The front desk and the membership desk are the same desk
Set an admission price for every kind of visitor: adults, seniors, students, youth, children, and a reduced price for EBT cardholders or military families. Prices that need proof, such as a student ID, are marked for verification so staff know to ask.
Free admission is a membership benefit you set per tier, including how many guests a member can bring. The visitor dashboard shows daily counts by price tier, so your attendance numbers come from the till rather than a clicker.
Memberships that follow your rules
Set up tiers with their own price, term and benefits. Offer monthly payments, a discount for turning on auto-renew, gift memberships and complimentary memberships for volunteers or board members. Decide how renewals, upgrades and lapses behave, rather than living with somebody else's defaults.
The gift shop is on the same record
Sell books, prints and reproductions at the kiosk, with stock counts and SKUs. Each product carries a fair market value, so a purchase that is partly a gift is receipted correctly. A member's shop purchases sit on the same record as their membership and their donations.
Lectures, tours, classes and camps
Sell tickets to a lecture series from one box office page. Run summer camps and classes with schedules, eligibility, applications, waitlists, attendance and signed waivers. Members can get their own price on a class automatically.
The gala, without a second system
Silent and live auctions, paddle raises and raffles run in the same account. Guests bid from their phones, the auctioneer records live bids by bidder number, and every winner is charged in one batch at the end of the night. Each guest gets one statement that separates what they bought from what they gave. Put the room screen on the big display and everyone can watch the total climb toward the goal, scan a QR code to bid and give, and see a thank-you as each gift comes in.
One record for every visitor, member and donor
Every donor record shows lifetime totals for donations, membership, retail, events and dues. When you plan a year-end appeal, the Year-End Giving Summary report gives you each donor's total, the value of anything they received and the deductible amount, with mailing addresses.
What Clerestory does not do
- Collections management. Clerestory does not catalog objects. Keep your collections system for that.
- Reciprocal membership networks. Clerestory does not manage reciprocal admission programs with other institutions.
- Timed-entry reservations and reserved seating. Walk-up admission is sold at the desk and online by price tier, not by time slot or seat. Timed sessions with a capacity can be sold as an event series of dated sessions.
What it costs
Clerestory charges 3% per transaction, on your own Stripe account, plus Stripe's processing. Donors can choose to cover the fees at checkout. If you refund a payment, our 3% comes back with it.
Frequently asked questions
Can one system run museum admission, memberships and the gift shop?
Yes. Clerestory sells admission by price tier, memberships with their own benefits and gift shop items on one donor record, so a visitor who becomes a member and buys a book at the kiosk has one history rather than three.
Can members get free admission, with guests?
Yes. Free admission is a membership benefit you set per tier, including how many guests a member can bring. The visitor dashboard shows daily counts by price tier.
Can a museum run its gala auction and raffle in the same system?
Yes. Silent and live auctions, paddle raises and raffles run in the same account. Guests bid from their phones, winners are charged in one batch at the end of the night, and the room screen shows the total climbing toward the goal.
Does Clerestory do collections management or timed-entry tickets?
Not collections management, and timed entry only in part. Clerestory does not catalog objects, manage reciprocal membership networks, sell reserved seats or sell walk-up admission by time slot; timed sessions with a capacity can be sold as an event series of dated sessions. Keep your collections system for cataloging.
How much does Clerestory cost a museum?
Clerestory charges 3% per transaction on your own Stripe account, plus Stripe's processing. There is no license fee, no per-seat fee and no contract. Donors can choose to cover the fees at checkout.
