How member status auto-transitions work
The short version
Section titled “The short version”MapleGather can move members through status stages automatically as their membership cycle progresses — from Active to Grace when a renewal is overdue, from Grace to Lapsed when the grace period expires, and back to Active when a renewal payment is received. These transitions happen without any admin action and are logged in the member’s activity timeline.
How it works
Section titled “How it works”The membership lifecycle
Section titled “The membership lifecycle”A typical membership follows this cycle:
- A member joins. Their status becomes Active.
- Their membership reaches its renewal date. If auto-renewal is on and payment succeeds, status stays Active and the timeline records a renewal. If no renewal happens, status moves to Grace.
- The grace period runs for the number of days your org has configured. During this time, the member still has portal access and sees a prompt to renew.
- If the grace period ends without payment, status moves to Lapsed.
- If the member later renews, status returns to Active.
- If the membership is never renewed, status eventually moves to Expired.
What triggers auto-transitions
Section titled “What triggers auto-transitions”| Trigger | Status change |
|---|---|
| Renewal date passes with no successful payment | Active → Grace |
| Grace period expires | Grace → Lapsed |
| Renewal payment received | Grace or Lapsed → Active |
| Membership end date reached (fixed-term memberships) | Active → Expired |
| Auto-renewal fails and grace period not available | Active → Lapsed |
These transitions are driven by the billing and membership system. The exact timing depends on your org’s grace-period configuration and renewal settings.
Members are notified
Section titled “Members are notified”When a status changes automatically, MapleGather sends the member a notification email explaining what happened and what to do next. The member’s portal also shows a status-specific message:
- Grace: “Your membership renewal is overdue — renew now to stay active.”
- Lapsed: “Your membership has lapsed. Rejoin any time.”
The timeline records every transition
Section titled “The timeline records every transition”Every auto-transition appears in the member’s activity timeline, attributed to the system. The timeline entry says something like “Your membership status changed to Grace automatically.” Admins can see more detail in the admin-side activity view.
Admins can override auto-transitions
Section titled “Admins can override auto-transitions”If a situation calls for it, admins can manually change a member’s status using the status transition dialog on the member’s detail page. Manual transitions follow the same rules as auto-transitions — not every status combination is allowed. See Customize member status labels and transition a status.
Why it works this way
Section titled “Why it works this way”Automation reduces admin workload
Section titled “Automation reduces admin workload”For most orgs, membership renewals happen on a schedule. Tracking every lapse manually would be impractical. Auto-transitions ensure members receive timely notifications and that the status data stays accurate without requiring admin intervention for each renewal cycle.
Grace periods give members a runway
Section titled “Grace periods give members a runway”A hard cutoff at the renewal date would frustrate members who pay a few days late. The grace period is a deliberate buffer that keeps the member experience smooth while still creating urgency.
Manual override exists for edge cases
Section titled “Manual override exists for edge cases”Auto-transitions cover the common path. For unusual situations — a member who has been dealing with a hardship, a billing error that needs to be corrected, a one-time exception your board approved — admins can always step in and change the status manually.
Edge cases and boundaries
Section titled “Edge cases and boundaries”- If auto-renewal is enabled and the payment card is declined, the system tries a configurable number of retry attempts before declaring a failure and moving to Grace or Lapsed.
- Suspending a member (status → Suspended) is always a manual admin action. There is no automatic suspension. When a member is suspended, their active portal sessions end immediately.
- Cancellation (status → Cancelled) is a deliberate action — either by the member from the portal or by an admin. There is no automatic cancellation.
- A member whose status is Lapsed can renew at any time and return to Active. The transition doesn’t require an admin to manually move them back first.
Put it into practice
Section titled “Put it into practice”- To see a member’s status history, open their detail page and select the Activity tab.
- To change the names of statuses your members see, go to Settings → Member statuses.
- To manually transition a member, open their detail page, select ⋯ (more), then select Change status.
- To see a map of which auto-transitions are possible, see Member database status definitions reference.