Most clubs collect dues the way they always have: an invoice or an announcement at the meeting, checks handed to the treasurer, and a spreadsheet that is right until somebody pays twice. Moving dues online fixes the chasing, but only if the system understands how club dues actually work. This guide covers what to set up, in the order a treasurer would set it up, using Clerestory as the example.
1. Decide the billing schedule for each tier
Dues are billed by tier: regular members, a senior or reduced rate, a couple rate, whatever your bylaws say. For each tier, choose how often you bill, monthly, quarterly, semiannually or annually, and the month the billing year starts. Many Rotary clubs start on 1 July to match the Rotary year; others bill on the calendar year.
In Clerestory each tier has its own amount and schedule, and each billing period records the amount it was billed at, so changing next year's dues never rewrites last year's history.
2. Decide what happens when someone joins mid-year
A member who joins in March should not pay for July to February. Clerestory handles this with proration, switched on per tier: the new member's first period is charged for the days left in it, and every period after that is charged in full. If your bylaws say new members pay a full year, leave it off.
3. Mark honorary and emeritus members
Every club has members who do not pay: honorary members, past district governors, a long-serving emeritus. In Clerestory, mark a member honorary or emeritus and their dues are waived automatically at $0, so they never appear as overdue. For a one-off, a member on leave or a hardship, waive a single period instead. You can record a reason, and every waiver appears in the Dues Waivers report the board can review.
4. Let members pay automatically
Automatic payment is what ends the chasing. A member saves a card once, with their consent recorded, and each period is charged on its due date. When a card is declined, Clerestory makes up to three attempts in total: on the due date, then no earlier than three days and seven days after the first failure. Anything still unpaid shows in the period as failed, so the treasurer knows exactly who to call.
Members who would rather pay each period by hand can do that too.
Reminders go out on their own once you turn them on in your organization's settings. A member who pays by hand is reminded before the period's pay-by date, by default 30 days and 7 days ahead for an annual or semiannual period, and a member on automatic payment is told before their card is charged, with the amount, the date and the card. When you want to nudge someone yourself, send a reminder to one member or to everyone still unpaid in a period with one click.
5. Keep checks and cash in the same place
Some members will always hand over a check. Record it against their period with a note, and it counts in the dues reports alongside card payments. Nothing lives in a separate spreadsheet.
6. See billed against collected, and export who owes
Each billing period shows how much was billed, how much was collected, and every member as paid, due, overdue, failed or waived. Before the board meeting, export the unpaid list as a CSV with each member's name, email, phone, amount due and status. The dues reports cover the rest: Dues Past Due, collection by period, by fiscal year and by year, active dues members and waivers.
7. Send dues to the club, not the foundation
Many service clubs are a 501(c)(4) with a 501(c)(3) foundation beside it, and dues belong to the club. In Clerestory each entity is its own payment account with its own bank account, EIN and tax classification, so dues land in the club's account and the receipt says "Your payment is not deductible as a charitable contribution for federal income tax purposes." Gifts to the foundation go to the foundation's account with deductible wording.
8. Decide who pays the processing fee
Fee coverage can be offered on each dues tier, so a member paying $200 can choose to cover the processing fee and the club receives the full $200. The box starts unticked; it is the member's choice. Use the fee coverage calculator to see the exact amounts for your dues.
What it costs
Clerestory charges 3% per successful payment on the club's own Stripe account, plus Stripe's processing, with no subscription, no seats and no contract. If you refund a payment, our 3% comes back with it. A check recorded by hand costs nothing, because nothing is processed.
What Clerestory does not do
Clerestory does not track meeting attendance or report to your district or to Rotary International. If your district requires those through DACdb or ClubRunner, keep that one task there and move the money to Clerestory. See Clerestory vs DACdb for how clubs split the two, or book a demo and bring your dues list.
Frequently asked questions
How do Rotary, Kiwanis and Lions clubs collect dues online?
Most clubs bill dues by tier on a fixed schedule, monthly, quarterly, semiannually or annually, and let members pay by card or pay automatically from a saved card. In Clerestory, each billing period shows what was billed against what was collected, who has paid, who is due, who is overdue and whose card failed, and payments run on the club's own Stripe account.
Can club dues be prorated for members who join mid-year?
Yes. In Clerestory, proration is switched on per tier. A new member's first period is charged for the days left in it, and later periods are charged in full.
How are honorary members handled?
In Clerestory, a member can be marked honorary or emeritus, and their dues are waived automatically at $0. A single period can also be waived for any member, with an optional reason and every waiver listed in its own report.
What happens when a member's card is declined?
Clerestory tries an automatic dues payment up to three times: once on the due date, then again no earlier than three days and seven days after the first failure. The failed payment shows in the period, so the treasurer can see who needs a follow-up.
Can members still pay dues by check?
Yes. Record a check or cash payment against the member's period, and it counts in the dues reports alongside card payments. The unpaid list can be exported as a CSV before the board meeting.
How much does it cost to collect dues with Clerestory?
3% per successful payment, on the club's own Stripe account, plus Stripe's processing, with no subscription and no contract. Fee coverage can be offered on each dues tier, so members can choose to cover the fees.
