How to Set Up a Membership Management System in Odoo

Managing memberships manually can be time-consuming, especially when it comes to renewals, payments, and expiry tracking. Odoo makes this process simple and automated. With the Odoo Membership Management System, you can easily create membership products, assign them to members, generate invoices, and send expiry reminders all in one place.

What is Membership Management in Odoo?

The Membership Management System in Odoo allows you to handle the entire membership lifecycle from creation to renewal. You can manage memberships directly inside Odoo, link them with contacts, set different durations, and track payment status. Once set up, the system automatically updates membership statuses and sends reminders before expiry.

Benefits of Using Membership Management in Odoo

• Centralized member records
• Auto-expiry and renewal tracking
• Automated invoices and payments
• Email notifications before expiry
• Printable PDF membership cards or certificates
• Role-based access for users and managers

Steps to Set Up Membership Management in Odoo

Step 1: Install and Configure the Required Apps

Before setting up, make sure you have the following Odoo modules installed:

• Contacts
• Sales
• Accounting
• Membership (or your custom membership module)

Once installed, configure your company details under Settings → Companies to ensure your logo, address, and contact info appear correctly on invoices and reports.

Step 2: Create Membership Products

Membership products define the duration and cost of each plan. You can create products for monthly, yearly, or custom durations.

1. Go to Sales → Products → New.
2. Set the Product Name (e.g., Gold Membership – 1 Year).
3. Choose Product Type as Service.
4. Enter the Sales Price (e.g., $99).
5. Define the Membership Duration — in Days, Months, or Years.
6. Save your changes.

You can create as many membership products as you want, such as:

• Basic Membership – 30 Days
• Premium Membership – 6 Months
• Corporate Membership – 1 Year

Each product can have its own duration and price.

Step 3: Create and Manage Members

All members are managed as contacts in Odoo.

1. Go to Contacts → New.
2. Enter the member’s Name, Email, and Phone Number.
3. If the member is part of a company, fill in the company name.
4. Add a Member tag to identify them easily.
5. Save the contact.

Now you have your member record ready to link with a membership.

Step 4: Create a Membership for the Member

Once the member and product are ready, you can create the actual membership record.

1. Go to Membership → Memberships → New.
2. Select the Member from contacts.
3. Choose the Membership Product.
4. The Duration (Start and End Date) will auto-fill based on the selected product.
5. Save the record.

This membership is not yet active; it becomes active only after the invoice is paid.

Step 5: Create and Pay the Invoice

Odoo automatically generates an invoice for each membership.

1. From the membership record, click Create Invoice.
2. Review the invoice lines and taxes.
3. Confirm and post the invoice.
4. Register payment once the member pays.

After payment, the membership automatically becomes Active.

Note: Memberships can only be activated after the invoice is paid.

Step 6: Membership Activation and Auto Expiry

When payment is complete, the membership status changes to Active.

Odoo will keep it active for the defined duration (based on the membership product).

Once the end date is reached, the system automatically changes the status to Expired. You don't need to manually update anything.

You can view all memberships from:

• Active Memberships → Current members
• Expired Memberships → Members whose plans have ended

Step 7: Renew Membership

Expired members can be renewed easily.

1. Go to Membership → Expired Memberships.
2. Open the member's record and click Renew.
3. Select a new membership product (or the same one).
4. Create the invoice and post the payment again.

Once paid, the new membership becomes Active for the new duration.

Step 8: Send Membership Details by Email

You can send membership details and invoices directly to members.

• Open the membership record.
• Click Send by Email.
• Select your email template and send.

This email can include the membership details, validity period, and renewal instructions.

Step 9: Print Membership as PDF Report

To provide physical proof or membership cards, you can generate a PDF version.

• Go to the membership record.
• Click Print → Membership PDF.
• Odoo will generate a professional report with all details (name, duration, plan, and company logo).

This can be shared with the member or used for record-keeping.

Step 10: Configure Expiry Notifications

To remind members before their memberships expire, you can configure automatic email reminders.

1. Go to Membership → Configuration.
2. Find the setting Notify Before (Days).
3. Enter how many days before expiry you want to send the reminder (e.g., 7 days or 14 days).
4. Choose or customize the Email Template.
5. Make sure the scheduler (automated action) is active.

Members will then receive automatic emails before their membership expires.

User Roles in Membership Management

Odoo provides role-based access control for better security and task segregation.

• Membership > User
• Can create and view memberships.
• Can send emails and print PDFs.
• Membership > Manager
• Can configure membership products, durations, and reminders.
• Can manage invoices, renewals, and reports.

This structure helps organizations separate daily operations (users) from configuration and reporting (managers).

Conclusion

Setting up a Membership Management System in Odoo makes it simple to manage the entire membership journey from registration to renewal all in one place. You can easily manage members inside Odoo, create membership products with flexible durations, generate invoices, and activate memberships once payments are made. The system also takes care of auto-expiry, renewals, and sending PDF reports or reminder emails before expiry dates.

With user roles like Membership User and Membership Manager, your team can manage memberships in an organized and secure way. Once everything is configured, your organization can focus on building stronger relationships with members while Odoo handles all the repetitive administrative tasks.

This module by Devintellecs, available on the Odoo App Store, is designed to help businesses and associations simplify their membership operations, save time, and ensure every member gets timely updates and renewal reminders keeping your community connected and growing.