How household and family memberships work

This page explains how household and family membership levels work in MapleGather — what “primary member” means, how billing works across the household, and what happens to linked members when the primary’s payment fails.

The short version

A family or household membership covers one primary member plus a set number of linked members under a single membership. The primary member signs up and pays. Linked members are added by invitation. All members share the membership status — if the primary’s payment fails, linked members are affected too.

How it works

The primary member

The person who applies for a family membership becomes the primary member. They:

Own the payment method on file for the household
Manage who is added or removed via the Household page in their portal
Receive all billing-related emails (renewal receipts, dunning notices)

Linked members

Linked members are added by the primary after sign-up (or during sign-up as part of the application). Each linked member can have:

Their own email address and portal sign-in account (the default, “every member authenticates”)
A profile without a sign-in account — useful for children or dependents (set by the organization on the level)

Linked members can view the household from their own portal, but only the primary can add, remove, or reassign.

Seat cap

Each family level has a maximum number of members it allows (the seat cap). For example, a “Family of 4” covers up to 4 people total including the primary. When the cap is reached, the “Add member” button disappears until someone is removed.

Billing modes

Organizations can set up family levels in two ways:

Flat fee — one price covers the whole household, regardless of how many linked members are on it.
Per additional member — the primary pays a base price plus a fee for each linked member added. The total is shown as a live preview on the sign-up form.

Membership cards

Each member on a family membership — primary and linked — gets their own digital membership card with a unique QR code. The primary can view any household member’s card from the Household page and share it if needed.

Shared billing means shared status

Because the household shares one payment method, a failed renewal payment affects everyone. If the primary’s card is declined:

All household members’ portal pages show a grace-period notice.
The primary receives the dunning emails and must update the card to restore normal status.

Once the payment is resolved, all members’ statuses return to Active.

Why it works this way

Centralizing billing on the primary keeps invoicing simple for both the organization (one invoice per household) and the family (one card to update). The primary gets all billing notices so they’re never surprised by a charge they didn’t expect.

Edge cases & boundaries

Removing a linked member ends their household membership. They remain a contact in the organization but lose member access. They have a 48-hour window to reverse the removal.
On some membership levels, linked members can’t sign in to the portal — only the primary member can. Instead, linked members receive a card link by email from the primary.
The primary can reassign their role to another confirmed household member at any time from the Household page.