INTRODUCTION
Feature Summary: Membership Waitlisting allows system users to set enrollment limits on one or more membership types and manage a waitlist for players when those limits are reached. When a slot opens, system users can send membership offers directly to waitlisted players.
Use Cases:
Set a maximum enrollment cap on any membership type to control total active members
Allow players to join a waitlist when a membership type is full
Send membership offers to waitlisted players as slots become available
Track waitlist status and enrollment capacity from the admin panel
Visual Example:
Note: Have a large number of existing members to add to a membership waitlist? Read about our import process here.
Note: CourtReserve also offers a separate Court Waitlisting feature for managing court-level availability. See that article for details.
SETUP REQUIREMENTS
The first step is to enable the additional feature.
Log in to the admin dashboard.
Navigate to SETTINGS > ADDITIONAL FEATURES row. Note: For clubs on Legacy pricing, the Additional Features row and icon will be labeled Add-Ons > Manage Add-ons.
Click Additional Features. A new page displays.
Scroll down to the Essential Features > Membership Waitlist heading.
Check the box.
Click the Setup button. A setup page opens in a new browser tab.
NAVIGATION
In the admin panel, select Memberships from the left-side navigation.
Create a new membership or click Edit on an existing one.
Select the Waitlist tab.
Check the Enable Waitlist checkbox to activate waitlist settings for that membership type.
Review and configure the available settings described below.
Note: The waitlist feature must be configured individually for each membership type you want to include a waitlist option for.
Note: A membership type with the waitlist enabled displays and sells like any other membership until it's full. The waitlist only takes effect once the membership reaches its Max Capacity, the Is Full box is checked, or the organization-wide capacity is reached.
Configure the Membership Waitlist Settings
Max Capacity -Set the maximum number of players who can hold this membership type at one time. Once the cap is reached, CourtReserve automatically prevents new purchases of that membership type.
System users can override this limit from the admin panel.
Max Capacity includes all memberships with an active, suspended, or past due status.
Note: To include memberships with future start dates in the Max Capacity count, enable Include Pre-Purchased Memberships in Total Assigned Memberships Amount under Memberships > Membership Settings.
Total Assigned Memberships - Displays the current number of players assigned to this membership type, along with a progress bar showing the percentage of Max Capacity filled.
Is Full - This checkbox is automatically checked by CourtReserve when enrollment for this membership type reaches the Max Capacity number. System users can manually check this box at any time.
Note: Once the Is Full box is checked, CourtReserve does not automatically uncheck it when slots become available. This prevents players from bypassing the waitlist and purchasing a membership as soon as a slot opens. System users can uncheck the box manually, but not while the membership has an open offer.
Allow Players To Join Waitlist on Portal/App - Controls whether players can join the waitlist for a full membership type through the member portal or mobile app.
If unchecked, only system users can add players to a membership waitlist.
If checked, any player with an approved account in your organization can join the waitlist, provided they meet all membership type criteria, such as age restrictions and prerequisites. Players do not need to hold a membership to join.
Note: Anonymous users cannot view or join a waitlist from an anonymous memberships page. Players must create an account first.
Waitlist Confirmation Message - Add a short message that displays to a player when they join the waitlist for this membership type. See example in User Perspective below.
Click Save Changes.
Waitlist Statues
Requests Tab
Requests are a history of all players who have joined a waitlist for a membership. The Requests tab shows when and how each player was added to the waitlist, along with their current waitlist status.
Each player on the waitlist is assigned one of the following statuses:
Waiting - The player, or family, is on the waitlist and has not purchased or been assigned the membership. This status remains in place while the player has an open membership offer. Track offer responses on the Offers tab.
Removed - The player withdrew from the waitlist, or a system user removed them.
Accepted - The player purchased the membership through a membership offer.
Assigned - A system user assigned the membership to the player.
Note: System users can remove a player from the waitlist at any time using the Remove from Waitlist button on the Requests tab.
Requests Tab
Requests are a history of all players who have joined a waitlist for a membership. The requests tab shows details relevant to when and how a player was added to a waitlist as well as their current waitlist status.
Each player on the waitlist is assigned one of the following statuses:
Waiting - The player, or family, is on the waitlist, waiting for a spot, and has not yet received a membership offer.
Offered - The player, or family, has been sent a membership offer and has not yet accepted or declined.
Assigned - The player, or family, has accepted a membership offer and has been assigned to the membership type.
Note: System users can remove a player from the waitlist at any time using the Remove from Waitlist button on the Requests tab.
Waitlist Management and Visibility
System users can add a player to a waitlist directly from the player's account. Navigate to the player's account, select the Membership tab, and click the + icon in the Waitlist field under the player's membership information.
When a system user adds a player, age restrictions, prerequisites, and the Allow Players To Join Waitlist on Portal/App setting don't apply, and the membership doesn't need to be public. The player must already have an account in your organization, and the membership must have the waitlist enabled and be full.
If Allow Players to Join Waitlist on Portal/App is enabled, players can join a waitlist for any membership type they are eligible for directly through the member portal or mobile app. The option to join the waitlist appears alongside other available membership types on the memberships screen.
Note: Players who aren't logged in can't join a membership waitlist. Full waitlist memberships don't display on the create account form, and players must log in before they can join from the public memberships page.
Note: Players aren't charged when they join a membership waitlist, and no payment method is required to join. Payment is collected only when the player accepts a membership offer and completes the purchase, including any card-on-file requirement for that membership type.
Creating a Membership Offer
Once players are on a waitlist, system users can, optionally, select which players receive a membership offer. The offer is sent by email and gives the player a set period of time to accept or decline.
To create an offer, navigate to a membership and go to the Waitlist tab. At the bottom, go to the Offers tab and click Create Membership Offer.
The following fields are available on the Create Membership Offer screen:
# of Waitlisted Accounts to be Included in the Membership Offer - Enter the number of waitlisted players to include in this offer. CourtReserve automatically selects the oldest requests first. This selection can be manually adjusted - any account can be added or removed before sending.
Open Date/Time - The date and time the offer becomes active. This is a required field.
End Date/Time - The date and time the offer expires. This field is optional. If left blank, the offer remains open until a system user manually revokes it.
Status - Filter the waitlist by player waitlist status. Available options are:
Waiting
Offered
Revoked
Filter by Current Membership - Narrow the waitlist by the player's current membership type.
Eligible Memberships to be Purchased - Select one or more membership types to include in this offer. Players who receive the offer can purchase any of the listed membership types.
Note: Players can only accept offers for public membership types. If an offer includes a membership type that isn't public, players can't view or purchase it from the member portal or mobile app. System users can assign the membership directly from the player's account instead.
Note: If a player's current membership type prevents members from canceling it, the player can't purchase a new membership from an offer. They see an error when they submit the purchase and aren't charged. System users can assign the membership directly from the player's account instead. Assigning a membership directly bypasses Max Capacity.
Once the offer is configured and the correct names have been checked to include on the bottom grid, click Save changes to send it.
Monitoring Offer Status
Once an offer has been sent, system users can track its progress under the Offers tab. Click the + sign to see the included players and their status. Each offer displays the following information:
ID - A unique identifier assigned to the offer.
Start Date - The date and time the offer became active.
End Date - The date and time the offer expires, if one was set.
Status - Indicates whether the offer is Upcoming (scheduled to open at a future date and time), Open, or Closed.
Total Offer(s) - The total number of players included in the offer.
Pending - The number of players who have not yet responded to the offer.
Accepted / Assigned - The number of players who accepted the offer and have been assigned a membership.
Denied - The number of players who declined the offer.
Revoked - The number of players whose offer was revoked. A system user can revoke an offer manually, and CourtReserve revokes any offer that hasn't received a response when the offer reaches its End Date.
System users can take the following actions on any open offer using the Actions menu:
Edit - Modify the offer details.
Send Reminder - Send a follow-up email to players who have not yet responded.
Close Offer - Manually close the offer before the End Date.
Example Offer email to the player:
Offer Acceptance
When a player accepts an offer and purchases a membership, CourtReserve updates their waitlist status for that membership to Accepted. The player remains on any other membership waitlists they've joined. To remove them from other waitlists, use the Remove from Waitlist button on each membership's Requests tab.
Global Membership Waitlist
The Global Membership Waitlist allows system users to extend membership offers across any membership category to individuals or families on your waitlist. Multiple membership types can be included in a single offer.
Enabling the Global Membership Waitlist
Navigate to Memberships > Membership Settings.
Enable Max Capacity (Waitlisting) Across All Membership.
Once enabled, an additional field Max Capacity for ALL memberships appears. Set a maximum capacity for all memberships combined.
Under Family Membership Count As, select how family memberships are counted toward the total capacity: Family Unit or Individual Family Members.
Note: Free memberships do not count toward any maximum capacity. Only paid memberships are counted against the total.
Note: To include memberships with future start dates in the total capacity count, enable Include Pre-Purchased Memberships in Total Assigned Memberships Amount under Memberships > Membership Settings.
Membership Waitlist Report
The Membership Waitlist Report provides a full list of members currently on waitlists across all membership types. System users can use this report to monitor waitlist activity over time, including tracking how many players joined a specific membership waitlist within a given period and analyzing demand across membership types.
To access the report, navigate to Reports > Membership Waitlist Report. For a full breakdown of available filters and columns, see the Membership Waitlist Report article.
USER PERSPECTIVE
Example of a player joining a membership waitlist from the member portal:
For family accounts, players can select which individual family members to include on the waitlist:
Example message:
Membership Offer Flow
Example email:
Example of member portal:
When a player accepts an offer, they are prompted to complete any required steps for that membership type, including selections, disclosure agreements, and payment. Payment is collected at this step, not when the player joins the waitlist.
ADMIN PERSPECTIVE
Example of system user notification:
Example of a waitlisted member profile:
Once a player accepts a waitlist offer and completes the purchase, their membership is activated and their status updates to Active.
On the membership's Waitlist tab, their status changes to Accepted. If a system user assigned the membership instead, the status shows Assigned.
Troubleshooting
Why Can't My Players See a Waitlisted Membership?
If players can't see or join the waitlist for a full membership, check the following:
The player isn't logged in. Players must log in to the member portal or mobile app to view and join membership waitlists.
The player's account is pending approval. Players with unapproved accounts can't view or join membership waitlists until a system user approves their account.
Allow Players To Join Waitlist on Portal/App is unchecked. When this setting is off, only system users can add players to the waitlist.
The membership has a prerequisite the player doesn't hold. If your organization uses membership prerequisites, players only see membership types whose prerequisite they hold.
The membership has a prerequisite the player doesn't hold. If your organization uses membership prerequisites, players only see membership types whose prerequisite they hold.
The membership type isn't public. Only public membership types display in the member portal and mobile app.
The player already holds this membership. A player's current membership doesn't display as an option to join or purchase.
The membership isn't full yet. A waitlist-enabled membership with open slots displays as a regular membership available for purchase, without a waitlist option.
Using a Free Membership for Waitlist-Only Signups
Players only need an account to join a membership waitlist. A free membership isn't required. A free placeholder membership is useful in two situations:
Your create account form requires players to select a membership, and your only available memberships are full.
The waitlisted membership type uses the free membership as a prerequisite.
When a player purchases a membership from an offer, their free membership ends and the new membership replaces it.
Note: Make sure the free membership type allows members to cancel it. If it doesn't, players can't purchase a new membership from an offer.