Ⓜ️Memberships: Quick Start Guide
Here's a simple guide for getting started with our Memberships booster. Follow along to create subscription plans that give your patrons access to the events you select.
Getting Started with Memberships: A Simple Guide
Since adding our Memberships feature, many theaters have already experienced the benefits of creating predictable, recurring revenue streams while building stronger patron loyalty and community. This powerful tool not only boosts attendance at your events by eliminating the "should I pay for this?" decision barrier.
And that's just the beginning! Let's dig in a little further...
How Memberships Work: The Essentials
Set your price and schedule: Choose how much to charge and when (weekly, monthly, yearly, or one-time), which means you create predictable recurring revenue or seasonal programs!
Select the events: Apply consistent tags to shows and classes you want to include (e.g., "MemberAccess" or "Premium"), which means you control what programming is included!
Members get full access: Members can attend any occurrence of any included event during their membership period, which means your events have even better attendance!
Simple redemption: Members must be logged in and reserve their spot through regular checkout (price shows as $0), which means you can still manage capacity and track attendance!
Automatic billing: Recurring members are charged on the same calendar date of each period (join on the 15th, pay on the 15th), which means you can rely on consistent monthly income!
🚀 Revenue Accelerator Feature!
Memberships is one of our special Booster features – revenue-accelerating tools we've designed to be crowd pleasers both your audience and your bottom line will love! Boosters are completely optional to use, managed from your Dashboard and built with input and feedback from theatres like yours.
It's time to create your first Membership plan!
Memberships works as easily as most of our features, but these steps will get you up to speed in no time.
Quick Setup Steps
On your Dashboard, go to the Memberships menu.
Name Your Membership: Choose a simple, clear name (e.g., "Monthly Pass," "Season Pass," or "Unlimited Access")
Choose Your Billing: Select "monthly" for ongoing programs, "yearly" annual passes or "once" for festival badges
Include Your Shows: Decide which shows will be included (we recommend including most or all of your regular programming)
Set Your Price: Try the pricing guide below as your starting point (memberships can even be free!)
Write a Simple Description: Example: "Enjoy unlimited access to all our regular performances for one monthly fee. Attend as many different shows as you like!"
Activate in CrowdWork: Turn on the Memberships feature and create your first tier
Start With One Simple Tier
For your first membership program, start with just one clear membership tier that includes most or all of your programming. You can always add premium tiers, password-protected VIP access, or usage-limited options later!
Try Simple Pricing: The 2.5x Rule
For an easy way to price your membership, multiply your average ticket price by 2.5.
For example:
If your average ticket is $15, price your membership around $35-40/month
If your average ticket is $25, price your membership around $60-65/month
This pricing ensures members break even after attending just 2 events per month while covering your processing costs, making it an attractive value for everyone.
Popular Membership Models
Try one the following pass ideas. Adjust the details to fit your audience, organization & events:
Important Member Details
Members Must Log In: Remind your members that they need to be logged in to their CrowdWork account when purchasing tickets for their membership benefits to apply automatically.
Advanced Options: Once you're comfortable with basic memberships, you can explore password-protected tiers for VIP access, usage limits for "flex passes," and discount codes for special promotions.
Membership FAQ for New Programs
Q: Will this cannibalize our ticket sales? A: Most organizations see only a 15-20% decrease in regular ticket sales, more than offset by membership revenue.
Q: How many members should we expect? A: Aim for 10-15% of your regular audience to start.
Q: Should we offer discounted memberships? A: Keep it simple at first. Add discount tiers (student, senior) or free community memberships after your program is established.
Q: How do patrons redeem their free tickets? A: They must be logged in and still "purchase" tickets through the normal checkout process, but their price shows as $0 for eligible events.
Q: Can we do season tickets instead of monthly memberships? A: Yes! Select "Once" as the billing cadence for one-time season passes or festival badges. You might also consider setting "Max Uses" to the number of productions in your season.
Next Steps
Tell your audiences about your new program. Once your basic membership program is running smoothly and has 10+ members:
Analyze member attendance patterns
Gather feedback from early members
Consider adding premium tiers or special benefits
Refer to our comprehensive Setting Up Memberships guide for advanced strategies
Remember, the key to successful memberships is simplicity and clear value. Start with the basics, then grow your program as you learn what works for your specific audience!
Need help?
Check out our full article about Setting up and managing Memberships.
And as always, our support team is here anytime you need us! Contact Support through your Dashboard or email [email protected]
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