What this template is and who it is for
This is a set of three renewal letters for a motor vehicle club: a first notice before renewals fall due, a reminder for members who have not paid, and a final notice before membership lapses. It is for the secretary or membership officer who sends renewals each year.
Each letter includes a short paragraph for members with vehicles on the Conditional Registration Scheme. A member’s conditional registration depends on staying a financial member of a recognised club, and a lapsed membership has consequences for the vehicle and its log book. Saying so plainly in the renewal letters is fairer to members than explaining it after the fact. The wording follows the Code of Practice (July 2026), clauses 3.5(j) and 3.11.
Replace everything in square brackets with your club’s details.
The letters
First notice
Subject: Your [club name] membership for [club year] is due on [due date]
Dear [member’s first name],
Thank you for being a member of [club name] over the past year. Your membership for [club year] is due for renewal on [due date].
Membership type: [membership type] Amount: $[amount] Member number: [member number]
You can renew:
- online at [payment link]
- by bank transfer to BSB [BSB], account [account number], using your member number as the reference
- by cheque payable to [club name]
[Delete any payment method your club does not use.]
If you have a vehicle on the Conditional Registration Scheme: your conditional registration depends on you remaining a financial member of a recognised club, so please renew before [due date].
If your details have changed, or you have any questions, please contact me at [email] or [phone].
Kind regards, [name] [role], [club name]
Reminder
Subject: Reminder: your [club name] membership is now due
Dear [member’s first name],
Our records show that your membership for [club year] has not yet been renewed. It was due on [due date]. If you have paid in the last few days, thank you, and please ignore this letter.
Amount: $[amount] Member number: [member number] How to renew: [the same payment methods as the first notice]
Important if you have a vehicle on the Conditional Registration Scheme: under the Scheme’s Code of Practice, a member who is not financial must not drive their conditionally registered vehicle, or allow anyone else to drive it, until they are a financial member of a club again or the vehicle has standard registration (clause 3.11). Renewing now keeps your vehicle on the road.
If you no longer wish to be a member, please let us know so we can update our records.
Kind regards, [name] [role], [club name]
Final notice
Subject: Final notice: your [club name] membership lapses on [lapse date]
Dear [member’s first name],
We have not yet received your renewal for [club year]. Under our constitution, your membership will lapse on [lapse date] if it is not renewed by then.
Amount: $[amount] Member number: [member number] How to renew: [the same payment methods as the first notice]
If you have a vehicle on the Conditional Registration Scheme: under the Code of Practice, a member who is not financial must not drive their conditionally registered vehicle, or allow anyone else to drive it, until they are a financial member of a club again or the vehicle has standard registration (clause 3.11). If you are not renewing, the conditional registration must be cancelled and the log book returned to the club for cancellation (clause 3.5(j)). The club also reports members with Scheme vehicles who are no longer financial to the Registrar of Motor Vehicles each year (clause 2.33).
If you have decided not to renew, please let us know and return your log book to [name and address, or how to return it].
We would be sorry to lose you, and we hope to see you at [next event or meeting].
Kind regards, [name] [role], [club name]
How to use it
Set your dates first, then edit the letters once and reuse them each year.
- Fill in the dates. Decide the due date and the lapse date under your constitution. The Code does not set a grace period; that is the club’s decision. Our renewal season checklist suggests timing for a club year starting 1 July.
- Edit the placeholders. Replace every square-bracketed item. Check the payment details twice.
- Send in order. First notice to everyone who needs to renew, the reminder to anyone still outstanding, and the final notice to anyone outstanding after that. Leave out members deemed financial under your constitution, such as life members if yours treats them that way. Our guide to who counts as a financial member explains the Code’s definition.
- Keep a record. Note who received which letter and when.
- Follow up log books. For members who lapse while holding a log book, see our guide to lapsed members who still hold log books.
For the wider process, from setting prices to reporting at the AGM, read our guide to running membership renewals.
Where MemberCrew fits
MemberCrew shows who has renewed and who is outstanding for each club year, and the treasurer records bank transfers, cash and cheques against each member’s invoice. Online renewal payments are coming soon; until then, the payment link in the letter is your club’s own. Email to members is coming soon, so for now the club sends these letters itself, using the outstanding list from MemberCrew. See memberships and renewals.