How to Reserve Event Tickets for Unpaid Tables

Sometimes you have sponsors or tables who have told you that they are attending your event, but plan to pay at a later date or when they arrive at the event.

This article outlines how you can enter these attendees into the Trellis system before accepting payment.

Determine the Payment Method

Before proceeding, clarify how the donor plans to pay:

If the Donor Will Pay Offline (Not on Trellis)

1. Use the Sales Entry System (SES) to record the sale (see article)

2. Select an offline payment method (e.g., Cash, Cheque, Card – Offline, Other)

3. (Optional) Choose whether the gift syncs to RE NXT.

4. Manage payment off of Trellis (via RE NXT or another method)

If the Donor Will Pay Online via Trellis

1. Create a free grouped ticket to use to register the attendees

2. Register attendees using the SES, to add them to the Check-In Tool and allow the purchaser to assign/reassign tickets. 
3. Create a hidden item for sale for the payment, and process payment for that item at a later point.

Read below to learn more about how to set up your fundraiser to accept online payments via Trellis.

How to Enter Attendees for Online Payment Later

Step 1: Create a new hidden grouped ticket

• From your fundraiser builder sidebar, go to Event Tickets > Edit Event Tickets > Add Event Ticket.
• Create a new event ticket called "Reserved - [Ticket Info]" at a price of $0. 
• Make the ticket category: Group Ticket
• This will allow you to easily keep track of the attendees that have reserved their place but not yet paid.

Step 2: Process the table "purchase" via the SES

• Go to esm.trellis.org/ to access the Event and Sales Manager and click Sales Entry System
• Enter in the purchaser's information, and any ticket holder information you may have.
• Since the ticket is $0, the payment method step will be skipped.

• On the Order Summary step, uncheck Send confirmation email to purchaser so they do not receive a purchase receipt.
• Click Complete Purchase.
• The transaction will now be recorded in Trellis for $0, and the attendees will be created in the check-in tool under their table.

Step 3: Accept a Credit Card Payment for the Table on Trellis

Create a Hidden Item for Sale:

• From your fundraiser builder sidebar, select Items for Sale > Edit Items > Add Items.
• Create a hidden item called "Reserved - [Ticket Info] Paid" at the price of the ticket.
• Set a tax receipt value if applicable.

Process the Payment via the Check-In Tool:

• From the Event and Sales Manager (esm.trellis.org), click Check-In Tool and find the purchaser. 
• Click the credit card icon on the purchaser's attendee record and save their credit card to their account.
• Now click the cart icon on the attendee to manage their cart
• Add the hidden item Reserved - [Ticket Info] Paid to their cart.
• Process the payment for the cart to charge the card for everything in the cart.

 This allows you to collect the payment without having to refund the original ticket purchase, and ensures that there are no duplicate attendees created!  

Reporting Considerations

• Funds collected for reserved tickets will appear under Items for Sale in your reports

• Use the All Transactions Export to cross-reference:

  • Attendees with the $0 “Reserved” event ticket

  • Attendees who paid via the “Reserved” item for sale

• Trellis does not currently track unpaid balances automatically, so it’s important to keep a manual record of who has paid.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Why do we need a second transaction for items for sale to accept payment on Trellis?

Our team is currently working on a system that will allow you to add reserved tickets into Trellis before payment is collected, and request payment at a later point. In the meantime, this is the only option if you need to collect payment via Trellis.

Often organizations find it easier to accept payment offline (cheque, bank transfer, RE NXT credit card purchase) in these cases.

Q: How can we prevent the gift for the event ticket registration from syncing to RE NXT?

If you are processing an offline gift (i.e. a non credit card payment), you will have the option to choose whether the gift syncs to RE NXT. Purchaser data and event participant data will still sync, even if the gift does not.