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How Memberships works with Monthly Supporters

Ko-fi Memberships let your biggest fans support you monthly with exclusive rewards. Already using Simple Monthly Donations? Wondering about the differences or if you should switch? This guide will help you understand how Memberships work and the differences between the two options.

 

Definitions

For clarity, we'll use these terms:

Monthly Supporters: Supporters who chose the 'monthly' option when they donated and pay you a recurring donation. Now known as 'Simple monthly donations (no tiers)' in the membership selection.

Tier Members: Supporters who became a member of a tier.

 

Will I lose my Monthly Supporters if I switch to Membership Tiers?

No, your existing Monthly Supporters will remain active, and payments will continue to be processed monthly as usual. However, Monthly Supporters will only have access to content under the audience view "All Monthly Supporters" and below. Read more about audience view in our guide.

 

Can I convert Monthly Supporters to Membership Tiers?

Yes, you can upgrade your Monthly Supporters to Membership Tiers. Follow the steps in this article.

 

Can I have Membership Tiers and Simple Monthly Donations switched on at the same time?

You can have either monthly donations or membership tiers active. Change your settings by navigating to Memberships > Memberships Mode and choose between the three options.

membership-mode-options 1.png

With Membership Tiers selected, if supporters choose monthly in the donation panel, they will see your tiers as options. You will also see a Membership tab added to your homepage.

memberships.gif

If Simple Monthly Donations (no tiers) is active, supporters will be directed to pay the amount every month.

monthly.gif

You can also turn off memberships completely and stick to one-time payments.

 

Can I create content for my Monthly Supporters and Membership Tiers?

Yes, you can choose the audience each time you add a new post or gallery image. Decide if your post is available only for specific membership tiers, or include your monthly supporters or one-off supporters too.

Let's assume you have existing monthly supporters and new tier members in three tiers called Entry Level, Mid-level, and High Rollin’. Here’s a breakdown of what each audience option means:

Screenshot 2566-09-15 at 10.08 1.png

If you want more of your audience to see the content you will select options closer to the top.

  • Everyone (Public): All visitors to your Ko-fi page, supporters and non-supporters, will see this content.

  • All Supporters (One-off & Monthly): Anyone who has donated one-off in the last 30 days, donates monthly, or is an active Member of any tier will see this.

    Note: This content will be available to members of tiers priced lower than your former monthly supporter (coffee unit) price.

  • All Monthly Supporters (Members): Monthly Supporters and Members of all tiers will see this content. One-off donors will not see this.

  • 'Entry level' and up: If you're a member of any of the three tiers, you can see this. Monthly or one-time supporters can't.

  • 'Mid-level' and up: You need to be in either the Mid-level or High Rollin tiers to see this. Everyone else can't.

  • 'High Rollin' only: Only High Rollin’ tier members get to see this. No one else. 😊

To learn more about audience options click here.

 

I have Monthly Supporters, should I switch to tiers?

If you’re considering offering rewards to your monthly supporters (either now or in the future), we recommend creating a single membership tier rather than choosing “Simple monthly donations.” You’re likely to earn more by creating different membership tiers for your supporters and offering rewards. Rewards can be as simple as allowing DMs, giving a social shout-out, or making some exclusive content for members. Learn more here.

 

We're here if you need us. Feel free to send any questions our way. 💌