Understanding Membership Tracking

Learn how to track memberships, manage membership levels, and handle renewals for your organization.

Key Concept

Membership tracking in Memml helps you manage who belongs to your organization, track membership status, handle renewals, and maintain detailed records of your members' history and information.

Members are Contacts

Every member in your organization is also a Contact. This means you can track both their membership information and their contact details in one place.

When you add someone as a member, they become a Contact (if they weren't already). This allows you to see their membership status, contact information, and any interactions with them all in one place.

Membership Levels

Membership levels define different tiers or categories of membership, each with its own dues, duration, and benefits.

You can create membership levels like "Individual Supporter", "Family", "Patron", etc. Each level can have different dues amounts, membership periods, and can allow sub-members for family or group memberships.

Membership Levels

Membership levels help you organize your members into different tiers or categories:

Dues Amounts

Each membership level can have a specific dues amount associated with it.

When you create a membership level, you can set a dues amount. This helps you track expected revenue and makes it easy to see what each member should be paying for their membership tier.

Membership Duration

Each level can have a different membership period length, typically measured in days.

Most memberships last for one year (365 days), but you can customize this for each level. For example, you might have a "Lifetime" membership level that never expires.

Sub-Members

Some membership levels allow additional members to be included, like family memberships.

When creating a membership level, you can specify how many sub-members are allowed. For example, a "Family" membership might allow up to 4 sub-members, while an "Individual" membership allows 0.

Membership Types

Memberships can follow different renewal models depending on your organization's needs:

Standard Membership

Membership renews on a rolling basis from the start date.

With standard memberships, each member's renewal date is based on when they joined or last renewed. If someone joins on March 15th, their membership will renew on March 15th of the following year, regardless of when other members renew.

Calendar Year Membership

All memberships renew at the same time, typically on January 1st.

With calendar year memberships, all members renew at the same time each year, usually on January 1st. This makes it easier to manage renewals and ensures everyone's membership period aligns with your fiscal year.

Lifetime Membership

Membership that never expires and doesn't require renewal.

Lifetime memberships don't have an end date and remain active indefinitely. These are typically for special recognition or major donors who have made a significant contribution.

Membership Status

Each member has a status that indicates where they are in their membership lifecycle:

Active

The member has a current, valid membership.

Active members have paid their dues and their membership period has not expired. They are currently members of your organization.

Lapsed

The member's membership has expired and needs to be renewed.

When a membership's end date passes, it automatically becomes lapsed. Members with lapsed memberships need to renew to continue their membership. You can track who needs to renew and reach out to encourage them to continue their membership.

Cancelled

The membership has been cancelled and is no longer active.

Cancelled memberships are no longer active. A membership might be cancelled if the member decides not to renew, or if your organization needs to cancel it for administrative reasons. The membership record is retained for historical purposes.

Automatic Status Updates

Memml automatically updates membership status when end dates pass. Active memberships whose end date has passed will be marked as lapsed, helping you keep track of who needs to renew.

Family and Group Memberships

Some membership levels allow you to include additional people as sub-members:

Sub-Members

Additional Contacts included in a family or group membership.

When a membership level allows sub-members, you can add additional Contacts to the membership. For example, a "Family" membership might include the primary member plus their spouse and children as sub-members.

All sub-members are also marked as members of your organization, so they appear in your member list and can be tracked separately if needed.

Note

Sub-members are linked to the primary member's membership record. If the primary member's membership lapses or is cancelled, the sub-members' member status is also updated accordingly.

Membership Dates

Memberships track several important dates:

Start Date

When the current membership period began.

The start date marks when the current membership period began. This is typically set when a member joins or renews their membership.

End Date

When the current membership period expires.

The end date determines when the membership will expire. For lifetime memberships, the end date is null (never expires). When the end date passes, the membership status automatically changes to lapsed.

First Joined Date

The original date the person first became a member.

The first joined date tracks when someone originally became a member, even if they've renewed multiple times. This helps you recognize long-term members and track member loyalty over time.

Tracking Signup Information

You can track how members joined your organization:

Signup Method and Referrer

Track how members found your organization and how they signed up.

When adding a member, you can record:

Signup Method: How they signed up (paper form, website, in person, phone, email, etc.)
Signup Referrer: What brought them to your organization (a specific event, campaign, person who referred them, etc.)

This information helps you understand which channels and campaigns are most effective for attracting new members.

Terminology

Member: A Contact who has an active membership with your organization. Each Contact can have one membership record.
Membership Level: A tier or category of membership (like "Patron", "Individual Supporter", or "Family") that defines dues, duration, and benefits.
Sub-Member: Additional Contacts included in a family or group membership. For example, a "Family" membership might include the primary member plus their spouse and children as sub-members.
Active Membership: A membership that is currently valid. The member has paid dues and their membership period has not expired.
Lapsed Membership: A membership that has expired. The end date has passed, and the member needs to renew to continue their membership.
Cancelled Membership: A membership that has been cancelled, either by the member or the organization. Cancelled memberships are no longer active.

Common Scenarios

Scenario: New Individual Member

Adding a new individual member to your organization.

Create Contact: Add the person as a Contact (or use an existing Contact).

Add Membership: Create a membership record for the Contact, select an appropriate membership level (like "Individual Supporter"), and set the start date.

Set End Date: The end date is automatically calculated based on the membership level's duration, or you can set it manually.

Record Signup Info: Optionally record how they signed up and what brought them to your organization.

Scenario: Family Membership

Adding a family membership with multiple members.

Create Contacts: Add the primary member and all family members as Contacts.

Add Membership: Create a membership for the primary member, select a family membership level that allows sub-members.

Add Sub-Members: Add the family members as sub-members to the primary member's membership.

Result: All family members are now tracked as members, but the membership is managed through the primary member's record.

Scenario: Membership Renewal

Renewing a member's membership when it expires.

Identify Lapsed Members: View members with lapsed status to see who needs to renew.

Renew Membership: Update the member's start date to the renewal date, and the end date will be automatically calculated based on the membership level's duration.

Update Status: Change the status back to active once the renewal is processed.

First Joined Date: The first joined date remains unchanged, preserving the member's original join date for loyalty tracking.

Important Note

All membership information is specific to your organization. You cannot see or access membership data from other organizations, ensuring your member information remains private and secure.