How do I drop or inactivate a Member?

Q: Do I delete a member when they drop or are suspended?

A: To change the status of a record to Dropped/Inactive will be the best way to handle this situation. Deleting a record is not typically recommended since this completely removes all reference to this member. (A deleted member would not even display on a Drop Report.)

If a member is simply changed to a status of Dropped/Inactive, reinstatement is quick and easy while maintaining group and fee assignments and the member’s entire history.

Q: How do I change a member status to Dropped/Inactive?

A: Changing the status of a member to Dropped/Inactive is a simple change of the Membership Status drop-down arrow on the member’s General tab. The Drop Member Options screen will appear so that you can record information specific to this member.

To drop a member

1.	On the General tab, click the Membership Status arrow in the Additional Information area.

2.	Click Dropped/Inactive.

3.	Complete the fields in the Drop Member Options screen. See Figure 1 below.

 

Figure 1 Drop Member Options screen

Note: Recurring Membership Dues & Fees are displayed as a reminder of their drop amount. You do not need to remove the fee from this screen. Leaving it here will allow that amount to appear on the drop report which indicates the “value” of the drop. Reinstatement of this member is also easier if the fee is still on their account. Inactive members are not included in invoice batches.

If any deals or job postings appear under Active Purchases, you should set them to Disabled status so that they do not continue to appear on the public website.

4.	Click Save & Exit.

Q: What selection should I set for Rep Status and Group Status when I drop a member?

A: Representatives should be set to inactive status. Reps should also be disabled in the groups if you do not want them to continue to receive communication as part of that group.

Rep Status

Active status is the appropriate designation for representatives of members that are currently active. Inactive status is the appropriate designation for a rep who is no longer acting as a representative for the member; the rep's information and history will be retained but there is a separate distinction given to them in reports and lists. Deleting a rep should be limited to a rep that was created by mistake. History and all reference to this rep would be removed. The selection Leave Unchanged will return the status to the last status that was in effect for this rep.

Group Status

Disabled reps within a group are not visible in the group list on a regular basis and will not be included when selecting to contact these group members. Disabling a rep also preserves the history of their participation in this group. Deleting a rep from a group, removes all record of their participation in the group. Note: Both active and inactive reps may be set as disabled in a group. Inactive reps, that are not disabled, are still included in emails sent to the group. The selection Leave Unchanged will return the status to the last status that was in effect for this rep.

Q: What should I do with member fees for a Dropped/Inactive member?

A: Member Fees and Dues do not need to be removed from the members’ record. While in Dropped/Inactive status, recurring membership invoices will not be created for them regardless of whether there are fees assigned.

If the fee is left on their account, it is possible to view the dollar amount associated with your dropped members on the detailed Drop Report. If fees are removed, this field is blank on the detailed Drop Report.

If fees are not removed, dropped members’ fees will continue to display when viewing a report listing the fee assignments.

If you desire, you may remove fee assignments from a member’s account. The dollar value would not be included in the detailed Drop Report. Also, when reinstating a member, you would then need to reassign the fee to their account.

Q: What happens in the database when a member is dropped?

A: When a member is set to the Dropped/Inactive status, a number of things happen automatically in your database.

If a member is set to Dropped/Inactive status . . .

their listing in the online Directory will automatically be excluded.  You don't need to do anything further than setting them to Dropped/Inactive.

their login is also disabled from the members portal as well.  This is all automatic.

When you set the member back to Active status, these two items will reverse themselves automatically placing them on the online Business Directory and giving them access to the Member Information Center.

Q: If a member is set to Dropped/Inactive status, do I also need to change their web selections so they are not able to login to the Member Information Center?

A: No. When a member is set to the Dropped/Inactive status, a number of things happen automatically in your database.

If a member is set to Dropped/Inactive status . . .

their listing in the online Business Directory will automatically be excluded.  You don't need to do anything further than setting them to Dropped/Inactive.

their login is also disabled from the members portal as well.  This is all automatic.

When you set the member back to Active status, these two items will reverse themselves automatically placing them on the online Directory and giving them access to the Member Information Center.

Q: If a member is set to Dropped/Inactive status, do I also need to change their web selections so they are not included in the online Directory?

A: No. When a member is set to the Dropped/Inactive status, a number of things happen automatically in your database.

If a member is set to Dropped/Inactive status . . .

their listing in the online Business Directory will automatically be excluded.  You don't need to do anything further than setting them to Dropped/Inactive.

their login is also disabled from the members portal as well.  This is all automatic.

When you set the member back to Active status, these two items will reverse themselves automatically placing them on the online Directory and giving them access to the Member Information Center.

Q: How do I print a report listing those that have dropped?

A: Print the “Member Listing by Drop Date” report.

1.	On the left-hand menu, click Reports.

2.	Type the keyword “drop” and click Search.

3.	Click the green arrow for the report titled “Member Listing by Drop Date”.

4.	Complete the Filter Options fields.

Figure 1 Drop Report Filter options

9.	Click View/Print Summary Listing or View/Print Detail Listing.

10.	The report will display on the screen. View or print as desired.

Q: After reinstating a dropped member, why do they still show on the “Member Listing by Drop Date” report?

A: To only show those that are currently in dropped status on the report, make sure to select the checkmark Include only records with a current status of dropped/inactive on the “Member Listing by Drop Date” report.

When membership status is changed to Dropped/Inactive, the drop date is automatically recorded in the database. You can view this field on the General tab of the members’ record.

When changing membership status back to Active, the Drop Date field retains the drop date unless it is manually removed by staff.

 

If a drop date exists in the drop field, this member will be included on the Drop Report for that specified date, unless you select the checkmark Include only records with a current status of dropped/inactive on the “Member Listing by Drop Date” report.

In most cases, you will not need to remove the Drop Date for those that reinstate. In fact, you may want the record of this previous drop.

To remove the date, the member must temporarily be set to Dropped/Inactive. Then you may highlight the drop date and press Delete. Remember to click Save.

Q: Why do I not see the Dropped/Inactive member in my Members drop-down list?

A: Dropped/Inactive members are still displayed in the Member drop-down list when the Filter Options are set to display Dropped/Inactive members. Dropped/Inactive members will display in red.

To set filter options to include Dropped/Inactive members

11.	In the Members module, click filter options.

12.	Click to select Dropped/Inactive.

 

13.	Dropped/Inactive members will now display in red.

Q: How does changing membership status effect my QuickBooks integration?

A: Any membership status change in the software will be marked as a change that may be passed through to QuickBooks.

The default synchronization action when a member is changed from Active to Dropped/Inactive is to change them from the Active list in QuickBooks to the Inactive list.

The default synchronization action when a member is changed from Dropped/Inactive to Active is to change them back from the Inactive list to the Active list in QuickBooks.

If a database record is not associated with a QuickBooks customer at that time, the default synchronization action will be to add them to QuickBooks.

Q: When is deleting a member appropriate?

A: Members should only be deleted when history is not necessary or when a member was mistakenly created. Deleting is permanent and cannot be undone.

Q: How do I reinstate a member?

A: Reinstating a member is a simple change of the Membership Status drop-down arrow on the member’s General tab back to Active. Then click Save at the bottom of the screen.

To reinstate a member

14.	On the General tab, click the Membership Status arrow in the Additional Information area.

15.	Click the desired membership status.

16.	Click Save.

Reinstating the member does not automatically switch the representatives back to Active. Each rep must be set back to Active individually, if needed, as desired.

Q: Does reinstating a member also reinstate the representatives?

A: No. Reinstating the member does not automatically switch the representatives back to Active. Each rep must be set back to Active individually, if needed, as desired.

Q: How do I set a rep back to Active?

A: Changing the status of a rep to Active is a simple selection of a checkbox on the Reps tab. Then click Save at the bottom of the screen.

To set a rep back to active

17.	On the Reps tab, click the name of the desired rep in the List of Representatives area.

18.	In the Personal Information area click to select the check box Rep is currently active with this member.

19.	Click Save.

Note: Each rep must be added back to any groups as desired or re-enabled, if they were removed or disabled when set as Inactive.