"Selling" Special Events Online

We sold elevated events online for several years and were quite pleased
with the results, unfortunately this has not yet been integrated into our
new website.

Elevated events are just contributions to a special fund so use the
existing API contribution method and the appropriate fund and it works.
There are some issues you need to work around with the front end design:
1) collecting guest names (we used a companion CSI - also optionally
collected a phone number and had a 'contact me about special needs' check
box), 2) capacity - we had an on/off switch that would turn off the order
form and display a 'call us' text message, 3) quantity and price (as in 4
at $250 each) needs to be a front end function as we don't normally limit
or put this kind of structure on gifts. 4) The API will not let you defer
into the next season for a future event - we had a switch that would allow
the funds to be put on account. I'm probably forgetting something but I
believe there were the big items.

We sold elevated events online for several years and were quite pleased
with the results, unfortunately this has not yet been integrated into our
new website.

Elevated events are just contributions to a special fund so use the
existing API contribution method and the appropriate fund and it works.
There are some issues you need to work around with the front end design:
1) collecting guest names (we used a companion CSI - also optionally
collected a phone number and had a 'contact me about special needs' check
box), 2) capacity - we had an on/off switch that would turn off the order
form and display a 'call us' text message, 3) quantity and price (as in 4
at $250 each) needs to be a front end function as we don't normally limit
or put this kind of structure on gifts. 4) The API will not let you defer
into the next season for a future event - we had a switch that would allow
the funds to be put on account. I'm probably forgetting something but I
believe there were the big items.

Bill,

Does none of your coding write to the events tab then? Is it just sold into the contributions tab and then thru CSIs managed by Development staff to put in guest names, # of guests and update the status to "Accepted"?

 

Thanks!

Marta

Marta - An elevated event contribution processed via the web contribution API would show up in the events tab with the $ but the status, guests and other items were not touched (nor is the API built to manage these).  We didn't explore custom integration for the full event functionality, the CSI was workable and our paid events are not that large (400 - 800 guests, probably 150 to 250 transactions over two or so months) so the volume is manageable.  Our development financial processing if centralized but the event management is done by the hosting division.  With our web setup the financial processing effort was gone but  it didn't look necessary or desirable to try to cut the high touch event management process.  They used the CSI to update the event record and as a flag to send a more formal receipt with instructions, details, etc, than the web receipt which was only basic time and date info.

"Marta Garczarczyk" <bounce-martagarczarczyk9387@tessituranetwork.com> Sent by: "Tessitura Development Forum" <forums-development@tessituranetwork.com> 05/08/2009 09:45 AM Please respond to "Tessitura Development Forum" <forums-development@tessituranetwork.com>

To wramsay@lyricopera.org cc Subject Re: [Tessitura Development Forum] "Selling" Special Events Online

Bill,

Does none of your coding write to the events tab then? Is it just sold into the contributions tab and then thru CSIs managed by Development staff to put in guest names, # of guests and update the status to "Accepted"?

 

Thanks!

Marta

From: Bill Ramsay <bounce-billramsay9475@tessituranetwork.com>
Sent: 5/8/2009 9:24:04 AM

We sold elevated events online for several years and were quite pleased
with the results, unfortunately this has not yet been integrated into our
new website.

Elevated events are just contributions to a special fund so use the
existing API contribution method and the appropriate fund and it works.
There are some issues you need to work around with the front end design:
1) collecting guest names (we used a companion CSI - also optionally
collected a phone number and had a 'contact me about special needs' check
box), 2) capacity - we had an on/off switch that would turn off the order
form and display a 'call us' text message, 3) quantity and price (as in 4
at $250 each) needs to be a front end function as we don't normally limit
or put this kind of structure on gifts. 4) The API will not let you defer
into the next season for a future event - we had a switch that would allow
the funds to be put on account. I'm probably forgetting something but I
believe there were the big items.


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Thanks Bill. We do our financial processing for events as well as all the updating in the events tab in Development, so I was hoping for a process that would automate everything for online reservations. From everything I can tell this seems like it would be very custom unfortunately. 

Thanks for the great info though!