Who this is for: administrators and coaches who approve group membership, and members joining a group. Permission required: Manage Groups to approve or decline group join requests. Add User to Organization to approve people joining the organization. None to request to join a group.
When a group does not allow self-join, members ask to join it and someone with Manage Groups decides. Requests appear on Groups → Join Requests, and everyone with Manage Groups gets a notification when a new one comes in. If the group has required documents or a join fee, the member takes care of them while making the request, so approving is usually a single click.
There are two kinds of request in Boathouse Connect: a request to join the organization (when a new person first finds your club) and a request to join a group inside it. This page covers both, starting with groups.
What the member sees
Members join groups from Groups → My Groups. Each group shows one of these buttons:
| Button or label | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Join Group | The group allows self-join. The member is added as soon as they finish the steps below. |
| Request To Join | The group requires approval. The steps below create a request. |
| Join Request Pending | The member has already asked and is waiting for a decision. |
| Group Full | The group is at its maximum size. |
| Not eligible to join | A join constraint (prerequisite or restricted group) applies. The reason is shown. |
| Leave Group | The member already belongs to the group. |
When a member clicks Join Group or Request To Join:
- Documents. If the group has required documents the member has not signed, each one opens in turn. The member signs and clicks Sign & Continue. Documents are signed at request time, not when the request is approved.
- Join fee. If the group has a join fee, a payment window opens:
- Discount Code: enter a code and click Check Code to see the reduced amount.
- Payment Plan: if the group offers one, choose it and click View Plan to see the installments.
- Payment Method: choose a saved card or instantly verified bank account, or click Add a Payment Method to add a card or Link Bank Account. If the organization allows it, Charge to my account (pay later) is also offered.
- The member confirms. For a self-join group the fee is charged and they are added. For an approval group the request is sent.
While a request is pending, the member can click Update Payment Selections to change the payment plan, method or discount code. If a required document is added to the group after they asked, they see Sign Required Documents.
If a self-join payment fails, the member can choose Don't Join, Change Payment Method or Retry Payment.
Approve or decline a group request
- Go to Groups → Join Requests.
- Each request shows the person, the group, the group's description and the permissions the person would gain. If there is a join fee, the tile also shows the fee, whether they chose a payment plan, their payment method (or that the fee will be billed to their account) and any discount code.
- Click one of:
| Button | Result |
|---|---|
| Approve | Adds the person to the group. Any join fee is added to their account. |
| Approve & Charge | Shown when the member picked a payment method. Adds them and charges the fee right away. |
| Group Full | Disabled. Raise the group's limit on Groups → Manage Groups first. |
| Decline | Deletes the request and notifies the member. |
After Approve & Charge, a window reports Approved - Payment Collected or Approved - Payment Failed. When a payment fails the person is still added, the fee stays on their account, and automatic billing and balance-due alerts will prompt them to pay. Request Not Approved means the approval itself did not go through, with the reason.
Review the permissions on each tile before approving. Approving gives the person every permission the group carries.
See Fees, payment plans & discount codes for setting up join fees and codes, and Documents & waivers for required documents.
Requests to join the organization
Org Settings → General has a Join Approval Required setting. When it is Yes, new people must be approved or pre-authorized before they become part of the organization. Keep it on unless you are onboarding a whole season at once.
To handle these requests:
- Open the Dashboard and find the Pending Join Requests card.
- Click Approve to let the person in, or Remove to turn them away.
- Use the card's dropdown to switch to Declined (to approve someone you turned away earlier) or Pre-auths.
On the Small Teams plan, the Approve button is hidden once the organization reaches 15 members. See pricing to compare plans.
To skip approval for people you already expect, pre-authorize their email addresses. See Importing members.
FAQ
I approved a request but the member says they weren't charged. If they did not pick a payment method, the fee was added to their account instead of charged. It appears on their balance. See Paying as a member.
Can a member cancel their request? They can update their payment selections while it is pending. To withdraw, ask someone with Manage Groups to decline it.
Who gets notified about new requests? Everyone who has Manage Groups. The member is notified if their request is declined.
Why can't I approve a request? The group is probably full. Its button reads Group Full until you raise the maximum or someone leaves.
I declined someone by mistake. For a group, ask them to request again. For the organization, switch the Pending Join Requests card to Declined and click Approve.