Honorary members

Honorary members joining since October 2025 must be added manually. The process has two stages — first Stripe, then WordPress.

Note

Existing honorary members who joined before October 2025 were imported under special conditions and do not need this process.

Before you start

Make sure:

1. The user does not already exist in WordPress or Stripe. If they do, contact hello@sarahtamsin.com for guidance.
2. You have collected:
   • Full name
   • Postal address, postcode and country (used as the billing address even though the total is £0.00)
   • Company name (optional, recommended)
   • Email address
   • Phone number (optional, recommended)

Stage 1 — Create the customer in Stripe

1. Go to the Stripe dashboard.
2. Click Customers > Add Customer.
3. Complete these fields:
   • Display name — first + last name
   • Business name — company or organisation
   • Individual name — first + last name
   • Account email
   • Description — optional (e.g. “honorary member”)
   • Billing details — choose country first, then complete the address
   • Phone number — optional
4. Click Add customer. Leave remaining fields at default.
5. Click the customer’s name to open their profile.
6. Click Add subscription.
7. Choose Individual — Free — £0.00 per year.
8. Click Create subscription. Leave everything else blank.

Stage 2 — Create the user in WordPress

1. Go to WordPress > Users > Add User (you must be an administrator).
2. Complete these fields carefully:
   • Username — must be unique and cannot be changed. Use their email address or a unique combination like BobJones or BobJones3. Members can log in with either their username or email.
   • Email address
   • First name
   • Last name
   • Password — leave as generated; the member resets this themselves.
   • Send user notification — leave unchecked.
   • Role — must be Member.
   • Membership tier — must be individual-free (no quotes).
   • Company or organisation — optional.
   • Membership number — leave blank.
   • Gift Aid — leave unchecked (not applicable for £0.00).
   • Member’s mailing address — required.
   • Imported member — must be ticked. This reveals three extra fields.
   • Import Stripe Customer ID — from Stripe > Customers > customer’s name. The ID starts with cus_.
   • Import Stripe Transaction ID — from the customer’s subscription (right-hand column). Starts with sub_.
   • Import Date — leave blank.
3. Click Create User.
4. Re-open the user you just created.
5. Scroll to the bottom and click the blue Link to Stripe button.
6. Ask the member to use the password reset page to set their own password.

They are now an honorary member.

Cancel an honorary member

Honorary members are treated as lifetime members, but they may need to be cancelled if:

• They have passed away.
• They have changed roles and no longer need membership.
• They no longer wish to be a member.

To cancel:

1. Log in to WordPress as an administrator.
2. Go to Users > All Users.
3. Search for the member.
4. Hover over their name and click Switch to.
5. The homepage will load. Go to Member’s area > Manage subscription.
6. Stripe will open. Click Cancel — you will be redirected back to the website.
7. Click Switch back in the bottom left to return to your own admin account.
8. For deceased members only — repeat steps 1–3, then hover over the member’s name, click Delete, and confirm.

Danger

Do not use this method for regular paying members. Regular members must cancel themselves via self-service because it is linked to their card or bank account.

Note

Cancelled honorary members can still log in to the website but will not see member benefits. They can purchase a regular membership at any time.