Refund to Donation

Role: Box Office Staff, Administrators

This feature converts a ticket order directly into a donation, releasing the seats for resale and giving the patron credit for a tax-deductible contribution. It is not available to theater-level users.

Navigation: Stagemgr > Orders > Ticket Orders > [Select Order] > Refund to Donation

Overview

When a patron calls to donate tickets they cannot use, box office staff can convert their ticket order directly into a donation -- without issuing a refund and re-entering a separate donation. The payment moves to a new donation order, the seats are released for resale, and the patron receives credit for a tax-deductible donation.

When Is It Available?

The "Refund to Donation" button appears on a ticket order when all of the following conditions are met:

Condition	Requirement
Order status	Processed or Fulfilled
Payment type	Currency payment (cash, check, or credit card)
Theater status	Theater is marked as a 501(c)(3) organization

Not Available For

This action is not available for orders paid with a Flex Pass or Membership, because those payment types cannot be converted to a charitable donation.

How to Use

1. Open the ticket order -- Navigate to the order via Admin > Ticket Orders or use Order Search

2. Click "Refund to Donation" -- The button appears in the red action group alongside "Refund Order" and "Cancel Order"

3. Confirm the action when prompted -- The dialog asks you to confirm before proceeding

4. The system automatically performs the following:

   • Releases all reserved seats back to available inventory
   • Removes all ticket line items from the order
   • Creates a new donation order in the patron's name for the full amount paid
   • Moves the original payment to the new donation order
   • Marks the original ticket order as Canceled

5. You are redirected to the new donation order, which you can use to generate a donation receipt for the patron

What Happens to the Data

Item	Result
Original ticket order	Marked Canceled, notes updated with reference to donation order
Seats	Released back to available inventory
Ticket line items	Removed from the original order
Payment	Moved to the new donation order
New donation order	Created as Processed, same patron, same theater
Donation amount	Equal to the total amount originally paid
Campaign	Set to the production name
Donation receipt email	Sent automatically to the patron

Important Rules

• This action cannot be undone -- if you need to reverse it, you must refund the donation order separately and re-enter the ticket order
• The donation order is associated with the same patron address as the original ticket order
• The campaign field on the donation is set to the production name automatically
• A note is added to the canceled ticket order referencing the new donation order number, providing a complete audit trail

Irreversible Action

Once confirmed, the conversion cannot be undone through a single action. Reversing it requires refunding the donation order and manually creating a new ticket order.

Common Use Cases

Patron Cannot Attend

A patron calls to say they cannot make the performance and would like to donate the value of their tickets rather than receive a refund.

Exchange Not Possible

A patron cannot find a suitable alternative performance for an exchange and prefers to convert the ticket value into a tax-deductible donation.

Partial Group Donation

A group order where some tickets are being donated while others are exchanged. Use Split Orders first to separate the tickets, then apply Refund to Donation on the relevant portion.

Comparison with Standard Refund

Feature	Refund	Refund to Donation
Payment returned to patron	Yes	No (becomes donation)
Seats released	Yes	Yes
Original order status	Refunded	Canceled
New order created	No	Yes (donation order)
Tax-deductible for patron	No	Yes
Receipt sent	Refund notification (if fulfilled)	Donation receipt
Available payment types	All	Currency only (cash, check, credit card)
Requires 501(c)(3) theater	No	Yes

Patron Communication

When discussing this option with a patron, emphasize that the full ticket value becomes a tax-deductible donation. This is often more attractive than a simple refund, especially for patrons who want to support the theater.

Troubleshooting

Issue	Resolution
Button not visible	Verify all three conditions: order is Processed/Fulfilled, paid with currency, and theater is 501(c)(3)
Paid with flex pass or membership	This feature is not available for non-currency payments. Use a standard refund instead.
Need to reverse the conversion	Refund the donation order, then create a new ticket order manually
Donation receipt not sent	Verify the patron's email address on the order