How to Use MonkeyPod's Memberships App

Manage your member-based organization with MonkeyPod's Memberships app! It integrates seamlessly with your MonkeyPod to make all your membership transactions effortless. Whether your dues are earned income or your membership is based on a monthly donation, we have you covered!

How do I install the Memberships App in my MonkeyPod?

From the main menu, choose Apps & Integrations > Membership Management. Then click the link to learn more about the Memberships app in the App Marketplace. The next screen displays information about the Memberships app along with an "Install" button. Click that to install the app.

Once installed, the "Install" button changes to "Manage /Update Settings". Click that to have MonkeyPod walk you through the initial setup, described below.

Note that now the app is installed, you can also find it in the Apps & Integrations menu under "My Apps & Integrations".

What steps are involved in setting up a membership?

It's easy! To set up your Membership app, you need to configure three main things:

• Membership Levels (for example Standard Membership, Premium Membership, etc.)
• Payment Options (monthly vs annually; fee-for-service or donation based)
• Billing (Fully automated, semi automated, or manual options are available.)

Steps for the setup of your first membership

During the initial setup, MonkeyPod walks you through the setup of one membership level. Follow the onscreen documentation as a guide.

Membership Levels

MonkeyPod asks for the following information when setting up your membership levels:

Name: the name of your membership level. For example: Standard Membership, Premium Membership, etc.

Description (optional): Although it is optional, it helps to include a detailed description about the membership level.

What type of membership is this? You have two options here:

• Fee-for-service: Choose this option if you consider your membership income to be earned income, for instance if you offer the membership in exchange for services (as dues).
• Donation-based (including partially deductible): Choose this option if your membership income is considered contributed income, for example, if you offer a membership in exchange for donations.

What role corresponds to this membership level? Choose which relationship role should be associated with people who join at this level. You may also create a new role, if necessary.

Click "Save" when finished. Your membership level appear under the "Membership Levels" section of your Memberships Dashboard.

When your membership level information is complete, click "Save" to continue.

Payment Options

Next, choose whether members have the option to pay monthly, annually, or either.

Then choose the associated payment options. This step is different for fee-for-service memberships (dues) vs. donation-based memberships.

• Fee-for-service membership payments are accounted for as sales, so they require an "item" for each membership level you offer. In MonkeyPod, "items" are things you sell on a regular basis.
• Donation-based memberships are accounted for as donations rather than sales since the payments are considered contributed income. As a result, their setup doesn't involve items that you sell. Instead these donation-based memberships are associated with donation options in MonkeyPod.

If you don't already have your items or donation options setup, click the "Create a new..." link here to set them up now. Once you have that set, click "Save" to continue.

How do I set up billing options for memberships?

Select the "Billing" tab of your Membership Dashboard for instructions to walk you through billing setup.

MonkeyPod's Memberships app offers three levels of billing.

1. Fully-Automated: *Recommended* Fully-automated billing works through your integrated Stripe account so that Stripe and MonkeyPod handle everything for you. From membership cancellations to upgrades, choose this option to fully automate your billing!
2. Semi-Automated: This option also works with Stripe, but you have the ability to handle some options manually, such as cancelations etc.
3. Fully Manual: This option provides no automation at all. You are responsible for recording payment transactions and membership information on the member record.

If you don't already have Stripe setup for billing, see How to Configure Stripe for Transaction Processing.

How do I add more membership levels?

The initial setup process walks you through how to create your first membership level. You then repeat this process for each of the levels needed in your membership program.

To setup additional membership levels, start by making sure you have your "items" or "donation options" created that you'll associate as payment options for these new membership levels. Remember, this step is different for fee-for-service memberships (dues) vs. donation-based memberships.

• If you're working with fee-for-service memberships: Add a new "item" for the membership level by choosing Finance > Items from the main menu, and click "Add Item". See this article for details about setting up items.
• If you're working with donation-based memberships, add a new "donation option" for the membership level by choosing Fundraising > Donation Options from the main menu. See this article for details about donation options.

Once you have your "items" or "donation options" ready, return to your Memberships Dashboard by choosing Apps & Integrations from the main menu, and select Membership from under "My Apps & Integrations".

Choose the "Membership Levels" tab, then click the "Add a Membership Level" button at the bottom of the page to create the new membership level.

Enter the details as described above for the initial setup and save your new membership level.

Now select the corresponding payment option for each available billing cycle. The payment options (your sales items or donation options) appear in the dropdown menus.

Where do I go to edit, extend, or cancel someone's membership in my MonkeyPod?

All membership management is done through the "Memberships Dashboard", accessible from the main menu by choosing Apps & Integrations > Memberships (under "My Apps & Integrations").

To modify a membership, click the edit icon to the right of the member's entry in the Membership Dashboard.

Change the membership level, billing frequency, or "paid through" date and click "Save".

Note: If you are using fully-automated billing, any edits you make here also update the information in Stripe for you.

Can my MonkeyPod help me manage membership email lists as well?

YES! One of the most amazing things about the memberships app is the ability for MonkeyPod to not only manage your membership levels and their payments, but also to manage your communications with them through Smart Subscriptions to our Email Lists. (If you want to learn more about email outreach in MonkeyPod, check out this YouTube playlist!)

In the "Membership Dashboard", click the "Email Lists" tab to view the email lists that can be automatically added to your MonkeyPod:

1. All Active Members
2. All Inactive Members
3. Membership lists for each Membership Level you have created 

Click the option to "Create List" to create a corresponding list.

Click "Manage/Send" for any list you've created to go to the Email List settings.

Don't use Email Outreach yet? Be sure to check out this YouTube playlist to learn more about it!

Frequently Asked Questions

What happens in my MonkeyPod when someone pays for their membership?

When using the fully-automated billing option, when someone pays through the Stripe payment link a few things happen:

1. If they were not in your MonkeyPod, they are added.
2. If they were already in your MonkeyPod, their record is amended to show the new membership information.
3. The member is assigned the role you choose when you setup the membership level.
4. The sale of their membership is recorded as a transaction on their record.

What happens when a member clicks the payment link generated by the fully automated billing option?

Glad you asked! Below is a screenshot of the Stripe payment link that gets sent to your member's email when it is time to renew!

Is there a option to send automatic emails to those that have an expired membership?

Yes! MonkeyPod integrates with Stripe to manage your memberships so together they will automatically send an email to the member when their membership expires. In addition, a member receives a receipt every time they are charged and they can cancel their membership at any time. You can easily identify and email lapsed / canceled members using MonkeyPod's smart email lists that dynamically update based on membership status.

Can we have specific emails go out automatically each time there is a new membership, donation, recurring (renewal) membership and expired membership?

Yes! Using MonkeyPod's email automation app, you can send out automated emails for a variety of triggers that you can define. You can create as many automated email campaigns with customizable logic as you need.

Can these emails be tailored to have the user's name, amount, membership level, when it expires, when it expired, etc...?

Yes! You can personalize emails with a person's name, membership level, membership start date, and membership paid through date using merge tags!

How can I delete a membership level?

Go to the Membership Dashboard by choosing Apps & Integrations > Membership from the main menu. Then click the trash can icon associated with the level you want to delete.

Want more amazing video content? Check out our YouTube Channel!