Overview
Membership communications are a core part of effective membership management. CiviPlus provides a range of tools to help you send timely, relevant, and consistent messages to members throughout their lifecycle, from joining to renewal and lapse.
This article explains the main types of membership communications in CiviPlus, the tools used to manage them, and recommended best practices.
Types of Membership Communications
Membership communications generally fall into the following categories:
Welcome and confirmation messages
Renewal reminders
Expiry and lapse notifications
Status change notifications
Internal staff alerts and follow ups
Each type can be handled using different features in CiviCRM, depending on the level of automation and customisation required.
Built In Membership Emails
Membership Signup and Renewal Emails
When memberships are created or renewed through online pages, CiviPlus can be configured to automatically send confirmation emails.
These emails are configured within the Webform settings and typically include:
Membership type
Membership start and end dates
Contribution amount and receipt details
These confirmations are triggered only for online transactions and do not apply to back office membership creation by default.
Renewal Reminders
CiviPlus includes a scheduled job for sending membership renewal reminders. It's key characteristics are:
Reminders are based on membership end dates
Multiple reminders can be configured at different intervals
Emails can be customized using message templates
Reminders are sent automatically via scheduled jobs
Renewal reminders are managed under Administer → CiviMember → Membership Types, where reminder settings are defined per membership type.
Using CiviPlus emails Member Communications
CiviMail is commonly used for broader membership communications such as newsletters, announcements, or targeted campaigns.
Typical use cases include:
Messages to all current members
Messages to specific membership types
Campaigns targeting lapsed or expiring members
It is strongly recommened to make use of Membership based smart groups to ensure recipients are always up to date at send time.
Automating Membership Communications with CiviRules
CiviRules allows you to extend membership communications beyond the built in options.
Examples include:
Sending a welcome email when a membership is created in the back office
Sending a custom renewal message when a membership enters Grace status
Notifying staff when a high value membership is created or lapses
CiviRules provides greater control over timing, conditions, and messaging than standard reminders alone.
Internal Membership Communications
Not all membership communications are sent to members. Internal notifications and tasks help staff manage relationships effectively.
Common examples:
Creating activities for staff follow up on new organizational members
Sending internal emails when memberships expire or are cancelled
Flagging memberships that require manual review
These workflows are typically implemented using CiviRules and Activities.
Managing Message Content
Message Templates
Most membership related emails in CiviCRM use Message Templates.
Best practices include:
Creating separate templates for welcome, renewal, and lapse messages
Using tokens to personalise content
Clearly labelling templates for easy maintenance
Personalisation and Tokens
Membership tokens can be used to include dynamic information such as:
Membership type
Start and end dates
Status
Contact name and organisation
Using tokens ensures messages stay accurate even if details change.
Best Practices
Keep messaging consistent across channels and membership types
Avoid sending duplicate emails from multiple systems
Test all membership communications using test contacts
Review renewal reminders annually to ensure timing and wording are still appropriate
Document which tool controls each type of membership communication
Common Pitfalls
Assuming back office membership creation sends emails by default
Overlapping CiviRules and renewal reminders causing duplicate messages
Using static groups instead of smart groups for mailings
Forgetting to enable or monitor scheduled jobs