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Defining "New Member" vs "Existing Member"
Defining "New Member" vs "Existing Member"

Learn how to define when an expired member should be treated as a new vs existing during the renewal process and why it's important.

Pete Zimek, CAE avatar
Written by Pete Zimek, CAE
Updated over a week ago

It makes sense to call a company or person a "new member" when they first join your organization. When a renewal is processed before a member's expiration date, it's also clear that the company or person is a renewal and not a "new member." Expired memberships are not as clear.

If a member has been expired for only a few days and that member wishes to come back, an organization will likely treat that member as a renewal. If the member hasn't had an active membership for 10 years, most organizations are likely going to treat that member as "new."

Since every organization treats this business decision differently, Novi AMS allows admins to define when an expired member should be treated as "new."


The Effects

When an expired member renews, Novi will look to the member type's renewal settings for a "new member" to determine the following:

  • Should "new member" dues/fees apply to this member?

  • If the member type is set for Calendar renewals, should the multi-year initial term and proration settings apply to this member (if applicable)?

  • Should this member have their Member Since date reset because their membership lapsed?

  • Does the member require admin approval if renewing from within the Member Compass?

  • Is credit card payment required when the member renews within the Member Compass?


The Setting

Define an organization's version of a "new member" for late renewal purposes on the Renewal tab of each of member type.


AE Tip™: Track the original join date affiliated with that member by using the optional "Original Join Date" field. This allows for a historical record even if the membership lapses.


Example Scenario:

If an expired member's expiration date is 12/31/2000 and the setting is "treat expired members as new members 1 Year after expiration"

  • If membership is reinstated between 1/1/2001 and 12/31/2001 (within 1 year of expiration), the list above will not apply. For example, their Member Since date would not change.

  • If membership is reinstated on 1/1/2002 or later (longer than 1 year after expiration), the list above will apply. For example, if they reinstate their membership on 2/15/2002, then 2/15/2002 will be their new Member Since date.


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