The information listed below is no longer suggested nor recommended since the Memberships module handles all members and member renewals automatically.
THIS INFORMATION IS OUTDATED.... Previously, memberships could be sold in two other ways, which are explained in detail below, but we no longer recommend or suggest using these methods.
Sell through the Giving >> Fundraising Campaigns Tab (for a donation-based membership)
Sell through Products (as a for-profit item)
If you were to choose either of these options, you would create a description with the member level purchased and the benefits. Perhaps these would be the patrons’ name in the playbill, a 10% off coupon to one ticket per event in the season, and a t-shirt. (For option 1, this would later on be issued as a donation for tax purposes.) You would then need to do all of the following steps:
Set up an alert for every time a donation is made or a product is sold
Go through each purchase for which you are notified
Manually issue the benefits
Create a 10% coupon for a single ticket to one performance of every event included in the package
Process a merchandise sale for the t-shirt
Below are further details on each of these 2 options:
Membership as a "Fundraising Campaign"
There isn't a "membership" module specifically created for this purpose in your ThunderTix menu, so we typically recommend that you set memberships up as "fundraising campaigns". We've found that most of the performing arts organizations we work with consider the membership payment a "donation", so setting it up under fundraising makes the most sense.
When you set up a fundraising campaign for membership, you can create various "levels" of membership. Each level has a corresponding price and can include a custom image and description to cover the membership perks included with each level. When a patron becomes a member, we'll automatically add the membership level and name to the order based on the amount of the initial payment.
Some organizations have monthly recurring payments for membership rather than a once annual payment. In this case, you have the option to make the recurring donation "Included and required". When this option is selected, a monthly recurring subscription will be generated for that new member for the same amount they paid for the first month of membership. NOTE: Stripe is required as the payment gateway to utilize the monthly recurring donation option.
Memberships as a "Product"
The good thing about setting the memberships up as a product is that you can enroll in an email alert any time a product is purchased. The reason you need to be notified about the purchase is so that you can create a membership coupon code for that new member with the correct membership discount.
Each product can be created as a separate "level" of membership. With each product membership level, we suggest uploading a corresponding custom image and description to cover the membership perks included with each level. Of course, the product will be priced appropriately based on each level. When a patron pays to become a member using products, you see the membership level on the order based on the product paid.
Giving member discounts
If your membership perks offer a set discount off selected events, you'll need to create a custom coupon code for that member at the time they make their initial member donation. Coupon codes are not automatically generated. When you set up the code, make sure you enter an expiration date on the code that coincides with the end of their membership term depending on whether it's a calendar year or a rolling 12-month period.
Tracking members
You can also create a "member" classification in the Patron Database and assign it to each person that pays for membership. That way, you can easily run a search any time you want to see a list of all members. If you have membership levels like Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, etc, you can also create those as customer classifications to assign to each customer so that they are both listed as a "member" and "Gold", for example.
Membership renewals
At the same time a product is purchased or a donation is made, you can create a "task" to remind yourself to contact them when their membership is up for renewal. You'll find the task option in the top menu of your login. We'll send you an email when that task is due, but we don't yet have a template that automatically sends a reminder email to members about their renewal.
