Information About Renewals

Annual Renewals and Notifications

This article outlines the automatic membership renewal notifications sent by Bilby, including timing, content, delivery methods, and customisation options.

Automatic Renewal Notifications

By default, Bilby automatically sends two renewal notifications to members whose memberships are approaching expiry:

• First Notification - Sent approximately 45 days prior to the membership expiry.
• Second Notification - Sent approximately 7 days before expiry as a final reminder.

These notifications are designed to prompt members to renew their membership and continue using services.

Sample Notification Wording

The standard message is intentionally generic to encourage action without providing club-specific details. A typical example might be:

“Membership renewals have now opened up! If you would like to continue using membership services, please renew your membership using the link below.”

Please note: the exact wording is subject to change and cannot currently be customised.

Delivery Method

Renewal notifications are sent directly to the member’s registered email address. They are not limited to in-app or Bilby account messages.

Unverified Accounts

To prevent spam, no renewal or reminder emails are sent to unverified accounts. Users must verify their email before they begin receiving system notifications.

Customisation of Notifications

At this time, customisation of the email notification content is not supported. All clubs and organisations use the standard wording provided by Bilby.

Member Officer Notifications

Member Officers do not receive renewal-related notifications from the system. While notifications are sent to officers for new member registrations, there are no automated alerts for upcoming or missed renewals.

However, Member Officers can stay informed by:

Monitoring the dashboard, which always displays the most up-to-date membership information.

Generating reports of recently expired members. This allows officers to manually follow up via personal email, which can serve as a friendly reminder and an opportunity to collect feedback.

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Expired Accounts and Late Renewals

This section explains what happens when a member’s account expires due to non-renewal, how the system handles expired statuses, and how late renewals affect future renewal dates.

Access Restrictions for Expired Accounts

If a member does not renew their membership by the due date (e.g., 31 December 2025), their account status is automatically set to “Expired”. This status change means:

• They cannot book into any members-only activities.
• They lose access to member-only site features, such as the Active Members page.

Automatic Expiry Processing

The transition to expired status is handled automatically:

• A daily background job runs to check and update membership statuses.
• Accounts not renewed by midnight on their expiry date (e.g., 31 December) will be marked as Expired the next day.

Attempting to Book as an Expired Member

When a member with an expired account attempts to book an activity:

• If the activity is open to the public, they can still book as a guest.
• They will appear to activity organisers with their status clearly marked as Expired.
• They are not prompted to renew automatically, but their restricted access may encourage them to renew voluntarily.

Late Renewals and Membership Dates

If a member renews after their account has expired, the system no longer resets to a fixed group renewal date. Instead:

• Each member’s renewal becomes individualised.
• For example, if a member renews on 2 January 2026, their next renewal will be due on 2 January 2027.

This dynamic renewal logic helps simplify management and ensures fairness across membership timelines.