How memberships work
This page explains how MapleGather structures membership — what a membership level is, how it connects to a member, and what the membership lifecycle looks like from sign-up to renewal or cancellation.
The short version
Section titled “The short version”Your organization defines one or more membership levels (like “Standard Annual” or “Student”). A member joins by applying for a level and paying. MapleGather tracks the resulting membership — including when it started, when it expires, and whether auto-renewal is on. Renewals and reminders happen automatically based on the settings your admin has configured.
How it works
Section titled “How it works”Levels
Section titled “Levels”A membership level is your organization’s definition of a category of membership. It carries a name, a price, a billing period, and a renewal model. Levels can be public (anyone can apply), members-only (existing members can switch), or invitation-only (admin must invite). Admins set these up under Memberships > Levels.
Applications
Section titled “Applications”When a prospective member selects a level and fills in the application form, MapleGather creates an application record. Depending on your level’s configuration, the application may be automatically approved, held for an admin to review, payment collected and held until admin approval (in which case the applicant receives a full refund if the application is declined), or activated only after the applicant pays a separate invoice. Once approved, the person becomes a member.
Memberships
Section titled “Memberships”A membership is the link between a member and a level. It records:
- The level the member is at
- The date the membership started
- The date it expires
- Whether auto-renew is on
A member’s status reflects where they are in the lifecycle: Active, Grace (payment failed, retries in progress), Lapsed, Expired, or Cancelled. See Membership statuses reference for what each status means and what a member can do at each stage.
Subscriptions
Section titled “Subscriptions”When a member enables auto-renew, MapleGather creates a subscription — a recurring billing arrangement with Stripe. The subscription charges the member’s card automatically near the renewal date and extends the membership. If a charge fails, the retry schedule kicks in (see How auto-renewal and the renewal lifecycle work).
Members without auto-renew renew manually by going to My membership > Renew now before their expiry date.
Why it works this way
Section titled “Why it works this way”MapleGather separates “the level” (the definition) from “the membership” (the member’s instance) so you can change a level’s price or settings without breaking existing memberships. A member on an archived level, for example, keeps their access through their paid period even after the level is hidden from new sign-ups.
Edge cases & boundaries
Section titled “Edge cases & boundaries”- Lifetime levels have no expiry date and no auto-renew. Renewal reminders never fire for them.
- On family and household levels, the household primary’s membership covers linked members. If the primary’s payment fails, linked members also enter the grace state. See How household and family memberships work.
- A cancelled membership stays active until the end of the paid period. After that, the member’s portal access becomes read-only.