- Lifetime memberships create long-term liabilities that limit your club's flexibility.
- They reduce recurring revenue and hinder future fundraising potential.
- Membership benefits may become unavailable, leading to conflict and dissatisfaction.
- Future club officers inherit obligations they can't change or cancel.
- Annual and exclusive short-term memberships are better for sustainable growth.
If you're considering offering lifetime memberships as a booster club fundraising strategy, pause and think twice. While the upfront cash may sound appealing, the long-term consequences can cripple your club's sustainability and flexibility. Lifetime memberships are one of the most short-sighted mistakes a booster club can make.
Here’s why booster clubs should avoid selling lifetime memberships — and what to do instead:
Why Lifetime Memberships Are a Bad Idea
Lifetime memberships commit your club to delivering benefits — forever. That’s not just a big ask; it’s an unpredictable and risky proposition. Your club may change leadership annually, face economic downturns, or shift its focus over time. But lifetime members? They’ll expect the perks they were promised, regardless of how your club evolves.
1. Long-Term Liabilities with No Escape Hatch
Every lifetime membership you sell is a contract that extends infinitely. Sounds dramatic? It is. Let's say you promise free event entry, VIP seating, or spiritwear discounts. What happens when your district bans free entry for liability reasons? Or when prices rise and your club can’t afford to sustain those perks? You’re left with angry members, broken promises, and possible refund demands.
2. You're Handcuffing Future Officers
Booster club leadership will rotate. When you sell a lifetime membership, you tie the hands of future presidents, treasurers, and membership coordinators. They must honor promises made years earlier — even if those promises no longer make sense. This creates resentment, confusion, and a huge obstacle for strategic planning.
3. You Cut Off Recurring Revenue
Annual memberships are one of the most reliable sources of booster club income. But when someone becomes a lifetime member, their financial contribution ends after Year One. That means no renewal, no upsell, and no increase when prices go up. You lose the opportunity to grow that relationship financially year after year.
4. Inflation and Price Hikes Don't Apply to Lifetime Members
Lifetime members lock in the value of their membership at today’s prices. But what happens when costs go up? If your standard membership goes from $50 to $100, you’ve already left money on the table. Multiply that by 50 or 100 lifetime members, and you’ve significantly undercut your club’s future funding.
5. Member Database Nightmares
Membership software is designed to manage expiration dates, renewal cycles, and segmentation. Lifetime memberships create anomalies that break automations and create manual work. Without clear expiration dates, you’ll deal with reporting errors, communication gaps, and inconsistent engagement.
6. Perception of Scarcity Beats "Forever"
Psychologically, scarcity drives value. A "Founding Member" tier that’s only available during your club’s first year — or for a limited number of people — creates urgency. Exclusive recognition, like a plaque or website shoutout, means more to members than a vague "lifetime" promise. And it doesn’t saddle your club with forever-benefits.
What to Offer Instead
If you want to maximize this year's revenue, there is a simple solution: raise your prices. A funny thing happens when you sell memberships at a higher price point: there is a higher perceived value, and that increases the likelihood someone will buy. If you're not familiar with perceived value, think of an Under Armour shirt vs a Fruit of the Loom shirt. Under Armour charges as much as 10 times more than Fruit of the Loom for a shirt, and people nationwide seek out that higher priced shirt.
New Club? Try This Instead
In your club's first year, offer exclusive plans only available for 3 to 6 months called:
- Founding Member
- Inaugural Member
- Charter Member
- Pioneer Member
- Founder’s Circle Member
Prestigious titles, and limited availability, encourage buyers to buy. Feature these members on a plaque or a permanent page on your website so their support will be recognized forever.
Be sure you are not underpricing your plans. If you do not have plans priced at $100, $250, $500, and maybe even $750 and $1,000, you are hurting your club. Learn more about designing and pricing booster club membership plans.
Protect Your Club's Future
Your goal as a booster club leader isn’t just to raise money today — it’s to leave your club in better shape for tomorrow’s volunteers. That means building sustainable systems, flexible funding models, and reliable revenue streams. Lifetime memberships undermine all of that.
Be the leader who sets your club up for long-term success, not short-term relief.
Why shouldn't we offer lifetime memberships?
They limit your club's revenue potential, complicate administration, and force future leaders to honor outdated commitments.
What if members request lifetime options?
Redirect them toward exclusive, time-limited membership tiers that offer recognition without permanent liabilities.
Can we change benefits for existing lifetime members?
Not without risking legal or reputational fallout. It's best to avoid setting those expectations in the first place.
What’s a better strategy than lifetime memberships?
Use annual renewals, tiered pricing, and limited-time high-value memberships to grow engagement and revenue year over year.
