The Goal: Understand how the nightly Auto Drop Memberships process evaluates members, which renewal emails it sends, and exactly when an expired membership is automatically dropped.
Before You Begin:
- The Auto Drop settings that control this process are found at Memberships, Settings section, click Auto Drop Setup.
- Grace periods are configured per membership type; an email tied to the grace period only sends when a grace period has been defined for that type.
- Confirm your renewal email templates and notification subscriptions are in place so the right people are notified.
Step-by-Step Instructions: How the Nightly Process Works
The Auto Drop Memberships process runs nightly, to evaluate members that:
- Have memberships that will expire in three days: If found, this will trigger the Membership Expires Soon email to be sent.
- Have a Memberships with a grace period and are one day past the expiration date: This triggers the Membership Entering Grace Period if Invoice Not Paid email. This email will only be sent if a grace period has been defined for the membership type.
- Have expired memberships (either one day past the expiration date or 1 day past the grace period, if applicable): The membership will be automatically dropped, and the Membership Has Expired Email will be sent.
When a Membership Is Dropped
Memberships will be automatically dropped the day after, the latest of these dates:
- Membership Expiration Date
- Grace Expiration Date
- Invoice Due Date: If an unpaid membership invoice is associated to the membership, this date is used. IMPORTANT Only invoices generated by the automated setting Use Automated Billing or manually generated from Upcoming Billing are reviewed for this date.
| NOTE: Staff who have subscribed to the Renewal Emails Sent notification will receive an email when any of the above emails are sent to members. |
Common Pitfalls
- Assuming a manual invoice counts: Only invoices generated by Use Automated Billing, or manually generated from Upcoming Billing, are reviewed when determining the drop date. Other manually created invoices are not considered.
- Expecting a grace-period email without a grace period: The Membership Entering Grace Period if Invoice Not Paid email only sends when a grace period has actually been defined for that membership type.