Setting Up Dues For A New Year

This article presumes that you are already using groupable:m2 for Dues and that you are setting up your dues for a second or subsequent year.

To set up dues for a new year, you're going to want to go through the whole dues process, like before, but at a greatly accelerated pace this time.

Remember! Check before setting up dues:

Update the Admin for your WePay Merchant Account before sending out dues notices.

1. Check that your local group's current secretary or assistant secretary is the WePay Merchant Account Administrator. 
2. When the WePay Admin is no longer an active secretary or assistant secretary, please follow the instructions to change the Admin before dues season starts. WePay: Change Account Administrator for your Merchant Account
3. Anticipate 24-48 hours of downtime in the process of updating Admins and account settings where online payments will be unable to be processed. 

Wait to set up dues until you are ready to send out your dues notices.

Don't set up dues months in advance. Setting up dues for a new year takes less than five minutes, and your members receive a current statement of their membership in their Weekly Masonic Update that displays their current amount due, which includes the new year's dues owed as soon as you have set up for the coming year.

Add a New Dues Year

Video instructions:

Start at the Dues / Arrears menu:

"Click here to manage your dues -->"

Step 1. Configure Dues

Select Dues / Arrears > Configure Dues Notice.

Here you will set your due date, payment instructions, return address, and add any solicitations.

Step 2. Assign Member Types

From the Dues / Arrears screen, you'll see the Member Types on the right. Set the member type for anyone who is missing a member type. These members will be listed as "No Member Type" - simply select the Count (here, it's 1), and update their member type.

Please take a moment and review the member types assigned to all other members to ensure that they still make sense (e.g., are the Hardship members still in hardship?).

If your lodge has member types that are either years in good standing or age determinant, go to Mailing > Emails / Labels and add your "Regular" member type members to the buffer. Under the report output generate the YGS and/or Age reports as needed to see if you have any members who's member type needs to change. If you do, you'll need to edit their member type on the "member data" tab of their member screen.

Step 3. Confirm your Dues Rates.

Double check that the Dues Rates are correct for the coming Dues Year.

See instructions to add or change the existing Member Types and their Dues Rates.

What is considered Dues? The Dues Rate is the annual rate inclusive of all fees, assessments, and per-capita that are owed by a member. 

Step 4. Double check that your members current Payment History/Dues Owed are accurate.

You can check this from your Member Table/Roster and your Dues & Arrears Table. To review or edit existing Dues Owed for a list of members, you can use Bulk Edit Dues.

Step 5. Setup Dues

Return to Dues / Arrears and select Add A New Dues Year.

Verify the Dues Rate amounts are correct by clicking forward to Select Dues Year.

Then enter the year your are setting up and click setup.
Now is a good time to Verify your Dues Owed look right for your membership. 

Step 6. Dues Notices

Next select Email/Print Dues Notices and customize your dues notices and email and/or print them for the new year.