Enable partners to handle Linked Memberships

Linked Membership is a feature within the VIP Marketplace that allows affiliated organizations to aggregate their purchases across linked VIP accounts, enabling them to achieve a higher discount level while maintaining the ability to manage and purchase licenses separately.

This feature is specifically designed for the following types of organizations:

• Commercial affiliates
• Government agencies
• Primary and secondary education institutions (for example - school districts and state schools)
• Departments with separate budgets and license administration needs

Membership Roles

• Linked Membership Owner: The customer entity that initiates the Linked Membership.
• Linked Membership Member: The affiliate joining a Linked Membership.

Linked Membership Process

The process for setting up a Linked Membership involves several key steps:

1. Reseller collaboration: The reseller works with the VIP Marketplace member to assess whether Linked Membership is appropriate for the member’s organization and its affiliates.

2. Initiate Linked Membership: The reseller initiates the Linked Membership by identifying the Linked Membership Admin. Refer to Initiate a new Linked Membership on the VIP marketplace section below.

3. Review and accept terms: The Linked Membership Admin reviews and accepts the Linked Membership terms & conditions in the Adobe Admin Console.

4. For each potential affiliate:

   1. Generate authorization code: The Linked Membership Admin generates an authorization code and provides it to the VIP Marketplace member’s Admin.
   2. Join the Linked Membership: The VIP Marketplace member’s Admin enters the authorization code in the Adobe Admin Console to join the Linked Membership.
   3. Confirmation: Both the Linked Membership Owner and the Linked Membership Member receive a confirmation email once the affiliate joins the Linked Membership.

   📝 Note: Linked affiliates may qualify for a volume discount either at the time the Linked Membership is created or on each Linked Membership anniversary.

Prerequisites

Before setting up or migrating a Linked Membership, ensure the following prerequisites are met:

• Set up Adobe integration, if not done already. Refer to Configure and sell Adobe products for more details.

  📝 Note: Double-check all prerequisites and marketplace settings as specified in this section, even if previously configured.

• Linked Membership is available only to organizations with a combined license quantity of 10 or more.

• The reseller works with the VIP Marketplace member to assess whether Linked Membership is appropriate for the member’s organization and its affiliates.

• The Linked Membership Admin must be migrated first before migrating other affiliates.

  • After the admin is migrated, individual affiliates may migrate at any time. They do not need to migrate simultaneously.
  • Ensure all affiliates are migrated before the Linked Membership anniversary date to ensure their contributions to the combined volume discount are reflected.

• Linked Membership customers cannot opt for 3-Year Commitments (3YC) and Linked Membership at the same time. If a VIP member has both a Linked Membership and a 3-year commitment, they must choose one or the other before migrating to VIP Marketplace. The partner must collaborate with Adobe for this process.

  📝 Note: Ensure that all prerequisites listed above are met before using this capability.

• Obtain the following from Adobe Partner Support, if not already available -

  • Adobe API collection
  • Latest Adobe API documentation

Instructions

Migrate a Linked Membership from VIP to VIPMP

• Ensure all prerequisites are met, specifically:
  • Migrate the Linked Membership Admin first, followed by the affiliates.
  • VIP members with both a Linked Membership and a 3-year commit must choose one or the other before migrating to VIP Marketplace. The partner must work with Adobe on this.
• Follow the general migration process. For more information, refer to Transfer subscriptions from Adobe VIP Program to Adobe VIP Marketplace.

Initiate a new Linked Membership

📝 Note: A customer may either enroll in a 3-Year Commitment (3YC) or apply for a Linked Membership—not both. Once initiated, a Linked Membership cannot be canceled by a partner directly. Partners must contact Adobe to request cancellation.

1. Navigate to Manage > Marketplace > Dashboard > HOME | Companies. The Companies list page opens.

2. Click the {name} of the company for which you want to initiate the Linked Membership. The Company details page opens.

3. Click the Vendor Information tab and select Adobe from the Vendor drop-down list.

4. In the Value Incentive Plan (VIP) Programs > Linked Membership section, click Apply for Linked Membership.

5. Enter the Linked Membership Name and select the appropriate Linked Membership Type. There are two types of Linked Memberships:

   • Standard: Suitable for departments or sub-organizations with separate budgets or administrative requirements, such as business affiliates, school districts, state schools, government departments, and other similar entities.
   • Consortium: An association or combination of organizations with similar interests and objectives, managed by a controlling entity.

6. Click Apply for Linked Membership.

   📝 Note: To complete the process, the end customer must accept the Linked Membership terms via the Adobe Admin Console. For detailed instructions, refer to the Adobe Help Documentation.
   This resource also provides information on enrolling affiliates in a Linked Membership and on how to enroll as an affiliate under an existing Linked Membership.

Check the status of an existing Linked Membership

1. Navigate to Manage > Marketplace > Dashboard > HOME | Companies. The Companies list page opens.

2. Click the {name} of the company for which you want to check the status of the Linked Membership. The Company details page opens.

3. Click the Vendor Information tab and select Adobe from the Vendor drop-down list.

4. You can view the following fields in the Value Incentive Plan (VIP) Programs > Linked Membership section:

   Field	What does it show?
   Linked Membership Name	Displays the name of the linked membership.
   Linked Membership Type	Indicates the type: Standard or Consortium.
   Created On	Date when the linked membership was created.
   Owner	Identifies whether the customer company owns the membership.

   📝 Note: If changes occur in Adobe's system while this page is open, you can view the latest details by either clicking Refresh from the overflow menu or navigating away from the page and returning.

Update an existing Linked Membership

Adobe does not permit Linked Membership updates through APIs. Partners must contact Adobe directly and submit appropriate justification with supporting documentation to request a change.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Have more questions about the Linked Memberships? This section provides answers to some of the commonly asked questions related to Linked Memberships.

How do I add an affiliate to my Linked Membership?
To add an affiliate, the Linked Membership Admin generates an authorization code from the Adobe Admin Console. This code is shared with the VIP Marketplace member’s Admin, who enters the code in the Adobe Admin Console to join the Linked Membership. Both parties receive a confirmation email when the affiliate is added. Each affiliate requires a unique authorization code.

How do I remove an affiliate from my Linked Membership?
Affiliates can be removed through the Adobe Admin Console.

Can a reseller initiate a new Linked Membership on the marketplace?
No, a reseller cannot initiate a new Linked Membership directly from the marketplace. Linked Memberships must be created through the Adobe API, as outlined in the Initiate a new Linked Membership on VIP marketplace section above.