru
- Can I move a scheduled program event to a different program?
- How can I set up pre-sales for events in Altru?
- Pre-sale checkbox is grayed out for event and cannot be marked
- Review these Altru Blog Posts:
- Review these Altru Masters Workshop and Support Seminar Recordings & Handouts:
Configure Daily Sales Page
The buttons on the Daily Sales Page in Altru are customizable and can be changed and updated as needed.
- Check out these Help Topics:
- Watch this Video: Customizing the Daily Sales Page
- Refer to these Knowledgebase articles:
- I need to create a button for a scheduled program
- I need to set up a button for donations in Daily Sales
- Price types are missing from the drop-down when configuring buttons for the Daily Sales page
- If you change a price face value for an event, will it automatically update the Daily Sales button?
- Buttons are missing in the daily sales screen
- Schedule Program event is missing in the Daily Sales screen
- Daily Sales button is grayed out
- Rejoin or Renew button is grayed out in Sales
- Mid-term upgrade button does not show on Daily Sales screen
- How to add a new option to marketing survey
Point of Sale Workstation Setup
Each computer that you would like to print receipts and tickets from must be configured in Altru as a workstation.
- Refer to these Knowledgebase articles:
- I need to set up a new workstation in Altru (includes video)
- I need to add a new printer to an existing workstation
- What setup or configuration is required for a printer before adding it to a workstation in Altru?
- How can we create a desktop icon for our POS Workstations?
- Itemized receipts or tickets are not printing (includes video demo)
- Watch these Videos:
Export
- Check out the Help Topic: Export
- Watch this Video: Altru Export Basics
- Review this Altru Masters Workshop Recording & Handout: Exporting Data
Stage 3 - Practice makes perfect
Now that you’ve learned the basics and laid the foundation to mastering Altru, let’s hone those skills through practice and review.
Week Six and Beyond:
- If you need a refresher, look back at any of the materials reviewed during the earlier stages.
- Use the Altru Sandbox to practice and test the skills you've learned: Where can I access the Altru Sandbox Training database for testing or training purposes?
- Search Knowledgebase to find how-to videos and instructions.
- Subscribe to the Altru Announcements Blog and Altru Tips & Tricks Blog
- Keep on top of the release of new features in Altru by visiting the Altru New Features page.
- Stay up-to-date on marketing best practices for Arts and Cultural Organizations on arts.blackbaud.com.
