Two types of memberships can be configured within Recreation Management:
Family Membership type allows you to determine how many individuals within a single Account the membership can be associated with. Family memberships are sold to the primary account holder only. Each additional member of the family members must have a card created.
Individual Memberships are best for Users in which a membership card/number can only be associated with one individual on their account.
Video Instruction
Watch the video to learn about Memberships. Once finished, review how to apply what you learned in the system before continuing to the next lesson.
When to Use
Memberships can be utilized for:
Annual or monthly passes to a facility
Seasonal passes to a pool
Punch card passes for several visits
How to Apply
While learning about memberships, you may experience areas where you have questions. If you have any questions or run into issues, please keep track of them so your CivicPlus representative may address them.
Please complete the following:
If you have not yet configured membership card templates, do so in the Membership/Pass Templates in the Configuration Module
Determine the types of memberships you wish to have in Recreation Management
Build your membership activity and appropriate sessions
Practice signing up for a test account for the membership
FAQ
How should we set up our memberships (annual, monthly, punch passes, transportation programs, etc.)?
Membership setup depends on:
The length of the membership term
Whether the membership bills one time or on a recurring schedule
Whether access is unlimited, visit‑based, or program‑specific
Whether staff or members need a physical card
Common Membership Types
Type | Best Use | Setup Tips |
Annual memberships | Pools, gyms, community centers | Use fixed expiration dates (e.g., Jan 1–Dec 31) |
Rolling memberships | Monthly fitness passes, auto‑draft passes | Use recurring billing and auto‑renew |
Punch passes | Drop‑in visits, classes, courts | Set a “Total Punches Allowed” and select “Deduct Punch on Check‑In” |
Transportation memberships | Senior shuttle, Dial‑A‑Ride | Often built with custom prompts and user fields to replace email requirements |
Your membership should always reflect:
Expected usage patterns
Billing requirements
Customer communication needs
Do we need to renew memberships each year, or should we create a new session?
In almost all cases, you should not renew the existing membership record. Instead, create a new membership session for each year.
Why?
You maintain historical reporting
You keep the same membership number for the customer
You avoid overwriting last year’s dates
You clearly see who is active vs. expired
How do punch passes work, and how do we track usage?
Punch passes allow you to:
Assign a fixed number of visits
Deduct punches at check‑in
Prevent staff from exceeding the total allowed punches
Recommended Setup:
Create a Membership
Choose Punch Pass as the membership type
Set the allowed number of punches
Punch tracking appears on:
Rosters
Check‑In pages
Household account history
Can we extend or shorten a membership after it is created?
Yes. In Recreation Management you can manually adjust:
Expiration date
Start date (with caution)
Billing date (for recurring memberships)
Common use cases:
Weather closures
Facility renovations
Customer hardship requests
Why doesn't my billing show up immediately after I make a change to a membership price?
Changing the membership price updates the product, but not the existing billing schedules. Existing members will continue to be billed the old rate until their individual billing schedules are manually edited, because CivicRec locks in the billing amount at the time of purchase to preserve financial accuracy and prevent unintended charges.