A strong membership program is the heartbeat of a performing arts organization, building a stable, loyal community of supporters that goes beyond one-time ticket sales!
A membership is a special type of Subscription package that includes no tickets to any production, but may optionally include special membership benefits.
To begin creating your membership, select the “Create New Subscription” button and select Membership from the Subscription Type list.
The Membership Details section allows you to add an image, give the membership a name, and provide a description. These will be displayed to your patrons when purchasing a membership and on their account overview page. Provide a description of the benefits your membership offers here.
Membership Price and Quantity
Memberships must have a term and a price and can, optionally, be set to automatically renew.
Available membership terms are: annual, quarterly, and monthly.
To auto-renew the membership, toggle auto-renew on.
You may optionally provide a number of available memberships if you would like to limit the number available automatically. This could be useful, for example, if you wanted to provide a limited number of “early bird” discounted memberships to encourage patrons to join your membership program early.
If Available Memberships is blank, the number of memberships available is unlimited.
🎭Noteworthy: If auto-renewal of memberships is enabled, you may choose to send a reminder to your patrons. This email is automatically sent 7 days before their next charge. Included in the email is a link to manage their membership. This allows a patron to update payment information, change term, or cancel their membership without requiring a call to your box office.
Tax Deductible Memberships
If you are a not-for-profit organization and have provided the appropriate documentation to On The Stage, you will have the option to set the tax deductible amount for a membership.
Selecting the tax deductible checkbox will reveal an input field for Perceived Benefit / Market Value of the membership.
Input this value and On The Stage will calculate the tax deductible amount. This will be included in the email confirmation and receipt automatically sent to your patrons.
Membership Entitlements
Depending on the complexity of your membership program, you may want to offer different promo codes or access to different ticket types depending upon the membership.
You may choose to offer promo codes to annual members but not monthly members.
Or, you may choose to offer members only seats to only your highest tier of membership.
Any Members Only Promo Codes or Ticket Types you’ve created will be available for you to select here.
Membership Sale Window
If you would like to restrict the time during which a membership may be purchased set a Membership Sale Window.
By default the Sale Start date is the day the subscription is created. You may set this into the future if you do not want to allow sales immediately. This may be useful if you want a Spring Membership Drive with special pricing to start only at that future date.
After the Off Sale Date has passed the Membership package will no longer be available for purchase by new members. Existing members will continue to enjoy their benefits until the end of their term.
Members with auto-renewing memberships will continue to be billed based on their term length - even if the off sale date has passed.
Membership Fees
As with other subscription types, fees for Memberships are 5% of the membership cost. A $100 subscription will have a $5 fee, and a $1000 subscription will have a $50 fee. You may choose to pass along fees to your patron or absorb the fees.
Save and Publish or Save as Draft
After completing all required information you may choose to save and publish your new Membership package or you can choose to save as a draft and complete it at a later date.
🎓 Recap:
This article guides you through creating a membership program using the On The Stage platform. Memberships are subscription packages without tickets but may include special benefits to foster a loyal supporter community. The process involves setting membership details, pricing, terms, entitlements, and sales windows to tailor the program to your organization's needs.
🚀 Best Practices:
Define Membership Details: Clearly outline the name, description, and benefits to attract potential members.
Set Appropriate Pricing and Terms: Choose from annual, quarterly, or monthly terms with options for auto-renewal to provide flexibility.
Offer Exclusive Entitlements: Provide promo codes or members-only seating to add value to memberships.
Manage Sales Windows: Specify sale start and end dates to align with your marketing campaigns.
Communicate Tax Benefits: If applicable, inform members about tax-deductible amounts to enhance the membership's appeal.
By thoughtfully designing your membership program, you can build a stable and engaged community that supports your organization's growth.