As organizations are looking to the future, one opportunity is to build out paid membership organizations. Associations, non-profits, foundations, clubs, sports groups, training groups, and chambers of commerce all require platforms to manage their digital presence, communications community, events, subscriptions, directories, and online stores.
Wild Apricot has long been a leader in this industry, with an out-of-the-box platform for managing any paid membership style business. Over 30,000 organizations use Wild Apricot to attract, engage, and retain their members.
Wild Apricot Membership Platform Features Include:
- Membership Applications – Wild Apricot’s membership management software fully automates the application process to help give your new members a great first impression. Cut out complicated paperwork by creating a web-based, mobile-friendly form where applicants can provide all the information you need and pay online by credit card.
- Membership Renewals – Cut down your administrative work by offering self-service options to members: they can renew their own membership on the spot by logging in to their profile. They can also securely update their own contact information, register for events, and pay membership dues on their computer or from their mobile device.
- Member Database – Volunteers and board members can access the same database online, and updates to your member records happen immediately, so your data is always up to date. You can import your member information from a spreadsheet and customize the database to suit your needs.
- Membership Directory – Whether you create a public directory of your members’ businesses, or build a directory only your members can see, you can control which information each directory shows. And whether your website is built in Wild Apricot or another platform, you can easily embed mobile-friendly member directories on your website.
- Membership Website – You can create a new mobile-friendly website with Wild Apricot’s drag-and-drop builder, or add membership features to your existing website by embedding membership application forms, directories, and event listings as widgets. Of course, the site includes both blogs and forums to engage your members.
- Members-Only Pages – You can build member engagement by offering access to exclusive member-only web pages, such as networking forums and specialized blogs. You can also customize which member levels or groups you want to access each page.
- Event Management – online event registration takes the hassle out of running events. Within minutes you can create a detailed event listing with a description and images, plus an online event registration form. Your events will automatically be listed in a calendar on your Wild Apricot site or existing website so you don’t have to re-enter the information, and your members can view the event online from their mobile device or computer.
- PCI Compliant Payments – Wild Apricot’s online payment processing software takes the headache out of receiving and tracking payments and managing your organization’s finances. Your members and supporters can pay online from their computer or mobile device for membership fees, registration fees, and donations, or set up recurring payments to save time and hassle. You can also set up multiple sales taxes or VAT with just a few clicks, and automatically apply these to online transactions in whatever combination you choose. Wild Apricot Payments is powered by AffiniPay, a payment solutions provider with 15 years of experience.
- Invoicing – Once an online payment is confirmed, a payment record is automatically created, and the related invoice is updated. You can also set other actions to be triggered, including activating membership or sending welcome emails, event registration receipts, or donation confirmations.
- Finance Reporting – With Wild Apricot’s financial reports, you can get a complete picture of your organization’s finances without needing dozens of spreadsheets. You can record payments made by cash and check in Wild Apricot as well as online payments, so all your payment data is in one place. You can also export your financial data to Excel or QuickBooks.
- Online Donations – Turn your website into a powerful fundraising tool. By using our online payment processing software you can easily set up a donations page on your website, so visitors to your site can provide the financial support you need from wherever they are.
- Email Marketing – Build professional-looking emails from our mobile-friendly templates and send an unlimited number of emails. Publish a newsletter sign-up form on your website, or target your emails by creating recipient lists based on any criteria, such as membership status or event attendance. You can track how effective your email campaigns are with statistics on delivery, opens, and links clicked for every message and every contact.
- Automatic Emails – Spend less time manually sending emails by setting up automatic email confirmations and reminders for membership, events, and donations. You can ensure your members still get a personalized experience by customizing the messages and using email macros (similar to mail merge fields).
- Administrator Mobile App – Manage invoices and record payments from your mobile device with the free Wild Apricot mobile app for administrators. For events, you can manage contacts and check-in event registrants from your mobile device.
- Events Mobile App – Help your members connect with each other or the general public by using multiple member directories that are always up to date.
- WordPress Plugin and Single Sign-On – If you’re operating a WordPress site, you can also use Wild Apricot for single sign-on, deploying widgets, and locking down content for members only.
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Disclosure: I’m an affiliate of Wild Apricot
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