Approving a pending application

For levels that need approval, a new member stays Pending until staff click Approve on their record. Once approved and paid, the membership becomes Active.

A level with Applications need approval turned on keeps each new member Pending until staff approve them, even once they have paid. Approving takes one click on the member record.

Before you start

Approval is set per level in Organization Settings → Membership levels, with Applications need approval.
To find applications, go to Members and open the Pending tab.
A record waiting for approval says "Awaiting approval. The membership becomes active once it is approved."

Steps

Open the pending member's record.
Click Approve at the top of the record.

There is no dialog. You see "Application approved."

What happens next

Membership history records "Application approved".

If the joining invoice is already paid, the membership becomes Active straight away.
If the joining invoice is still unpaid, the membership stays Pending and the record says "Awaiting payment. The membership becomes active once it is paid." Record the payment when it arrives.

There is no button to decline an application. An application that is still Pending after the number of days in Unpaid applications expire after, days (in Organization Settings → Terms & renewal rules) lapses.