In this article, we will guide you and your volunteers through using the check-in tool!
The Check-In Tool allows you to view your attendees, reassign tickets, save payment methods, manage their carts and process checkouts on their behalf. It's your go-to system during your event and can be used by organizers and your volunteers!
Important:
In order for you to manage an attendee's payment methods and carts, the attendee must be linked to a user account on Trellis.
User accounts are created via email addresses, which is why attendees must have a unique email.
Where to find the Check-In Tool
The Check-In Tool is located in the Event and Sales Manager (ESM) which is a connected product that allows you to manage attendees and process sales via the Sales Entry System.
You can access the ESM by going to esm.trellis.org and logging in with your usual credentials.
A shortcut to the ESM can also be found on your Fundraiser card from the Dashboard:
How to use the Check-In Tool
Click this link to download a PDF copy of this guide!
Prefer to learn by a video? We've got you covered!
Otherwise, read on for a walkthrough of how to manage attendees.
Understanding an Attendee's Status
Since the system requires attendees to be linked to a user account in order for you to manage their payment methods and process checkouts on their behalf, the attendee statuses inform you as to whether the attendee is successfully linked to a user account.
1. Verified Attendees:
- These attendees are linked to user accounts via their email and are ready to be checked in.
- They will have full functionality available on their record (managing payment methods, adding items to cart, completing checkouts).
2. "Reassign" Attendees:
- These attendees are likely guests of a ticket purchaser and the purchaser did not assign their tickets before the event, so their email address matches another attendee.
- Since their email address is not unique, they are not connected to a user account.
- You can check these attendees in, but you will not be able to manage this attendee’s credit cards or cart until they have been reassigned with a unique email address.
3. "Verify" Attendees
- The verify tag means that that attendee needs to take an authenticated action on Trellis to confirm their identity. This is to prevent a bad actor from entering in email addresses and gaining access to credit card data without the donor's consent.
- They can be checked in, but they will need to take an authenticated action before you can use saved payment methods or add one to their account.
- Bidding in a silent auction (requires sign-in)
- Making a purchase while signed in
- Clicking on a verification link in their email (sent from check-in tool)
- Note that signing in alone is not an authenticated action.
How to check an attendee in
1. When an attendee arrives, ask for their name (recommended), email address, or phone number.
Scroll through the list of attendees, use the search bar, or scan the QR Code on an attendee's Trellis ticket to find the individual.
2. Click the blue Check-In button to check the attendee in.
3. The check-in app will then email and text the attendee a sign-in link so they can sign in to their Giving Account on their own device. 
- If the attendee does not have a phone number saved, the Check-In App will prompt the volunteer to gather a phone number.
4. If the attendee does not have a credit card saved to their account, the Check-In Tool will ask if the attendee would like to add a credit card.
We recommend adding in a credit card during check-in to simplify the evening, and easily add items to an donors cart throughout the evening.
5. Add a payment method to the attendee’s account by completing the form. Hit Confirm and then you can now move on the next attendee!
Checking In Attendees that need to be “Reassigned”
If the attendee says “Reassign”, they are likely guests of a ticket purchaser and have not yet been assigned. We recommend reassigning them to the correct person, but this is not required to check them in.
1. Click Update Attendee to add the correct information. Then hit Save and Check-In.
Checking In Attendees that are “Unverified”
If the attendee says “Verify” they'll need to verify their email address. This prevents unauthorized users from accessing their account and keeps their information secure.
1. Click the blue Check-In button. 
2. The attendee will be checked-in, and the Check-In Tool will automatically send a verification link to the attendee’s email and phone number on file. 
3. Ask the attendee to click on the link in their email or text messages.
a. While you are waiting for the attendee to verify their email, you can proceed with checking in another guest.
b. If you don’t need to gather the attendee’s credit card, you can complete the check-in process here and move on to the next guest.
4. Once the attendee clicks the link, they will be signed into their account on their device, and the attendee status will change from unverified to verified.
Note: If the attendee does not receive the verification link, please ask them to check their spam folder. Text messages are less likely to be blocked by spam filtering. You can always resend a verification link by clicking View More on their profile, then Send Verify Link.
5. You can now use the buttons under the attendee to add a credit card and manage the attendee’s cart.
How to Add Item(s) on Attendees' Cart
1. On your check-in tool search for the guest you want to add an item to their cart using the search bar and click the cart icon.
2. Click Add Purchasable to select the item you want to add to their cart.
3. Select the Purchasable Type and hit Add to Cart. 
4. Ask the donor how they want to proceed. You have the option to immediately Complete the Purchase on their behalf (if your donor has their credit card saved) or Send Payment Link.
If you choose to send a payment link, you will receive a notification that the payment link has been sent and the donor will receive an email with instructions on how to complete their purchase independently like below.
If you choose to complete the purchase, you will receive a notification that the donor has been charged, and they will receive a receipt for their checkout in their email like below.
Pro Tip:
If the guests unsubscribe to our Trellis mailing they will not receive the emails above. In this case, it's best for you to complete their purchase on their behalf.
Now that you have become acquainted with how to use our tool to add items to your guest carts, let's explore some other articles that you may find valuable!
Quick Links to Related Articles:
Getting Started with Check-In Tool
Did this answer your question? If not, please reach out to the Trellis Support team via the blue chat icon or email support@trellis.org.