Membership Renewals - FAQs

FAQs from the Webinars and Clinics 

Membership Management & Categories
 

• What is the most efficient way to convert from existing Fixed Date memberships to Date of Purchase (D.O.P) memberships? 
  
  The most efficient method is to create new D.O.P packages and then import members from your existing fixed-date packages. When creating the new D.O.P package, ensure the "Type" and "Category" (e.g., Adult, Junior) match the original package to allow for a smooth transition.
  
  One thing to note:  When you move from Fixed Date to DOP - the date you move the players will be the new start date for ALL the members. You can bulk update their status to ACTIVE if needed. 

• Reflecting Varied Joining Dates: The most efficient way to maintain varied anniversary dates is to ensure that you import members into the D.O.P package on their specific original joining date. If they are already imported, you can manually edit each member's start and expiry dates to reflect their true anniversary.

• Imports Showing as Unpaid: When you import members from a Fixed Date package into a new Date of Purchase (D.O.P) package, they are often listed as "unpaid" because the new package identifies it as a new transaction. To avoid inflating your revenue, you should manually edit the payment status to "Paid" while selecting "Other" as the payment method (e.g., cash or bank transfer), which records the status without double-counting online revenue in Stripe/GoCardless.
  
   

• What is the difference between "Lapsed" members and "Non-members"?
  • Lapsed: A member whose membership term has expired and has not yet renewed. In D.O.P packages, a member automatically moves to "Lapsed" status as soon as their term ends, unless a grace period has been set.
  • Non-member: A contact in your database who does not have any active, pending, or lapsed membership linked to their profile.
    
    
     
• What does the category of "Registered" refer to?
  
  "Registered" typically refers to whether a contact has successfully created and linked their account (e.g., through LTA Single Sign-On). A registered contact can log in to book courts or manage their own details, whereas an unregistered contact is just a record in your system.
  
  If a contact is showing as NOT registered, then they have been manually added by admin. You can send them an invite to register. 
  
   
• Can the system flag a child in a family package who has reached the age limit?
  
  The system performs age validation based on the Date of Birth (DOB) on a member's record. If a member no longer meets the age requirements for a package upon renewal, they will be shown an error and prompted to contact an administrator or select an eligible package. However, for family packages, as it is a group package - it can limit numbers but can not limit the number of adults/children etc. 

Payments & Renewals

• Why do members who pay monthly via Stripe appear as 'Not paid' in the membership package? Online payments through Stripe should record automatically. If they appear as 'Not paid', it may be because they are pending a successful transaction or there was an "Uncaptured" payment issue at checkout. You can check the "Payments" section in your Stripe dashboard to see if transactions are marked as "Succeeded". Instalments will show as Part Paid - until they complete the full number of installments. 
  
   
• When should I send out renewal notices for members with a GoCardless Direct Debit? 
  
  For all packages with auto-renewals enabled, you need to give 30 days notice before start date to notify them that payment will be taken. For manual renewals, reminders can be configured to send 30 days before, 7 days before, or on the day of expiry.
  
   
• How does 'Lapsed membership' work within Date of Purchase (D.O.P) packages? Members in D.O.P packages receive automatic renewal reminders one week before and on the day of expiry. If they do not renew by the expiry date, their status automatically changes to "Lapsed," which may restrict their ability to book courts/courses depending on your venue's rules.

Data & Contacts

• How can we get historical membership data for year-on-year analysis? 

You can download the data from the archived membership packages, this will give you year on year data if you are using fixed date packages. The team are currently working on improved reporting features. If you use Stripe for your payments, this will also provide you with CSV files to export.  

• How can the use of tags help with membership analysis? 
  Tags are automatically applied to a contact record when they sign up for a specific package - if you set this up. . You can use these tags to filter your contact list for targeted emails or to identify specific groups (e.g., "Team Players" or "Volunteers") for sending emails. At present the tags are not shown in the contacts export. 
  
   
• What happens to contacts once they are archived? Archived contacts are moved to a separate view where they can be restored individually within 30 days. After 30 days, they are permanently deleted and their historical transaction data is anonymized.

• Can we set automatic deletions of accounts for data protection? The system does not currently offer fully automated deletion of inactive accounts. Administrators must manually bulk-delete or archive contacts who are no longer active.

Auto-Renewals & Discounts

• Inconsistent Auto-Renewals: Some members may not auto-renew even if the package is set to do so because they are not "Auto-Pay Eligible". Members must have successfully paid via an online method (Direct Debit or Card) in the previous term to be eligible; those who paid manually or whose payment details have expired will not auto-renew and will instead receive a reminder email to pay again.
  
   
• Applying Discounts to Auto-Renewals: Discounts cannot currently be applied automatically during an auto-renewal process if the original mandate was for the full amount. For specific groups like coaches, it is recommended to set them up in a separate, dedicated "Coach Membership" package with the 50% discount already applied to the package price. It is possible to manually edit the cost of a member within a package. They will then have that reflected in their account to renew. 
  
  What we sometimes refer to EARLY BIRD payments, is when you offer a lower amount for people to pay in advance, you then increase the cost (by editing the package) at a later date. 

Payment Adjustments (Monthly to Full Amount)

• Monthly Payment Reversion: If a member was charged the full amount instead of monthly, you must cancel their current auto-renewal to stop further full-amount collections. To set them back up as monthly, you will need to send a new Payment Request and ask them to select the monthly instalment option at checkout.

• Will cancelling delete family members? Cancelling the lead member’s membership record will typically cancel the linked group records, but it does not delete the contact profiles themselves. You can move them back into a new package together without re-creating their entire profiles.
  
   

Managing Juniors Turning 18

• Moving to Adult Membership: To move a junior who has turned 18 without losing their LTA number, use the "Move Member" feature. This allows you to transfer their existing contact record (which holds their LTA data and history) into an Adult package.
  
   
• Main Contact Issue: Ensure that when they move to an adult membership, they are set as their own "Main Contact" so they can manage their own account rather than being managed by a parent. You will manually need to do that and most likely, send an invite to the aged up junior, so they have their own log in, previously, the parent/main contact would have managed their access through their account. 

Consents & Communication

• Opt-in Timing: You are correct; while consents are visible during court booking, members also have the opportunity to opt-in or out during the joining or renewal process.

• Refusing Emails: Registered members can manage their own marketing preferences under the "Consents" section of their profile. Unregistered members cannot do this themselves, so an administrator must manually update their "Consent" status in the Contacts module using tags.