# Setting Up Memberships {% hint style="warning" %} **Are you a student or ticketholder? Check out our** [**Member's Guide to Memberships**](https://docs.crowdwork.com/for-ticket-holders/members-guide-to-memberships)**.** **The following guide is for venue administrators and managers** who need to create and configure memberships for their events. {% endhint %} ## What Are Memberships? Think of memberships as your theatre's version of Netflix or Spotify - subscription plans that give your patrons awesome benefits, mainly free or discounted access to tagged shows and classes. This feature doesn't just help your bottom line - it transforms your whole business model: * Create predictable, recurring revenue (goodbye, feast-or-famine ticket sales!) * Build serious patron loyalty and community connection * Boost attendance at your events (even those typically harder-to-fill slots) * Make life easier for your regular attendees (no more "Do I want to pay for this show?" decisions) * Offer season passes, festival badges, or VIP access programs {% hint style="success" %} **🚀 Revenue Booster Feature!** **Memberships** is one of our **Revenue Booster** features — powerful tools to grow your revenue and deepen patron loyalty. These features are completely optional. When enabled, each one adds a 1% fee to all transactions. If your theatre passes fees on to customers (the default setting), they cost you nothing to use. [Read more about Revenue Booster pricing >](https://docs.crowdwork.com/for-theatres/setup-your-theatre-account/understanding-crowdwork-fees#revenue-boosters) {% endhint %} {% hint style="info" %} **First time running a membership or subscription program?** Check out our [Quick Start Guide](https://docs.crowdwork.com/the-academy/crowdwork-academy/memberships-quick-start-guide) for simple setup steps, common questions and popular membership models to get you started quickly. {% endhint %} ## Membership Booster Details When you activate the Memberships booster: * A 1% fee is added to all transactions (not just membership-related ones). If your theatre passes fees on to customers (the default setting), this costs you nothing. * You can turn it off anytime, but deactivation will terminate all active membership plans * Members would need to sign up again if you later reactivate the feature ## Activating Memberships To start offering memberships: 1. Navigate to the **Memberships** section in your Dashboard menu 2. Click the teal **Activate Memberships** button 3. Review the information in the popup 4. Confirm by clicking **Activate Memberships**
## Creating Membership Tiers After activating memberships, you'll need to create at least one membership tier: 1. Go to **Memberships** → [**Manage Tiers**](https://crowdwork.com/dashboard/memberships/tiers) in your Dashboard 2. Click the [**+ Create New Membership Tier**](https://crowdwork.com/dashboard/memberships/tiers/new) button 3. Complete the membership tier form: ### Membership Tier Form Fields * **Name**: What you want to call this membership level (e.g., "Monthly Access Pass," "Comedy Club Membership," "Season Pass") * **Description**: Details about what's included in the membership (supports rich text formatting) {% hint style="info" %} **Need help with the description field?** See [Using the Rich Text Editor](https://docs.crowdwork.com/for-theatres/using-the-rich-text-editor) for formatting tips. Note that images and file attachments are not available in the Membership Tier Description field. {% endhint %} * **Cadence**: The billing frequency. Choose from: * **Daily**: Renews every day (great for festivals or short-term events) * **Weekly**: Renews every week * **Monthly**: Renews every month (most common) * **Yearly**: Renews every year (ideal for season passes) * **Once**: One-time charge with no recurring billing (perfect for season tickets, festival badges, or single-purchase access passes) * **Price**: The amount charged per billing period (can be set to $0.00 for free memberships) {% hint style="warning" %} ***Factor any fee costs into your membership pricing when setting your price.*** **Fees are always absorbed on membership purchases.** Regardless of your theatre's fee settings, transaction fees on all membership transactions are never passed on to the patron. This ensures members are always charged a predictable, consistent amount each billing cycle. {% endhint %} * **Event Access**: Select which shows or classes are included in this membership: * Begin typing to search for specific shows, classes, or tags * You can select individual events or entire tags to include * The more events you include, the more value your membership offers * **Max Uses per Renewal** *(optional)*: Limit how many times the membership can be used per billing period (leave blank for unlimited access) * **Password** *(optional)*: Set a password requirement to enroll in this membership tier (useful for VIP or exclusive memberships) 4. Click **Save** to create the membership tier *** ## Membership Types & Use Cases ### Recurring Memberships Perfect for ongoing access to your regular programming: * **Monthly Comedy Pass**: $25/month for unlimited access to all comedy shows * **Class Membership**: $50/month for unlimited access to all classes * **VIP Membership**: $75/month for priority seating and member-only events ### One-Time Memberships Great for special situations where recurring billing doesn't make sense: * **Season Pass**: One-time $150 payment for access to entire 6-month season * **Festival Badge**: One-time $40 payment for weekend festival access * **Workshop Series**: One-time $200 payment for 8-week intensive course ### Free Memberships Useful for building community or offering special access: * **Student Membership**: Free tier for students (password protected) * **Volunteer Access**: Free membership for your volunteers * **Patreon Supporter Access**: Free tier for existing Patreon supporters * **Performer & Cast Comp Access**: Free membership for cast, crew, and performers to reserve their own complimentary seats each run {% hint style="info" %} **Using memberships to manage comps?** Free memberships are one of the most efficient ways to handle recurring complimentary tickets — patrons self-serve without any admin effort on your end. [See the full guide to issuing complimentary tickets.](https://docs.crowdwork.com/for-theatres/issuing-comps) {% endhint %} ### Limited-Use Memberships When creating your Membership Tier, use the **Max Uses per Renewal** setting to control access frequency while maintaining value. Common campaigns include: * **Flex Pass**: $30/month for up to 5 shows * **Date Night Pass**: $40/month for up to 2 shows * **Premium Access**: $60/month for up to 10 events plus merch or concessions *** ## Understanding Membership Fees & Pricing ### How Membership Fees Work Unlike regular ticket sales, membership transactions do not follow your theatre's fee settings. Even if your fee settings are configured to pass fees on to customers, membership fees are always absorbed by the theatre rather than passed to the member. This design choice exists for several important reasons: * **Subscription model psychology**: Hidden fees on memberships feel deceptive to customers who expect one clear price * **Competitive positioning**: Most subscription services (Netflix, Spotify, gym memberships) show one all-inclusive price * **Processing complexity**: Recurring billing with variable fees creates reconciliation and accounting complications * **Customer experience**: It's much cleaner to say "membership is $30/month" rather than "$30/month + processing fees" ### Pricing Strategy When setting your membership prices, we recommend building processing fees into your tier pricing. For example, if you want to net $30 after fees, price your membership at $35 to account for the absorbed processing costs. ## How Memberships Work ### Key Features * **One Free Ticket Per Date**: By default, members can redeem one free ticket for each tagged event per date (for example, if a show has both a 7pm and 9pm performance on the same day, the membership allows entry to one of those performances, not both) * **Usage Limits**: Set maximum uses per renewal period to control access frequency * **Password Protection**: Restrict membership enrollment with passwords * **Public Events**: Memberships work with public events through tagging * **Unlisted Events Option**: For "members-only" events, create unlisted events and share links only with members ### Member Login Requirement Members must be logged in to their CrowdWork account when purchasing tickets for their membership benefits to apply automatically. When logged in, eligible events will show as $0 during checkout. ### Billing & Renewal * Initial charge occurs immediately when a patron signs up * **Recurring memberships**: Renewals happen on the same calendar date each period (e.g., signup on the 5th = bill on the 5th of each month) * **One-time memberships**: No renewal charges - access continues based on event eligibility * Renewals are processed around 11am Central Time daily * Payment failures for recurring memberships trigger an automatic retry sequence: * First retry after 24 hours * Second retry after another 24 hours * Final retry after an additional 24 hours * Membership is deactivated if all attempts fail {% hint style="warning" %} ***Factor any fee costs into your membership pricing when setting your price.*** **Fees are always absorbed on membership purchases.** Regardless of your theatre's fee settings, transaction fees on all membership transactions are never passed on to the patron. This ensures members are always charged a predictable, consistent amount each billing cycle. {% endhint %} ### Password-Protected Memberships When you set a password for a membership tier: * A password field automatically appears on your public membership page * Only people with the password can enroll in that tier * Useful for exclusive access programs, student discounts, or VIP memberships * The password field only shows if you have at least one active password-protected tier ### Discount Codes for Memberships You can offer discount codes for membership tiers: 1. Create discount codes in your **Discount Codes** section 2. When selecting events to apply the discount to, your membership tiers will appear as options 3. Discount code fields automatically appear on your membership page when active codes exist 4. Great for promotional campaigns, existing supporters, or special offers {% hint style="info" %} **Important:** Discount codes applied to a membership tier discount the **membership purchase itself** (the signup or renewal price) — they do not give members an ongoing discount on individual ticket purchases. Memberships are access-based: members get free entry to tagged events by logging in and checking out at $0. If you want to offer members a percentage off tickets for non-tagged events, create a separate discount code and share it with your members directly. {% endhint %} ### Season Ticket Considerations For traditional season ticket programs where patrons expect one ticket per production (not per occurrence), the current system works best when combined with the Max Uses feature. For example, if you have a 5-show season, set Max Uses to 5. While this doesn't prevent a member from using all 5 tickets on one show that runs multiple weeks, it approximates traditional season ticket behavior for most use cases. ## Managing Individual Memberships To view and manage individual member subscriptions: 1. Navigate to **Memberships** → [**Members**](https://crowdwork.com/dashboard/memberships) in your Dashboard 2. Search for specific members using the search field 3. Click on a member to view their details 4. From the member details page, you can: * **Pause Membership**: Temporarily suspends benefits and shifts renewal date forward (recurring memberships only) * **Cancel Membership**: Terminates membership at end of paid period * **View Membership History**: See past renewals and changes ### Tracking Member Activity Since members "purchase" tickets even when using their membership benefits, their activity appears in your regular dashboard sections: * [**Orders**](https://crowdwork.com/dashboard/orders): All membership-based ticket purchases show here as $0 transactions * [**Tickets**](https://crowdwork.com/dashboard/tickets): Individual ticket records for shows * [**Registrations**](https://crowdwork.com/dashboard/registrations): Individual registration records for classes This allows you to track member attendance and engagement using the same tools you use for regular ticket holders. ## Pausing vs. Cancelling ### **Pause Functionality** *(Recurring memberships only)*: * Temporarily suspends access to benefits * Shifts renewal date forward by the same number of days paused * Member can still reactivate their membership * No immediate charges upon reactivation, follows normal billing cycle ### **Cancel Functionality**: * Terminates membership at the end of the paid period * Access remains until end of current paid period (for recurring) or based on event dates (for one-time) * Cannot be reactivated (new signup required) * When members cancel themselves, they see this message: "If you cancel, your membership will remain active until the end of your current billing period. After that, you'll lose access to all member features. *This action cannot be undone.*" ### **Refunds** * By default, there are no prorated refunds when memberships are cancelled * If you want to issue a refund as a theatre admin, find the transaction and click the refund button * For detailed refund procedures, see the Issuing Refunds guide ## Tracking Membership Revenue Membership revenue appears in your Square Dashboard alongside other sales. You can identify membership transactions by: 1. Logging into your Square Dashboard 2. Navigating to the Sales section 3. Looking for transactions labeled as "Membership" ## Best Practices for Memberships ### Pricing Strategy * **Recurring Value Calculation**: Price recurring memberships so they feel like a steal! If tickets are $15 and members might attend 2 shows per month, price around $25-30. They save money, you get reliable income - win-win! * **One-Time Value**: For season passes or festival badges, price at 60-70% of what individual tickets would cost * **Free Tier Benefits**: Use free memberships to build community and convert casual attendees into regular supporters * **Psychological Pricing**: Set price points where members feel they "break even" after 2-3 events. Once they've hit that point, every additional show feels completely free, which encourages more attendance * **Account for Fees**: Remember to build processing fees into your membership pricing since they're absorbed by the theatre ### Membership Program Design * **Limited Use Strategy**: Offer tiers with usage limits (like "5 shows per month") to create urgency and encourage regular attendance * **Password Protection**: Use passwords for exclusive tiers, student discounts, or special promotions * **Mixed Offerings**: Consider offering both unlimited and limited memberships to appeal to different patron types ### Tag Management * Create specific tags for membership-eligible events * Consider creating different tags for different membership tiers * Use descriptive tag names to help you identify membership content ### Communication * Clearly explain membership benefits on your Public page * Send welcome emails to new members explaining how to use their membership * Remind members of upcoming events that are included in their membership * For limited-use memberships, let members know how many uses they have remaining * Remind members to log in when purchasing tickets to receive their benefits ## FAQs for Theatre Administrators **Q: Can members book multiple tickets for the same show?**\ A: No, members can only redeem one free ticket per date for tagged events. If a show has multiple performances on the same day, they can only get free entry to one of those performances, not both. **Q: How do members redeem their free tickets?**\ A: Members must be logged in to their CrowdWork account and still "purchase" tickets through the normal checkout process, but their price shows as $0 for eligible events. **Q: Can we limit how many shows a member can attend per month?**\ A: Yes! Use the "Max Uses per Renewal" field when creating a membership tier. Leave it blank for unlimited access, or set a specific number (like "5") to limit usage. **Q: Can we offer free memberships?**\ A: Absolutely! Set the price to $0.00 when creating a membership tier. This is great for student memberships, volunteer access, or building community engagement. **Q: How do one-time memberships work?**\ A: Select "Once" as the cadence when creating the tier. Members pay once and get access based on your event selection until their access expires or you modify the tier. **Q: Do we need to set up special shows for members?**\ A: No special setup is needed beyond tagging events correctly. For members-only events, you can use unlisted events and share links only with members. **Q: What happens if we deactivate the Memberships feature?**\ A: All existing memberships will be immediately terminated (not paused), and members will need to sign up again if you reactivate the feature. **Q: Can members switch between different membership tiers?**\ A: There's no switching needed! Your patrons can subscribe to as many different membership types as they want. If they want to move from one tier to another, they can simply cancel the current one and sign up for a different tier. Or they might want multiple memberships simultaneously - our system is designed for flexibility, allowing you to create exactly the program that works for your community. **Q: How do password-protected memberships work?**\ A: Set a password when creating the tier. The password field automatically appears on your public membership page only when you have active password-protected tiers. Anyone with the password can enroll in that specific tier. **Q: Can we offer discounts on memberships?**\ A: Yes! Create discount codes in your Discount Codes section and select your membership tiers when choosing what the discount applies to. The discount code field appears on your membership page when active codes exist. **Q: Why don't membership fees follow our theatre's fee settings?**\ A: Membership transactions always absorb fees rather than passing them to customers. This creates a cleaner subscription experience and matches how most subscription services work. Build any necessary fee costs into your membership pricing. **Need help setting up your membership program?** [Contact our support team](https://docs.crowdwork.com/contacting-support#for-theatre-owners-and-administrators) for assistance customizing your membership offerings. {% hint style="info" %} **Just getting started?** Our [Quick Start Guide](https://docs.crowdwork.com/the-academy/crowdwork-academy/memberships-quick-start-guide) walks you through simple setup steps and popular membership models. {% endhint %}