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Invite and Track Attendees

Goal: Get the right people to attend — past donors, board members, sponsors, prospects — and know in real time who's confirmed, who's outstanding, and who needs a personal nudge.

Build the guest list​

Decide who you're inviting before you start sending. Useful segments to layer in:

  • All major donors (Capacity High or Major)
  • Past attendees of similar events
  • Board members and their plus-ones
  • Sponsors and their guest lists
  • Volunteers active in the past year (for crossover potential)
  • Specific prospects your major-gift officer wants in the room

Build the list in Communications by combining segments and tags.

Send invitations from the event​

The event's invites flow lets you send the invitation email from a Communications template that includes the public registration link. Each invitee gets:

  • A personalized greeting
  • The event details (date, location, time)
  • The registration page link
  • Optional sponsor recognition mention if they're a known supporter

Behind the scenes, every invitation is logged so you can see who got it, who opened it, who clicked, and (most importantly) who registered.

The registrations list​

The event detail page surfaces:

  • Total registered (count and gross)
  • By level (how many at each price tier)
  • Registration list with attendee names, levels, payment status
  • Outstanding invitees (sent invitation, no registration yet)

Filter by status (confirmed, pending payment, cancelled) and export to CSV when you need the list for catering, name tags, or seating.

Following up​

For invitees who haven't registered:

  • Send a friendly reminder a week after the initial invite
  • Send a final reminder a few days before the deadline
  • Have your team make personal calls to high-priority outstanding guests

These three steps are where most fundraising events get most of their late registrations.

Walk-ins and additions​

Day-of registrations happen. From the registrations page:

  • Add a walk-in registration with their name, level, payment method
  • Process payment on the spot (cash, check, card via terminal)
  • Their place at the event is now official

For someone who paid before the event but didn't get added to the list (e.g., they paid by check and the staff member forgot to enter them), you can add them retroactively from the registration page — set the payment date appropriately so reporting is accurate.

Editing an attendee's details​

Common edits:

  • Spelling corrections on the printed name
  • Meal preference (veg, gluten-free, etc. — captured as part of the registration form)
  • Table assignment / seating
  • Plus-one's name when they were registered as a couple

All of these update on the registration record without changing the financial side.

Cancellations​

When someone can't make it:

  • Cancel their registration from the registrations list
  • Decide whether to refund (often events don't refund — but you can if your policy allows)
  • The seat returns to inventory; another attendee can register for it

Printing and exports​

Common exports for the event:

  • Place cards — names by table, alphabetical or by table
  • Check-in list — all registered attendees with their level
  • Catering count — total seats by meal type
  • Sponsor recognition list — who paid at sponsor levels

All available as CSV exports from the registrations list.