Why our clients need this
When electing a member to a professional body, a formal application process may take place in order for the prospective member to be accepted. This process can fairly quick or may be long, possibly involving mentors and assessors. This will depend on the type of membership or organisation. Membership applications are often presented to committees or panels for formal decisions. Application Fees may also be charged. Once accepted the member is then invoiced dependant on the membership class. If the organisation operates a fixed membership year, the member will be invoiced on a pro-rata basis, depending on when they joined.
Membership fees can vary according to the membership class, and may have to take into consideration any applicable discounts and concessions.
Membership fees can be payed by Direct Debit, Standing Order, credit card, cash or cheque. Integration with a finance system to reflect both invoices and cash receipts is essential.
Renewals processing may involve changes to the membership fee, as well as deferred changes such as payment methods. Reminder processing enables organisations to chase money in the manner that they desire. Some organisations may also charge late payment penalties.
alms.NET also supports business processes for cancellations, terminations, re-instatements and grade changes, triggering the production of the relevant invoices.
In addition, alms.NET enables organisations to provide regular newsletters or magazines to their members.
Some organisations perform random checks on their members to ensure that they are keeping up with their CPD requirements etc..