Membership Status
Membership statuses describe the state of a membership period.
They do not automatically indicate who must take action. That depends on the renewal model (set up in your membership plan and settings).
Status | What It Means | What It Tells You | Where You’ll See It |
Pending | Membership record created but not fully completed (usually payment outstanding) | Activation not yet complete | |
Active | Membership currently valid within its start and end dates | Member has access to benefits | Contact record / segments |
Renewal Due | Membership approaching its expiry date | Renewal cycle is being triggered (model determines how) | |
Lapsed | Membership expired and no new period was created | Membership ended naturally | Members Leaving / Lapsed reports |
Cancelled | Membership intentionally ended before or at expiry | Active decision to stop membership | Membership record / Leaving reports |
What “Renewal Due” Really Means
“Renewal Due” is a timing status, not an action instruction.
What happens next depends on your renewal model:
Renewal Model | What Happens |
Manual | Admin creates the renewal |
Self-Service | Member renews themselves |
Auto | System generates renewal automatically |
Core Membership Structure
Term | Definition | Why It Matters |
Membership Plan | Configuration template (price, duration, renewal model, payment options) | Controls how this membership behaves |
Membership Record | A single period of membership linked to a contact | One contact can have multiple records over time |
Membership Period | The defined start and end dates | Drives status and renewal timing |
Renewal Model | Manual, self-service, or auto renewal | Determines who initiates renewal |
Status Behaviour | Automatic movement between statuses | Controlled by system logic |
Membership and Payment
In sheepCRM, membership and payment are separate entities.
They are linked - but not the same thing.
Term | Refers To | Key Insight |
Renewal | Creation of a new membership period | Renewal ≠ payment |
Invoice Created | Financial request for payment | Does not activate membership on its own |
Payment Collected | Stripe / GoCardless / manual payment recorded | Updates financial status, i.e. paid / unpaid |
Unpaid Membership | Active membership without sufficient payment recorded | Appears in Unpaid Active Members report |
Key Membership Reports
Report | Purpose |
Membership records created in a period | |
Incomplete memberships requiring attention | |
Active memberships without sufficient payment | |
Lapsed and cancelled memberships | |
Overall growth and churn overview |