Set Up Voluntary Fee Items

Voluntary fees are designed so that it is clear to your members when and if they are opting into the additional fee. A voluntary fee may be displayed on an invoice, and the member may choose to pay or not pay this fee.

Create a voluntary fee item

1. Go to Finance, Administrative section, click Billing Settings and select Fee Items. The page opens as Saleable Items. A list of the fee items currently configured in your system will be displayed. Click the New button.
   
2. On the Add/Edit Fee Item screen, configure the following:
   • Name: Provide a name for the Fee Item. This will be displayed when you are selecting fee items and is the name that you will report on in the software.
   • Fee Item Type: Select the desired type. Only Membership Dues, Miscellaneous and PAC will allow for setting up a voluntary fee.
   • Product Category: Select a product category from the drop-down list. Product Category is used for filtering and reporting. You can select a previously configured product category from the list, or, to add a new product category, click the + sign to create a new product category.
   • Is Active: Select this checkbox to activate this Fee Item. Only Active items may be billed, and only active items will be displayed when you need to select a Fee Item.
   • Description — Enter a description of the Fee Item. This description is what will display as the line item on invoices. In many cases, this can be changed or overwritten when the fee item is added to a membership, for an event registration fee, or most other uses.
   • Product Description: Optional — you can provide further details about the product.
   • Default Price: Optional — Enter a default price for this Fee Item. The default price will automatically be populated when adding the item to an invoice, however, this price may be over-ridden when you are assigning the good/service.
   • Default Quantity: Optional — Enter the default quantity for this Fee Item. This would be used if a minimum purchase for this good/service is required and automatically entered when adding the Fee Item to an invoice. This may be overridden when you are assigning the good/service.
   • Accounting Type: Select Cash. This ensures that the voluntary fee is not recognized until it has been paid. Cash is the only accounting option possible for a voluntary fee.
   • Income Account: Select the income account for this Fee Item. The drop-down list will be populated with the income accounts currently configured in your Chart of Accounts. You may add a new account by clicking the + sign. If you are unsure as to which account should be selected you will want to check with your accountant, as this will affect your financial statements.
   • Deposit Account: Select the deposit account that should be used when a payment is received for this Fee Item. The drop-down list will be populated with the deposit accounts configured in your Chart of Accounts. IMPORTANT!! The deposit account selected here is for journal entry purposes. The physical bank account to which funds will be deposited is configured when setting up your gateway.
   • Product Tax Category: If this Fee Item is taxable, select the appropriate product tax category. The drop-down list will be populated with tax categories currently configured in your system. If you wish to add a new product tax category, click the + button.
   • Tax Set: If this Fee Item is taxable, select the appropriate tax set.
   • Is Recurring Fee: If you wish to include this fee as a recurring fee item (for example tied to a membership) set as a recurring fee.

   • Voluntary: Select the Voluntary check box.

     Require Confirmation: This option will display when the “Voluntary” option is selected. Enabling this will display a Confirmation Message text box, where you can configure the prompt that will appear to the end user if they choose to not pay the voluntary fee. This message can contain links and basic HTML.
     Example:
     

     This message will appear on the public payment page (as shown), on the membership application, on any Info Hub payment page, and whenever autopay is being set up via the Info Hub and “Only required membership items” is selected (requires the new My Billing tab).

     For the related settings, see Global Membership Settings, View Billing Transactions and Pay Invoices in Info Hub, and My Billing Info: Autopay & Billing Tab.

   • Membership Types: If the fee item is associated with any membership types in the future, the name(s) of the membership types will display here with a link to the membership type billing setup.
3. Click Done to save the new voluntary Fee Item.

Voluntary fees can be easily tracked by running the Voluntary Payment Report.

Add a voluntary fee to membership scheduled billing

Voluntary fee items may be added to your membership recurring billing line items. With a few added steps, you’ll not only be able to collect voluntary fees on new memberships, but also provide options for existing members to contribute to your organization in more ways than just one. A voluntary fee may be displayed on an invoice, and the member may choose to pay or not pay this fee. First you will add the voluntary fee to your Membership Type, then you will add it to the Scheduled Billing.

Step-by-Step Instructions: Add Voluntary Fee to Membership Type

1. Go to Memberships, click Settings and select Membership Types. A list of your current Membership Types will be displayed.
2. Click the Pricing section of the Membership Type you wish to add the voluntary fee item to.
3. Click Add (+) under Recurring Fee Items.
4. From the Fee Item dropdown, select the voluntary fee item you created.
5. Click Done.
   

Add Voluntary Fees to Scheduled Billing Items

1. Go to Memberships, click Settings and select General Membership Settings. The page opens as Membership Settings.
2. Under Miscellaneous Options, make sure the box is checked to Allow Recalculate Renewal Billing and click Save.
   
3. Go to Memberships, click Settings and select Membership Types. A list of your current Membership Types will be displayed.
4. Click on the name of the membership type you want to allow recalculation.
5. Under Renewal Options set Renewal Pricing to Recalculate price, then click Done.
   

When it is time for renewal billing, the memberships will then recalculate to include the voluntary fee option when someone clicks to pay their invoice. You may not see the recalculated price reflect the voluntary fee item when you initially run billing, but if you look at the member’s invoice you should see where the voluntary item is included.

See Recalculated pricing: how it works and how to turn it on for more information.

Voluntary fee items: common pitfalls