Sponsor Codes
Use this page to give your event's sponsors a code that takes money off their own registration.
Quick steps
- Click Registrations in the top navigation bar, then click Sponsor codes.
- Under Sponsor tiers, type a New tier name (such as "Gold") and the percentage off (1 to 100), then click Add tier.
- Under A code for each sponsor, choose the Sponsor tier and type the Sponsor names (one per line).
- Click Create codes. The message at the top lists each new code beside the sponsor's name — copy them into your emails.
- Prefer one code for the whole tier? Use One shared code instead, set Uses allowed, and click Create shared code.
A sponsor code only comes off the entry fee. Guests, shirts, the site and coins are still charged.
Common questions
A sponsor says their code "has already been used". Check the code's Used by column. If that registration was a mistake, cancelling or deleting it gives the use back.
Can I delete a code? Only a code nobody has used. For a used code, click Switch off — it stops working but stays on the list.
If I change a tier's percentage, do old codes change? No. Each code keeps the discount it was made with.
More detail: what a code takes off
Sponsor codes give a sponsor money off their own registration — a free entry for your top sponsors, for example, or half off for another group. The sponsor types their code on the registration form, and the discount comes off their entry fee.
What a Code Takes Off
A sponsor code comes off the entry fee only. Guests, shirts and hoodies, the site, coins, sponsorships and donations are all charged as normal. A 100% code makes the entry free, but it can never take more off than the entry fee.
Example: a Non-Veteran with a 100% code, one adult guest and a site pays for the guest and the site, and nothing for their own entry.
More detail: setting up tiers and creating codes
Step 1: Set Up Your Sponsor Tiers
A tier is a group of sponsors who get the same discount. Under Sponsor tiers, type a New tier name (such as "General" or "Gold"), enter the percentage off, and click Add tier. The percentage must be a whole number from 1 to 100.
To change a tier, edit its name or percentage and click Save. To remove one, click Delete and confirm.
Each code copies its tier's name and percentage when it is created. If you later change a tier from 100% to 75%, or delete it, the codes you have already handed out keep the discount they were made with. A sponsor who was told "free" stays free.
Step 2: Create Codes
Once there is at least one tier, two panels appear. Until then the page says Add a sponsor tier above before creating codes.
A code for each sponsor
"Each name gets its own code, good for one registration."
- Choose the Sponsor tier. Each tier is listed with what it gives, such as General — free registration or Silver — 50% off registration.
- Type the Sponsor names (one per line) — up to 50 at a time.
- Click Create codes.
Each name gets its own code, which can be used for one registration. The codes start with the first three letters of the tier name, followed by four random characters — for example GEN-7KQ3. Letters and numbers that are easily confused (O and 0, I and 1, S and 5) are never used. The message at the top lists every new code with the sponsor's name beside it, ready to copy into your emails.
Use this when you want to be sure a free registration cannot be passed around.
One shared code
"Everyone in the tier uses the same code. Anyone who has it can use it, so set a limit if it matters."
| Field | What to enter |
|---|---|
| Sponsor tier | The tier the code belongs to. |
| Code | Your own code, using letters, numbers and dashes — or leave it blank and one is made up. |
| Uses allowed | How many registrations can use it. Blank means unlimited. |
| Name shown to registrants | Optional, e.g. "General Sponsors". Shown when the code is accepted on the form. |
Click Create shared code.
More detail: the codes list, and what the sponsor sees
The Codes List
| Column | Shows |
|---|---|
| Code | The code itself. |
| Tier | The tier it was created under. |
| Off entry | The percentage off. |
| Issued to | The sponsor's name or a note. Edit it and click Save. |
| Used by | Each registration that used it, linked to the registration. A cancelled one is marked (cancelled). |
| State | Unlimited, N left, Used (no uses left) or Switched off. |
Switch off stops a code working straight away without deleting it. Switch on brings it back.
Delete appears only on a code nobody has registered with — a spare or a typo. It asks you to confirm, then removes the code.
A cancelled registration gives its use back. Uses are counted from the registrations that are not cancelled. If a sponsor's registration is cancelled, their one-use code becomes usable again.
What the Sponsor Sees
On the form, under Who is registering?, the sponsor ticks I have a sponsor code and types it in. Upper and lower case don't matter, and neither do extra spaces.
- A good code shows Code accepted (with the name shown to registrants, if you set one) and the percentage off the registration fee. The discount appears in the estimated total.
- A code that has been used up shows That code has already been used.
- A code that doesn't exist, or has been switched off, shows We do not recognise that code.
The code is checked again when the form is submitted. If two people submit the same one-use code at the same moment, only one of them gets the discount. The other registration is saved without it.
On the confirmation, the email and the registration in the admin, the discount appears as its own line: Sponsor code [CODE], as a minus amount.
More detail: troubleshooting and best practices
Troubleshooting
A sponsor says their code has already been used. Look at its Used by column. If the registration listed there was entered by mistake, deleting it gives the use back — and so does cancelling it.
A code was accepted, but the sponsor still has a lot to pay. The code covers the entry fee only. Guests, merchandise, the site and coins are still charged.
I want to delete a code. Only a code nobody has used has a Delete button. For a code that has been used, use Switch off. A switched-off code stays on the list, so every registration that used it still shows where its discount came from.
Best Practices
- Use per-sponsor codes for free registrations. A shared 100% code can be forwarded to anyone.
- Set Uses allowed on shared codes unless you are happy for any number of people to use them.
- Fill in Issued to for each code, so you can tell at a glance which sponsor has registered and which has not.
What's Next?
- Registrations — the list the sponsors' registrations appear in.
- The Registration Form — where sponsors enter their code.
- Event Registration Overview — fees and settings.