While our system currently does not offer a ticket reserve feature, this article walks you through how you could enter a table for guests who will pay later.
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.
Before diving in:
This article is for reserving grouped tickets, like tables.
For more on reserving tickets for individuals (single tickets), please read this article.
Determine the Payment Method
Before proceeding, clarify how the donor plans to pay:
If the Donor Will Pay Offline (Not on Trellis)
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Use the Sales Entry System (SES) to record the sale
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Select an offline payment method (e.g., Cash, Cheque, Card – Offline, Other)
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View this article for details on adding offline table purchases via SES
If the Donor Will Pay Online via Trellis
Follow the steps below to reserve the table in the system and process the payment later.
Please Note:
In either case, you will need to manually track when these attendees have paid for their tickets.
Reserve a Grouped Event Ticket
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.
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.
Please Note:
You cannot change an attendee's ticket type after the ticket has been purchased.
Accept a Credit Card Payment for the Table on Trellis
Follow these steps if you plan to receive payment for the table using 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
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Funds collected for reserved tickets will appear under Items for Sale in your reports
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Use the All Transactions Export to cross-reference:
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Attendees with the $0 “Reserved” event ticket
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Attendees who paid via the “Reserved” item for sale
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Trellis does not currently track unpaid balances automatically, so it’s important to keep a manual record of who has paid.
Need Help?
Did this answer your question? If not, please reach out to our Product Engagement Team via the blue chat icon or email support@trellis.org.