Payments & Dues

Offline payments

Many organizations still take checks at the door. Turn on Settings → Payments → Accept offline payments (it's on by default) and:

• People joining a paid level can choose Pay directly instead of paying online. They start as pending and get a message that you'll be in touch.
• Before you've connected Stripe, paid levels still work — everyone joins as pending.
• Event registrations can be paid the same way.

Recording a payment

Open the member and use Mark paid. The amount is filled in for you (dues, plus the joining fee on a first payment). Pick check, cash, bank transfer or other, add a note like the check number, and save. Mybers records the payment, activates the member, sends their welcome and moves their renewal date on by one dues period.

For events, use Mark paid on the registration — it charges the ticket plus any extras they chose.

Online only?

Switch offline payments off. Then a paid level can't be joined until Stripe is connected, and people see a clear message instead.

Membership date rules

Many associations run on a membership year: everyone renews on January 1 (or February 15, or April 1), whenever they joined. Set this on any one-time dues product: Settings → Levels & dues, then Edit next to the dues, then Renewal date → The same date for everyone.

The options

• Everyone renews on a month and day you choose. A new member is covered until the next one; a renewal adds one year to that date.
• New members joining after a date are covered through the next year too — "join after September 1 and you're covered through next year".
• A new member's first payment can be full price, only the months left this year, or reduced after a date — "half price after August 1", with a note like "no welcome gift".

Renewals always pay the full amount. Members see the price and their renewal date on the join form and their dues page before they pay, and Mark paid uses the same rule for checks and cash.

Automatically renewing dues

Annual dues that renew automatically can use the same date for everyone too: every member is charged on that date each year, and a new member's first payment covers only the months until then. (The join-late options apply to one-time dues.) Monthly dues renew on each member's own date.

Joining fees

Under Settings → Levels & Dues, give any level a one-time joining fee (for example $50 on top of $300 a year).

• It shows next to the price on your public page and join form: “$300/yr + $50 joining fee”.
• Online, it's added to the member's first checkout and never charged again.
• Offline, Mark paid includes it on the member's first payment.

The setup assistant can set it for you when you describe your fees.

Donations

Turn on donations in the Website builder. Donors choose One-time, Monthly or Yearly. Nobody needs an account to give.

For donors

Every receipt for a monthly or yearly gift has a Manage or cancel link, so donors can stop it themselves with no account. Donors can also create a free account with the same email: their Your giving page shows every gift.

For your team

Payments lists every gift, marked Monthly or Yearly, and shows when a recurring gift was stopped. Open one to cancel future charges for the donor. Past gifts always stay on record.

Manage or cancel

Every receipt for dues, a monthly or yearly gift, or a class pass has a Manage or cancel link. It works without an account. Members see what they pay and when, and can cancel in one click. Dues and passes run to the end of the period already paid for; gifts stop right away. After cancelling, members can tell you why (optional) and can undo it until the period ends. They also get a confirmation email.

Cancelling as easily as joining is what new click-to-cancel laws (California, New York City and others) expect, and it keeps members' trust.

Optional: fair alternatives on the same screen

In Settings → Payments → Cancel page options, turn on any of these. All are off until you turn them on, and the Cancel button always stays on the same screen.

• Pause for 1 to 3 months (monthly plans): no charges during the pause, then billing picks back up on its own.
• Skip next month (monthly plans): a one-month pause.
• Switch to a cheaper level: lists your lower-priced levels on the same billing cycle. The level changes now; the new price starts at the next renewal, with no extra charge today.
• Transfer to someone else: emails your owners and admins a request with the new person's details. Nothing changes until you act.

Also automatic

• Failed payments: the member's email says they stay a member while the payment is retried, with a link to update their card.
• Renewal reminders include a "this past year" line from their real event history, and a change-or-cancel link for automatic renewals.

See why members leave in your Audit log (look for "exit reason").

Membership levels

A membership level defines what someone pays and what they get — for example Individual, Family, Student, or Lifetime. Manage levels under Settings → Levels & Dues.

Configuring a level

For each level you set the price, the renewal term (monthly, annual, or a fixed period), and any benefits or access it unlocks. You can mark a level as available for self-signup on your public site or admin-only.

Renewal terms

The renewal term controls when a membership expires and when renewal reminders go out. Annual terms can be calendar-aligned (everyone renews on the same date) or anniversary-based (each member renews on the date they joined). Lifetime levels never expire.

Changing a level's price affects new signups and renewals going forward; existing members keep their current term until it ends.

Two ways to collect dues

Mybers supports both one-time and recurring dues, and you can offer either per membership level.

One-time dues

The member pays for a term up front. When the term ends they receive renewal reminders and pay again manually. This suits organizations that want members to actively re-commit each term.

Recurring dues

The member's card is saved and charged automatically each renewal period through your connected Stripe account. Renewal happens without the member taking action, which reduces lapsing. Members can manage or cancel auto-renewal from their member portal.

Recurring dues require Stripe Connect so payments flow directly to your account. Payouts go straight to your bank — Mybers never holds your funds.

Refunding a payment

Find the payment under Payments or on the member's record, open it, and choose Refund. You can issue a full refund or enter a partial amount.

How refunds work

Because payments run through your own Stripe Connect account with direct payouts, refunds are processed against that account and returned to the customer's original payment method. Depending on the card issuer, the refund typically appears within 5–10 business days.

Effect on membership

Refunding a dues payment does not automatically change the member's status. If a refund means the membership should no longer be active, update the member's status manually. The same is true for event tickets — refunding a registration doesn't cancel it or free the spot, so cancel the registration on the event if you want the capacity back.

The Stripe processing fee on the original charge may not be returned by Stripe; check your Stripe dashboard for the exact behavior on your account.

Donations

Beyond dues, Mybers can collect donations through your connected Stripe account. Open Website in the sidebar and turn on donations there — that adds a Donate page and a Support link to your public site. (There is no Donations tab under Settings; the toggle lives with the rest of your public-site options.) Donations also need a connected Stripe account — without one the Donate page stays hidden.

Donation options

• One-time — a single gift in any amount, with optional suggested amounts.
• Recurring — monthly giving that renews automatically.

Tracking and receipts

Donations appear under Payments tagged as donations so you can report on giving separately from dues. Donors receive an automatic receipt by email. Donations from existing members are linked to their record; gifts from non-members create a lightweight contact you can follow up with.

Donation payouts go directly to your bank through Stripe, just like dues.