1. Enter monthly fixed program costs
Include costs that remain roughly the same regardless of member count, such as dedicated software, marketing, or program administration.
2. Enter the membership fee
Use the monthly amount the business retains before subtracting the variable service or benefit cost.
3. Estimate variable cost per member
Average the expected product, service, perk, or transaction cost attributable to one active member per month.
4. Check contribution per member
The fee must be greater than the variable cost; otherwise each additional member does not contribute toward fixed costs.
5. Review the whole-member threshold
The calculator rounds up because a fraction of a member cannot cover the remaining fixed cost.