How to Collect Dues Effortlessly for Fall 2026
It’s that time of year to collect dues from your members! There’s no reason to fret; collecting dues payments from your members can be as simple as 1-2-3.
Get your organization funded for this season’s activities by collecting dues payments from members. Remember, when the payment process is simple and easy for members, you get more dues-paying members!
Here’s a step-by-step guide to creating dues links that will increase your dues-paying member count in 2026.
Step 1: Ensure members are Contacts on Crowded
Invite your potential dues-paying members to Crowded as contacts to send them the dues payment link via email.
Uploading your members first allows you to share the dues collection link via email, track who has and hasn’t paid, and lets you send reminder emails.
Invite your contacts either with a shareable registration link, enter their details manually, or upload a list.
Adding contacts in bulk in Crowded is a Pro feature. Go Pro or take advantage of this feature during a free trial!
Check out our tutorial on how to upload members with a CSV file.
Step 2: Create the Collect link
To begin collecting dues, choose the collection type. In this case, choose the ‘Fixed Amount‘ option, so you collect a standard amount across your members.
Then, enter the amount you would like each person to pay for dues. If you have different membership tiers, make multiple collection links.
For those users on the Pro or Custom plan, consider enabling Recurring Payments. This allows members to make monthly payments towards the dues amount. This is especially powerful when your organization charges a large amount for dues that is challenging for some members to pay up front. Allowing those members to make monthly payments will make it more accessible for them to become a dues paying member for your organization.
If you would like payers to cover the collection processing fees, flip the switch that says “Have payers absorb processing fees”.
Step 3: Create a collection name
This name will allow you to identify the membership tier or season for dues collection i.e. Fall Dues 2026 or Gold Tier.
Tip: Be sure to choose a clear and descriptive name that will be easily recognizable to your payers.
Step 4: Add a Description
Give your members and potential dues-paying members additional information about your organization, upcoming activities, or add a personal note. Use our AI writing assistant to help you craft an engaging description.
Skip this step if you’re not interested in adding a description.
Step 5: Add an Image
Attach an image to give a visual to your dues collection page – pictures are worth a thousand words! We recommend that the image has a ratio is 16:9, is a JPG or PNG, and is under 10 MB. If you don’t have a good picture on file, use our built in AI image generator!
This is also optional, skip if not desired and add later.
Step 5: Share your dues collection link
Either share via email with all of your Crowded contacts, or specifically with your member list that you uploaded if you labeled them with a specific tag. Simply click on the “Tags” tab, and select a tag, and all tagged contacts will get the payment request email.
If you’re looking to collect from people who you may not have their email, don’t be shy to copy the link or generate a QR code to share the dues link.
Drop the link in a group chat, link it to a website, or put the QR on a poster for high visibility!
Embed the collection into your website for a smooth experience for your payers.
Step 5: Remind those who haven't paid
Now that you’ve done the hard part, sit back, relax, and watch the payments roll in. You’ll be able to see who has and hasn’t paid from the Collect dashboard.
Check out the “Not Paid” tab to get a consolidated view of who still has not paid their dues.
Don’t waste your time chasing down those people who haven’t paid their dues yet; click “Send Reminders” and all members who haven’t paid yet will get a follow-up email.
Now enjoy a fully funded Crowded account, and get to planning and implementing the fun activities for the year!