Configure recurring billing and dunning settings
This guide shows you how to set up how MapleGather handles failed recurring-billing charges — including how many times Stripe retries the charge, how long the retry window runs, and what message members see at each attempt.
Who can do this: Admins with the billing:write-policy permission (to update dunning settings) and billing:read-policy (to view them). The Finance sub-role typically holds both.
Before you start
Section titled “Before you start”- You must have Stripe connected to MapleGather first. See Connect Stripe and configure your payment processor.
- Changes to dunning settings apply to all future failed charges across your organization.
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In the admin sidebar, select Billing & payments, then select Payment processor, then select Dunning (or navigate directly to Billing & payments > Recurring > Dunning).
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In the Max retry attempts field, select how many times MapleGather retries a failed charge before giving up. The default is 4. The maximum is 4. More retries means a longer period before a membership lapses, but also a longer period of member friction.
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In the Dunning window (days) field, enter how many days the retry window runs from the first failed charge. The default is 21 days.
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The Use Stripe Smart Retries adaptive timing switch is on by default. Smart Retries uses machine learning to pick the best time to retry — this typically recovers about 25% more payments than fixed intervals. Turn this off only if your org requires fixed retry spacing for accounting or policy reasons.
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In the Per-attempt member copy section, edit the message members see at each attempt. There are fields for each attempt up to your Max retry attempts count. These messages appear in the dunning notification emails and in the member portal banner.
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When you’re done, select Save dunning settings.
Verify
Section titled “Verify”You’ll know it worked when “Dunning settings saved” appears. Your new settings apply to all future failed charges.
If something goes wrong
Section titled “If something goes wrong”- Max retry attempts is set to more than 4 — MapleGather blocks this with a validation error. Set a value between 1 and 4.
- “You don’t have permission” — contact your org’s primary admin to request the billing:write-policy permission. Finance sub-role admins typically have this access.
- Settings don’t appear to have saved — check your internet connection and try again. If the problem continues, contact support.