Switching from another system? This guide shows how to bring your current students into NextKick, add their memberships without charging them twice, and get everyone set up on cards, the student app and check-in.
Before you start
Create the membership plans your students are on. See How to Create a Membership Plan.
Set up card and ACH payments. See Payment Setup & Membership Management Guide.
Set up your rank systems, so each student can be placed at the right rank.
Pause automatic messages while you move students
While you set up memberships, families could get invoices, receipts or welcome emails before you're ready. To prevent that, stop notifications for the students you're moving:
Go to Settings → Communication and find the Notifications section.
Next to Exclude members from system notifications, click Edit member list.
Select the students and click Stop notifications.
Do the same for Exclude members from automation messages.
Tip: Our team may do this for you as part of the import. Either way, turn notifications back on when you're done (Step 8).
Step 1: Send us your student list
You don't need to type in every student yourself. Email your student list to [email protected] and our team will import it for you. We can add their memberships too.
Include each student's first and last name, email, phone, date of birth, gender and address.
Every member needs an email address. NextKick requires one for each profile.
If you include ranks, use the rank system and rank names exactly as they appear in NextKick.
See Required Information for Student Data Migration for the full list.
Tip: Have only a few students? You can add them yourself instead. See How to Add a New Member.
Step 2: Check the imported profiles
Go to Profiles.
Open a few students and check their contact details, parents, rank and membership.
Link brothers and sisters as family members, so parents can manage everyone from one app account.
Step 3: Add each student's current membership
If our team already added memberships during the import, check them and skip to Step 5. Otherwise:
Open the student's profile.
Click Add Membership.
Choose the membership plan and rank system.
Set the Start Date to the date their current contract started. A past date is fine. The end date fills in on its own.
Continue to the payment step.
For more on this screen, see How to Add, Renew, or Replace a Membership.
Step 4: Set up billing so it picks up where it left off
The goal is simple: no charge today, and the next payment on the date the student would normally pay. Choose the Payment Plan that matches how the student pays now.
The student… | Choose |
Pays by card or bank account, and it's already on their profile | Auto Payment |
Pays by card, but you don't have it on their profile yet | Auto Invoice for now, then switch to a card later |
Pays at the school (cash, check, Zelle, Venmo) | Auto Invoice |
Already paid for the whole contract | Full Payment with $0 |
Tip: Auto Payment needs a card or bank account on the student's profile. Without one, you can only add the membership as Full Payment or Auto Invoice.
Auto Payment or Auto Invoice
Down Payment Amount: enter 0, so nothing is charged today.
Auto payment amount: the amount the student pays now. Enter their real rate, including any sibling or hardship discount.
Auto payment frequency and Auto frequency Unit: how often they pay, for example every 1 month.
First Auto payment date: their next payment date.
Autopay Installment Count: the number of payments left on their contract.
Signup fee: enter 0. Existing students have already paid it.
Prorated amount: leave empty.
Check the Auto Payment Summary before you continue. It shows the installment amount, how often it's charged, the number of installments and the first payment date.
With Auto Invoice, NextKick emails each invoice 7 days before its due date. If the first payment is due in less than 7 days, the invoice is sent right away. See What Is Auto Invoice? How It Differs from Autopay.
Once a student adds their card (see Step 5), you can change the payment method on their Auto Invoice membership to the card.
Full Payment (already paid in full)
Use this for students who already paid for their whole contract. It creates the membership without a new payment or invoice.
Set Payment amount and Signup fee to 0.
Under Payment Type, choose Cash/Check.
Finish the membership
Check the Auto-renewal settings match what the student agreed to.
Choose how the agreement is signed under Sign Agreement Via: On-Site or Member App & Email. See How to Send a Membership Agreement for Signature in NextKick.
Click Confirm & Create.
Tip: Siblings sharing one payment? Use a family membership instead. See How to Set Up a Family Membership.
Step 5: Collect cards from your members
Autopay students need a card or bank account on file. Instead of collecting them one by one, send everyone a secure link.
Go to Profiles.
Select the students.
Click Actions → Request payment info.
Members get an email with a link to add or update their card. See Send a Payment Update Link.
Step 6: Invite students to the app
In Profiles, select the students.
Click Actions → Send app invite.
Members get instructions on how to download the student app and sign in.
Step 7: Print QR code labels and membership cards
Students can check in by scanning their QR code at the kiosk. To print codes for everyone:
In Profiles, select the students.
Click Actions, then choose one:
Download QR code labels: a PDF for Avery 5160 label sheets, 30 labels per sheet.
Download membership cards: a card-size PDF with a print preview.
Step 8: Turn notifications back on
When memberships and cards are set up, let families start getting messages again.
Go to Settings → Communication and find the Notifications section.
Next to Exclude members from system notifications, click Edit member list.
Turn on Show only members with blocked system notifications, select the students, and click Resume notifications.
Do the same for Exclude members from automation messages.
Check that Block for new members by default is off. If it's on, students you add later won't get invoices, receipts or other notifications.
FAQ
Will students be charged when I add their membership?
Not if the Down Payment Amount is 0. The first charge happens on the First Auto payment date.
Why can't I choose Auto Payment?
Auto Payment needs a card or bank account on the student's profile. Add the membership as Auto Invoice for now, send a payment info request, and switch to the card once they add it.
A student gets a sibling or hardship discount. How do I set that up?
Enter the amount they actually pay in Auto payment amount. You can also change it later. See Edit a Membership's Autopay Billing Schedule.
I entered the wrong payment date. Can I fix it?
Yes. You can change the next payment date and the number of payments. See Edit a Membership's Autopay Billing Schedule.
Can you import payment history from my old system?
It's possible if you can provide all the information we need. Ask us at [email protected]. Either way, we recommend keeping a spreadsheet of your old records in case you need them.
Can I add a member without an email address?
No. NextKick requires an email address for every member.
After the move, parents aren't getting invoices or receipts. Why?
They may still be on the blocked list. Turn their notifications back on as shown in Step 8.