Adding and Managing Memberships for People

Last updated: August 19, 2026

Membership Join Flows & Ongoing Management

This chapter details the lifecycle of a membership within Memberworks. The system is designed to automate the most complex parts of membership—such as identifying the correct pricing tier (Subtype) and calculating proration—so that you can focus on the member. The primary tool for these actions is the Manage Membership button, a context-aware interface that changes its options based on the person’s current status.,,

1. Initiating the Join Flow (New Memberships)

If a person does not have an active plan, clicking Manage Membership launches the Join Flow. This is a guided process that ensures every new membership is configured correctly from the start.,

  • Select Membership Type: Choose the high-level category (e.g., "Join the YMCA"). The system will then load the specific configurations allowed for that type.,

  • Set the Home Branch: Select the primary location for the membership. This is critical for financial reporting and General Ledger (GL) mapping.,

  • Select Covered Household Members: Choose which family members from the household should be included in the plan. Memberworks uses this selection to determine eligibility and pricing.,

2. Smart Subtype Automation

One of the most powerful features of Memberworks is Subtype Automation. You do not need to manually select a price point (e.g., "Family" vs. "Single Parent Family").,

  • System Logic: Once you select the participants, the system evaluates the ages and relationships of the group against the organization's business rules.,,

  • The Benefit: It automatically suggests the correct Subtype (e.g., Young Adult with Dependents). This automation is designed to eliminate manual data entry errors and ensure the member is always billed the correct amount.,,

3. Billing Terms, Proration, and Summaries

Before finalizing a new membership, the system requires a selection of Billing Terms.,

  • Term Selection: You can choose between the standard recurring monthly rate or specific short-term options, such as a one-week trial or a paid-in-full term.,,

  • Proration Logic: Memberworks automatically calculates proration based on today’s date. It will show exactly what is due today to start the membership and when the first full recurring draft will occur.,,

  • The Summary View: Always review the summary with the member. It provides a transparent breakdown of join fees, prorated dues, and recurring monthly costs.,

4. Ongoing Maintenance (Upgrades & Downgrades)

For existing members, the Manage Membership tool shifts into "Maintenance Mode," allowing you to adjust their plan as their family needs change.,

  • Upgrading: Use this to add a new household member to the plan. Just like the initial join flow, the system will re-evaluate the household and suggest a new Subtype and billing rate if necessary.,

  • Downgrading: Use this when a family member needs to be removed. The system will automatically move the account to the correct lower-tier Subtype (e.g., moving from "Family" to "Individual") and update the future billing schedule instantly.,

5. Membership Freezes and Holds

If a member needs to pause their participation (e.g., for medical reasons or extended travel), use the Freeze action.,

  • Setting the Period: You must define a start and end date for the freeze.

  • Freeze Discounts: Depending on your organization's policy, you can apply a "Freeze Discount" which reduces the monthly dues to a set amount (e.g., $10/month) while the account is suspended.,

  • Billing Impact: The system will automatically resume full billing once the freeze end date passes, ensuring no manual follow-up is required to restart the membership.,

6. Membership Add-ons

Add-ons are optional services that can be managed independently of the base membership dues.,

  • Independent Billing: Add-ons (such as 24/7 facility access or locker rentals) have their own billing cycles and frequencies.,

  • Management: You can add or remove these services at any time via the Manage Membership dashboard without interrupting the core membership.,

7. Cancellations

When a member wishes to end their plan, the Cancel action terminates the recurring billing schedule.,

  • System Impact: Once a cancellation is processed, the system will stop generating future invoices. You can choose to end the membership immediately or set it to expire at the end of the current billing period.,,

  • Reversing Invoices: If a cancellation occurs after an invoice has already been generated but not paid, you may need to manually reverse the outstanding invoice in the Financials tab.,