Membership Level Comparison
There are several ways to set up the MEMBERSHIP LEVELS in MembershipWorks. I have listed some common options in the table below. The letters (A), (B), (C) and (D) correspond with the name in the demo Membership Directory to help you find the example Profiles for these Levels.
I personally have not used (D) for clients, but it’s an option. My preferred are (A) for when all members are Individuals and (C) when you can combine Additional Members in the Same Account for Family, Households and Organizations. They are the easiest way to manage multiple members in one Account.
Membership Levels can be customized for Individuals, Organizations, Companies, Families, Households or other scenarios.
MembershipWorks is customizable but it isn’t custom software, so there are limitations to what it can do. I ask a lot of questions initially to fully understand what type of Membership Levels will work best for my clients. I have a detailed questionnaire we work through together. Then, I customize MembershipWorks to be as automated as possible while meeting or exceeding your specific criteria and needs.
This information is based on my personal years of experience setting up MembershipWorks for dozens of clients. I have been using and recommending MW since 2018. See my MembershipWorks Developer Profile for examples of past work and testimonials from my clients. Learn more about MembershipWorks Demos.
The table is best viewed on a large screen like a desktop or laptop computer.
You can also view dynamically via Google Sheets
Description | (A) Individual Account | (B) Both Family Members have OWN account. PRIMARY Person | (B) Both SECONDARY Person | (C) Combined – Members in SAME account. PRIMARY Person | (C) Combined SECONDARY Person | (D) Dependent – Members in SAME account uses Add-ons. PRIMARY Person | (D) Dependent SECONDARY Person |
Joint Account? | no | no | no | yes | yes | yes | yes |
Who Pays? | Pays for themselves only | Pays for all Family Members | Pays zero | Pays for All Members | Included. Primary pays. | Choose Add-ons to pay for All Members | Primary pays. |
How Much? | $25 | $50 | zero | $50 | n/a | 50, 75, 100 | n/a |
CARD in the Directory? | yes | yes | yes | yes | no, listed under Primary only | yes | no, listed under Primary only |
Edit full Account? | yes | yes | yes | yes | no, only edit their own contact information | yes | no, only edit their own contact information |
Typical Members | Individual or Organization | Family/Household Membership | Family/Household Membership | Family/Household or Organization | Family/Household or Organization | Family/Household or Organization | Family/Household or Organization |
When to Use? | Preferred | When the Second Person needs their own Account but doesn’t want to pay renewals | When the Second Person needs their own Account but doesn’t want to pay renewals | Preferred | When the Second Person doesn’t need their own account | When the Second Person doesn’t need their own Account | |
Drawbacks | none | Only the Primary Person can renew dues | Admin needs to manually update renewal date after Primary Person pays dues | none | Limited Profile info for Second Person | Relies on the Primary choosing the Add-ons to pay for more Family Members vs the Admin assigning Membership Level based on how many Family Members | Limited Profile info for Second Person |
Apply Labels to their Account? | yes | yes | yes | yes | no, only Admin applies Labels | yes | no, only Admin applies Labels |
Common Membership Level Names | Regular, Individual | Family Membership | Additional Family Member | Family of 2, Family of 3 | Family Membership | ||
Requires Add-ons? | no | no | no | no | no | yes – one or more | yes – one or more |
Example Profiles on growyourmindshare.com VIEW DIRECTORY | Emma Sample, Michelle Aspelin, Russell Sample, Sarah Junior | Megan Example – Primary Member | Freddy Example – Additional Family Member | Allison Sample, Joan Brown. Chamber of Commerce | Cody Sample, David Brown | Jose Sample | Sunny Diaz |
Good for 2 or more Secondary Members? | n/a | Not Preferred | Not Preferred | Preferred | Preferred | Not Preferred, see Drawbacks | Not Preferred, see Drawbacks |
Renewals Automated? | Completely | Completely | No, see Drawbacks | Completely | Completely | Partially, see Drawbacks | Partially, see Drawbacks |