What does BetterUnite membership management software do?
It runs the full membership lifecycle: build recurring or non-recurring plans, sell them on branded signup pages, auto-bill dues on any cycle, retry failed payments automatically, and give members a passwordless self-service portal with a QR ID card. All of it sits inside the donor CRM, so members are contacts you can segment, tag, and report on alongside their giving.
Can we run fiscal-year memberships, like July through June?
Yes. Custom subscription periods decouple billing from the membership term, so you can accept early signups in November and either charge at signup or delay billing until the period begins. Fixed-cycle plans, such as 18 monthly charges and then stop, are also supported. See membership plans and tiers.
What happens when a member’s card fails?
BetterUnite retries automatically, by default 1, 5, and 7 days after the failure and fully customizable, and sends toggleable emails for failed payments, upcoming charges, and expiring cards. You choose whether exhausted retries mark the subscription failed or cancel it. See auto-renewals.
Can members manage their own membership?
Yes. In the member portal, with two-step email verification and no passwords, members update their card, charge it, cancel, and view subscriptions, invoices, benefits, statements, event tickets, and a scannable QR membership ID.
Can we track members who pay by check?
Yes. Manual subscriptions track members without a card on file. Record the check payment and apply it to the subscription, and automatic invoicing keeps the ledger straight either way.
If we raise dues, what happens to current members?
Nothing. Plan edits are grandfathered by design, so changing a $20 plan to $30 affects only new subscribers. Existing members keep their original terms until you say otherwise.
