Frequently Asked Questions About Memberships and Online Payment

Here are answers to questions you may have, as well as the most frequently asked questions from webinars on memberships and online payment.

• Setting up your membership form
• Managing your different forms
• Tracking memberships
• Tracking payments
• Online payment and e-wallet
• Payment Link
• Other questions

Here is the replay of the latest webinar on this topic:

👉 The presentation slides are available here.

Setting up your membership form

Feel free to check out this article: Creating your membership form (and the follow-up articles).

How do renewals work?
The process is the same as for new memberships. We recommend that members start by logging into their account. This allows the software to recognize them and assign the membership and information to the correct contact. Here is a step-by-step guide covering the member experience: Renewing membership and paying online.

Can we offer installment payment only for optional activities, and a separate installment plan for the membership fee?
Currently, installment payment can only be configured at the form level, not per pricing tier. That said, you can set up multiple forms if needed. For example:

• A membership form with installment payment.
• A product sales form (online shop) for your optional activities, restricted to members and with payment in 3 installments.

How do we handle card payments when someone joins in the 2nd or 3rd quarter, so they only pay from the quarter they join?
Set up multiple membership bundles in step 2 of your form, specifying the dates and pricing for the 2nd and 3rd quarters respectively.

Can you create a discount for someone who signs up for multiple forms? For example, a person takes a membership + a piano class for themselves + a membership and a violin class for their child.
You can enable the discount system from Settings > Forms and ticketing. Then configure the discounts of your choice. Learn more: Configure discounts on a form.

Members purchase 10-class passes or annual subscriptions. It would be useful to have online booking for each class with both a check on the number of remaining classes on the pass and a cap on the maximum number of participants.
This is a bit advanced, but you can set up a system like this:

1. From Settings > Community, set up a numeric field called "Remaining tickets" that only administrators can edit.
   
2. Once your members have signed up, go through the registrants who purchased 10-ticket passes and use a bulk edit to set their "Remaining tickets" value to "10".
3. Create a dynamic group populated by people who have tickets.
4. You can create event ticketing for classes and restrict access to members of that group only.
5. Administrators must update the number of available tickets as people register for classes.

Can the first card payment be deferred? (for example, registrations in June with payment in September)
No, this is not possible at this time. Feel free to submit a suggestion at support.assoconnect.com.

Is it possible to pay by wire transfer? And how?
You can manually add a wire transfer payment to a transaction, but the transfer itself happens outside of Springly, through your bank.
In that case, you will need to regularly check your bank account for incoming payments, identify the payer in the list of registrants, record the wire transfer payment, and complete the bank reconciliation. This is significantly more work than using online payment.

Our nonprofit has 2 activities with different licenses: can we link a Pilates license to a Pilates class and a yoga license to a yoga class, without allowing the reverse (conditional logic)?
This is not possible at this time, but it is an interesting suggestion. Noted! For any other suggestions, you can use this form: support.assoconnect.com. Thank you!

Does the nonprofit's website have to be a Springly website?
Not at all!
By using the iframe link (from the "Distribution" tab of your form), you can embed it on an external website. Your members won't notice the difference and will stay on your site!

Can I embed my form on an existing website?
From the "Distribution" tab of your form, you can copy the iframe link to embed it on an external website. The integration on the external site then depends on your website host. :) This article explains how to do it: Embedding a Springly form on an external website.

Can I offer split payment, part by card and part by another method?
This is possible using Payment Links: you can record part of the payment using an alternate method, then send a Payment Link for the remaining balance.
After payment, simply reconcile the payment with the receivable via Accounting > Entry > Payables and receivables.
For more info: Recording payments received via a Payment Link.

How do I apply a discount for a single city?
You can create a dynamic group based on the city, and reserve a discounted rate for members of that group.
For more info: Configuring discounts on a form.

Can I offer payment by wire transfer?
You can offer it through the "Other" payment method and include the wire transfer details in the field that appears below.
Keep in mind that wire transfers require additional management time (regularly checking your account for incoming payments, identifying the payer among registrants, recording the wire transfer payment, and completing the bank reconciliation — significantly more work than using online payment).

How do I bundle a license and a membership to make both mandatory?
A member must choose one membership bundle (no more, no less).
Suggestion: if both a license and a membership are required, simply create a membership bundle called "Membership + License" (or several if there are multiple membership options and multiple license types).

Why are there no additional information fields appearing at step 3 of the form?
This depends on whether you have set up custom information fields under Settings > Community. If you have, they will appear at step 3.

How can you send membership and payment forms without going through the nonprofit's website? Why not communicate via an email campaign?
You can share the form link directly — publishing it on a website is not required, as it can be accessed via a link.

How do you create dynamic groups directly from the membership form?
This is not possible. The available automations are:

• Automatically add a member to a fixed group based on their choice of a bundle or optional service (e.g., a specific class).
• Create a dynamic group based on contact profile information. When a contact meets the criteria you have defined, they are automatically added to the group. Criteria are drawn from their profile, donations, or memberships.

To summarize: start by creating your groups under Community > Groups, whether fixed or dynamic. A fixed group can be populated based on a membership or optional service choice; a dynamic group is populated when a contact meets the criteria you have defined (personal information, membership, donations).
For more information: How fixed groups work.

How can you add a field that the person must check (for example: I accept the nonprofit's internal rules)?
You can make fields mandatory in your form settings.
Here is an article to help you set this up: Configuring your contact database settings.

Can members upload documents themselves? Is there an option for this?
Yes!
You can add this option by adding a "Document upload" field under Community > Settings, then requesting this information at step 3 of your form.
For more information: Configuring pricing and information for membership forms.

For an activity, is it better to create a fixed group or a dynamic group? We have 20 different activities in our nonprofit.
A fixed group is generally recommended.
Start by creating your 20 groups under Community > Groups.
Then, set up your membership form so that when someone selects the rate for Activity A, they are automatically added to the corresponding group. The assignment happens automatically.
And if needed, you can always add people to groups manually.

Why is the form field label limited to 100 characters?
To ensure proper display.

Is there automatic handling of subsidies such as sport passes, regional passes, etc.?
It is not automatic, but you can enter them on a case-by-case basis depending on the amount.
Here is an article that may help you: Managing payments with vacation checks and ANCV.

How do I create groups? For example: adult classes and children's classes?
Simply go to Community > Groups > "New group" and add people to it; or create the group and configure your membership fees so that, for example, as soon as someone selects an "adult" rate, they are automatically added to the "adults" group.
Another option: create dynamic groups based on date of birth!
To learn more: How simple groups work.

Is it possible to restrict access to a service/event based on membership status?
Yes, you can for example make a form accessible only to your members or to members of a specific group. This is also possible at the rate or bundle level. In that case, users must be logged in to their account (otherwise the software has no way of knowing who is purchasing a service or whether that person is a member).

We have a couple rate — how do we set that up on the form?
You can configure a discount: Configuring discounts on a form.

Can memberships be managed without using forms?
Yes, but you lose all the benefits of automation. You can manually add people to your Community (or import a file) and mark them as "Members" by entering their membership dates. This lets you segment your database, but you won't have the full connection to accounting, automatic invoice sending, online payment, and so on.

How do I add a second contact detail?
You can add a custom field via Settings > Community, then go to the contact's profile (or run an import) to add the information.

How do I manage discounts (based on the number of activities)?
The current discount system is based on the number of participants or their profile, as explained in our article: Configuring discounts on a form.
Unfortunately, it is not yet possible to apply discounts based on the number of activities, unless you configure specific rates (as optional add-ons, for example). We appreciate your suggestion!

How do I apply a discount automatically during a membership sign-up?
Here is an article that can help you set up discounts: Setting up discounts on a form.

How do I add a multiple-choice dropdown question?
To add this type of field, go to Settings > Community, add a multiple-choice field, then select that field in step 3 of your form.

Managing your forms

From one year to the next, should we archive the form? If we do, will member data for the following year still be populated?
It depends on what you mean. We recommend the following:

• Duplicate your form from one year to the next to save time and adapt the copy for the new year.
• Archive your old form to keep your Forms > Memberships page uncluttered.
• Do not archive your community contacts: this lets you keep a history of your past members.

We already have a form from last year that was archived. Should I unarchive it or create a new one? What do you recommend?
We recommend creating one form per year — it's easier to manage. If you don't want to start from scratch, you can duplicate the archived form and update the details for the new year (title, membership dates, etc.).

For online membership renewals, how do we handle the transition between the old form and the new one? When can we publish the new form?
There are several options depending on your situation:

• You can create multiple forms (one for renewals, one for new members) if each has specific requirements.
• You can create a single form and share it with existing members first so they can register early (especially if spots are limited and you want to reward long-term commitment). In any case, you can have multiple forms published at the same time. Our recommendations:
• Once a year's memberships are wrapped up, you can "pause sales" on the form or archive it from the top of the configuration page. Either way, forms are never deleted.
• You can duplicate forms (including archived ones) to save time.

Should we create two membership forms, one per activity?
There's no one-size-fits-all answer. What we commonly see among nonprofits is a single membership form that combines the membership sign-up with registration for one or more activities.

Can you, and is it advisable, to manage memberships and donations using only donation forms?
Yes, you can set up memberships and donations on the same form. There are pros and cons.
If donations are important to your nonprofit, it is better to create a dedicated donation form: it will allow you to suggest multiple donation amounts, explain their purpose, potentially add donors to certain groups, etc.
If it is more of a secondary concern, you can offer members the option to make a donation directly from your membership form. However, this option has a few limitations:

• If you have requested the issuance of a tax receipt, it will cover the entire order, not just the "Donation" portion.
• It is not possible to offer a donation option if you have enabled VAT on your membership bundles or event ticket prices.
• Only one donation bundle can be offered per membership form or ticketing page. It is up to you to decide what works best for your nonprofit.

How does the membership request form work?
It is very similar to the direct membership form, except that you approve or decline requests. More info: Managing membership requests. This webinar is dedicated to the topic: webinar on membership requests.

Tracking memberships

Feel free to check out this article: view the list of members (active and former) and membership periods

Can documents be uploaded through the online form? (We are a sports nonprofit that requires members to complete a Health Questionnaire or provide a Medical Certificate to join our federation.)
If you are referring to documents that the member must provide when registering online, you can find them in their profile.
You can export all files associated with your contacts from the Community section by going to Community > Settings > Advanced Options.

Can I ask a member to complete a health questionnaire after they have chosen their membership plan and before they pay?
Not really, since the member-facing flow is always the same:

1. Selection of membership bundles and any additional services,
2. Entry of the requested information, which will populate the person's profile,
3. Online payment (recommended) or submission of an offline payment. That said, you can ask members to join first and then fill in this information in their profile, but you cannot require it if you did not make those fields mandatory in the membership form.

How do I identify new members?
You can do so directly in the new form, depending on how you use it. Otherwise, you can run a more advanced search directly in your community. Find more details in this article: Search for a contact in your community.

Where do I find the answers to the questions asked?
The information collected in the form appears in the profile of the person who just joined. If you're referring to the "Free text" responses you can set up with membership bundles, you'll find them in the members table and on the transaction detail page.

Is it possible to fill out each member's membership form and leave them with only the card payment to complete?
Yes, this is now possible using a Payment Link.

• Manually enter the membership and the member's information.
• At the payment step, click "Do it later".
• Send a Payment Link to the person.

Can organizations be members, or only individuals?
Both: you can use Springly's tools however works best for you. You have an "Organizations" CRM that lets you:

• maintain a database of legal entities in addition to your individual contacts database,
• link one or more individuals to one or more organizations, and vice versa,
• offer membership to organizations.

Which contact is charged the membership fees when adding another member on the same form?
I'm not entirely sure I've understood the question, but here's what you should know:

• if one person registers online for their own membership plus another person's and pays in a single transaction, payment fees are applied only once (since there is only one payment),
• payment fees are not added on top of the amount paid by the member; they are deducted from what reaches the nonprofit's e-wallet.

Once a membership has been recorded, is it possible to add an optional activity for the member?
This is not possible.

If an existing member wants to renew their membership for the new year but doesn't have an account, how does the system match their record for updating?
The match is made using the identifier you selected (email address, for example). If the member uses different information from one year to the next, two separate records will be created, but you can merge them. Find more details on merging here: Merge two profiles in case of duplicates.

Can members view and edit their personal data on their account, and also see their transaction history?
Yes, based on the choices you have made under Settings > Community for the information displayed. They can also access the history of transactions linked to their profile.

Can the account creation step be removed?
If you are referring to the account creation/login page during the membership process, it is essential so that members can find their information and update it if needed.
That said, we are actively working on improving the visibility of the "Continue without an account" button to simplify the membership process.

In practice, when a member renews their registration, how can you make sure they have reviewed their personal data and made any necessary changes?
There is currently no mechanism to enforce this check, since information already on file in the contact profile is not requested again. Two possible approaches:

• Non-binding: send a communication to members asking them to log in to their account and update their information if needed,
• Binding: create new custom fields in the community settings each year and make them required in the membership/renewal form. Since they are new, they will necessarily be empty and will therefore need to be filled in by everyone, existing and new members alike.

How can you see the online form as a new member who has not yet registered would see it? (Since I am logged in to Springly while working on the form, I see it pre-filled with my information.)
This is shown in the webinar replay at 22:58. Alternatively, open your membership form in a private browsing window so you are not logged in to your account.

When renewing, how can a member avoid re-entering all their data while still being able to update a field if needed (e.g., address, phone number)?
Today, members only need to fill in what is not already on file in their account. We are actively working to improve this experience!

How can new members who have filled out and submitted the form correctly appear in the community without having to re-enter their information?
If you are using an immediate membership form (no membership request requiring approval), this should already be the case. If it is not, please contact our support team to find out what is happening :)

How do you delete a membership, for example if no payment was made at the start of the year?
Find the membership in the member table of the form, go to the transaction details, and click "delete all". Here is the relevant article: Delete a manually recorded purchase.

Is it possible to register multiple people on a single form (family membership for 2 people + children)?
Yes! An "Add a member" button appears, unless you have limited the number of registrations per form to one person. This article can help you set up group memberships: Managing group memberships (e.g. families).

Tracking payments

We accept electronic ANCV checks. How do we manage them?
You can manage digital ANCV checks the same way as standard ANCV checks. Here is an article on the topic: Recording ANCV discount vouchers, Pass Sport, etc.

How can an invoice be generated after payment?
An invoice can be issued and sent automatically. You can make this choice, edit the information, and preview invoices from Settings > Tax Receipts and Invoices.

How and by what method are invoices and receipts sent automatically?
It's automatic :) Just set it up from Settings > Receipts and Invoices.

Why doesn't the amount paid appear in the data export (we have multiple member categories)?
It's hard to say without more context, but you can export memberships and associated payment information for a given period from your Exports menu.

Can payment be made by check (non-ANCV)?
Yes, absolutely. When manually adding a payment, you can choose whichever payment method you prefer. Check is one of the available options.

I am currently collecting payments for next season's memberships. I therefore need to process Deferred Revenue for each membership. Is it possible to do this all at once?
This is not possible at the moment. I invite you to read this article: Recording transactions for the next accounting period.

How do I manage ANCV e-checks?
Here is an article that details the process: Managing payments by vacation check and ANCV.

For a payment made by another method, do I need to enter a payment manually, or does bank reconciliation handle it?
You need to enter the payment manually, and then you can reconcile it in your accounting once it has been credited to your bank account.

Online Payment & E-wallet

Feel free to check out our articles on online payment, and our dedicated guide 📖

What is the e-wallet? Is it a bank account?
The e-wallet is a virtual account hosted on Springly and linked to your bank account. It is funded by all online payments (by payment card) you receive through Springly. You can then transfer money from the e-wallet to your nonprofit's bank account.

How do I transfer funds from the e-wallet to my checking account?
You need to request it from Payment > E-wallet > Payout to my bank. The transfer takes a few days to arrive. Note that this payout is only available once your e-wallet is verified (learn more: Documents required for e-wallet verification).

When a member pays by card, does the transaction label on their bank statement show "Springly" or the nonprofit's name?
It shows the nonprofit's name :)

How do I verify my e-wallet?
It's simple and guided directly in the software, from Payments > E-wallet > Verify my account. These articles will walk you through it: E-wallet Verification, as well as this video: E-wallet Verification.

How secure is my bank account with the Springly platform?
All data is secured, and Springly has no access to your bank account, of course! The money flows relevant to Springly are between payers' accounts and your e-wallet (e.g. when they pay a membership fee online by card), and between your e-wallet and your bank account (when you request a payout). All these transactions are secured through Adyen, our payment partner and one of the world's leading payment processors.

For installment card payments, does the system handle payment schedules automatically, or does the nonprofit need to send reminders for each installment?
The system handles charges automatically, and in the event of non-payment (expired card, stolen card, etc.), follow-up reminders are also automatic. Here are more details on this payment method: How installment online payments work for memberships, events, and the online shop.

What is the maximum number of installments a membership can be paid in?
12 installments (though we recommend keeping the number lower, both to protect your cash flow and to avoid the risk of payment cards expiring before the final payment — even though cardholders are notified and prompted to update their card, it's better to avoid the situation altogether).

What happens if members of a nonprofit that has chosen online payment with a tip generally leave no tip, or an average tip below the fixed fee threshold?
Nothing — that's part of the deal. However, if we find that you are actively discouraging people from leaving a tip, we will consider that you are not following the rules and that you are forfeiting the free service. In any case, we will reach out to discuss it with you.

Can a tip be set to zero?
Yes.

When there is a change of president, is it possible to update the Legal Representative?
You can change an administrator (Add an administrator), but it is not necessary to update the legal representative you declared when creating the e-wallet. We are required to re-verify periodically, and the new legal representative will be updated at that time. In the meantime, there is no need to redo the verification with every board change.

What happens if none of the online members leave a tip?
Not much: unfortunately we are not paid, but you will not be charged either. That said, you may not explicitly ask your members not to leave a tip.

Does the nonprofit have visibility into the tips left by its members?
No, this information is not available in Springly.

Are the payment fees charged to the nonprofit automatically recorded in Springly's accounting?
Yes! The fees appear as collection fee entries on accounts 622000, 467000, and 517000.

Can the default tip amount, which is well above 1.8%, be changed?
You cannot change the default tip amount, but it is clearly indicated that the payer can adjust it.

Can membership amounts differ for card payments?
No. The amounts for the different bundles do not change based on the payment method used.

What tip amounts are offered?
Three amounts are suggested based on the amount being paid, and the final amount can be adjusted: the person paying has the choice.

How is the tip request presented to the member?
The payment page displays a payment card form and a summary of the amount due. For example, for a payment of $45.00, a tip of $3.60 brings the total to $48.60.

If I understand correctly, if the donor doesn't leave a tip, nothing is charged to the nonprofit?
That's correct! However, you cannot explicitly ask your members not to leave a tip. If you do, we will no longer be able to offer this tip feature :)

Can we choose the tip or nonprofit-covered fees option individually for each collection?
The choice applies to all online payments, not individually per collection. That said, you can change your selection at any time!

Do you charge payment fees for card payments?
It's your choice:

• either pay the payment fees on online payments: in that case, you receive online payments in your e-wallet minus the payment fees,
• or rely on the tip suggested at the time of online payment: in that case, no payment fees are charged. To learn more: How the e-wallet works and associated fees.

What is the fee rate charged by Springly?
It is 3.1% + $0.30. As a reminder, you can choose between payment fees and the tip option (from Settings > Online payment).

If we transfer funds from our e-wallet to our bank account, how do we issue a refund if someone requests one?
An online refund is not possible if there are no funds remaining in your e-wallet. If there is a risk that you may need to refund people, keep some money in your e-wallet. This is possible because you can decide the amount to transfer to your bank (it doesn't have to be the full balance).

Payment Link

When we send a payment link to cover the remaining balance, the money arrives in the e-wallet but not in the membership account. Do we need to create a manual entry to move it to the right place?
You simply need to "match" the online payment received with the outstanding balance (= what was still owed).
To do this, go to Accounting > Bookkeeping > Track payables and receivables. Search for the entries (filtering by amount and date is helpful), select both entries, and click "Match payments". All associated accounting entries are generated automatically, and there's nothing else you need to do.
Learn more: Recording payments received via a payment link in accounting

Is the supplemental payment link sent manually a link that allows online card payment?
Absolutely, that's exactly it!

Can a payment link be provided as a QR code?
Not at the moment: it's a URL link :) However, you can copy the link (using the "Copy" icon on the table row) and convert it into a QR code using a tool such as https://fr.qr-code-generator.com/.

Questions not related to memberships

How do I easily contact support?
Visit https://support.assoconnect.com/

For a registration for a trip or retreat, can I use a membership-type form, or is there a more suitable form type?
Event forms may be a better fit! If you haven't activated them yet, you can do so from Settings > Feature Selection.

Can a person be automatically added to a group from donation forms?
Yes! It works exactly the same way for memberships and donations: Setting up automations between your forms and other features

Can pre-existing fields or ones we created ourselves be deleted?
Pre-existing fields (Last name, first name, email, etc.) cannot be edited or deleted. However, fields you created yourself can be deleted (also via Community > Settings).