How to Set Up Membership Tiers That Make Sense

The Tier Problem

Some clubs have two membership types: member and non-member. Too simple. The 18-year-old student and the 50-year-old professional pay the same fee, which is either too much for one or too little for the other.

Other clubs have 14 membership types including "Honorary Life Member (Post-2015)" and "Associate Social (Winter Only)." Nobody can explain the difference. The treasurer cannot run a clean report. New members stare at the join page and leave.

The sweet spot is 3-6 tiers. Enough to serve different needs. Few enough to manage.

Start With Your Actual Members

Before creating tiers, look at who your members are. Group them by what they actually do with the club and what they are willing to pay.

A typical sports club might have: junior players, senior players, social members, and family groups. A professional association might have: student, standard, fellow, and corporate. An arts society might have: performer, crew, and patron.

Each group has a different relationship with the organisation and a different price sensitivity.

Pricing Principles

Cover your costs. Calculate what it costs to service a member — insurance per head, affiliation fees per member, platform costs divided by membership. That is your floor.

Price for value, not just cost. What does the member get? Access to facilities, events, competitions, networking, professional development. The fee should reflect the value, not just the cost.

Offer a concession. Students, pensioners, and juniors expect a lower rate. Build this in. It broadens your membership base without complex discounting.

Family rates. If families join together, offer a family membership that costs less than buying individual memberships. It removes a barrier and increases total membership.

The Tier Structure

A clean four-tier structure for a sports club:

Junior ($40/year) — under 18, includes insurance and competition registration. Governed by the junior coordinator.

Senior ($120/year) — adult playing member. Includes insurance, competition, and voting rights at the AGM.

Social ($50/year) — non-playing member. Attends social events, supports the club, no competition access. Voting rights at AGM.

Family ($250/year) — covers two adults and up to three juniors at a discount versus individual memberships.

That is it. Four tiers. Clear differences. Easy to understand on a join page. Easy to report to the governing body.

Setting It Up in TidyHQ

Create each tier with its name, fee, and renewal period. Set up automated renewal reminders. Configure the join page so new members select their tier and pay online.

TidyHQ handles member-pricing for events automatically — senior members see one price, social members see another. No manual checking.

What to Avoid

Too many tiers. If you cannot explain the difference between two tiers in one sentence, merge them.

Hidden fees. "Membership is $50 but competition entry is extra and event tickets are extra and the affiliation levy is extra." Be upfront about what the fee includes.

Renewing at different times. If possible, align all renewals to the same date — typically your financial year start or the season start. Mixed renewal dates create perpetual admin.

Not reviewing annually. Costs change. Member expectations change. Review your tier structure and pricing at each AGM. It does not need to change every year, but it should be checked.

The Join Page Test

Look at your membership join page. Can a new visitor understand the options in 30 seconds? Can they select the right tier and pay within 2 minutes?

If yes, your tiers are working. If no, simplify.