Membership setup checklist

What you need to know first

• Everyone in your Wild Apricot database is a contact.
• Members are contacts assigned to a membership level.

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☐ Modify default member emails

Customize the default membership email templates so that your changes are reflected in the membership emails for all membership levels. 

1. Hover over the Members menu and click the Member emails option.
2. Within the list of membership emails, click the one you want to modify.
3. Click the Edit button and add or remove text, pictures, or macros.
   
4. When you are ready to save your changes, click the Save button.
5. Next, click Update only default template if you want your changes to be applied only to emails in future membership levels, and not to emails in existing levels. Click Update email templates for all existing levels if you want your changes to be applied to emails in existing and future membership levels.

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☐ Create membership levels

Membership levels define and distinguish different types of members. There are 2 kinds of levels: individual and bundle.

1. Hover over the Members menu and click the Levels option.
2. Click the Add Level button.
   
3. Begin setting up the level on the General tab.
   If you want the level to appear on your membership application form, make sure the Public can apply option is checked.
4. Set up the appropriate renewal period, and configure renewal emails and actions in the Renewal policy tab.
5. On the New applications tab, customize your new applicant emails and decide if new members require approval and/or payment before activation.

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☐ Add contact, member fields

Common fields apply to all contacts and appear on all forms. Membership fields apply only to members and appear on the membership application form.

1. Hover over the Contacts menu and click the Common fields option.
2. Create common fields that apply to all contacts by clicking the Add new field button.
   
3. Hover over the Members menu and click the Membership fields option.
4. Create membership fields that apply just to members by clicking the Add new field button.
   

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☐ Member privacy settings

Membership information can appear to the public and other members on member directories, forum posts, and blog entries. 

1. Click the Settings menu then click the Privacy option within the Members section.
2. Click the Edit button.
   
3. For each item, choose who can see this information.
4. Choose which privacy settings members cannot change by checking the Lock changes checkboxes.
5. When you are finished adjusting the privacy settings, click the Save button. You will be asked whether you want to apply these changes to existing records as well as new records.

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☐ Add members and contacts

There are different ways that members and other contacts can be added to your database.

1. Import your members and contacts.
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2. Add members manually.
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3. Add a membership application form gadget to a page on your site.
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☐ Add a member directory

Optionally, you can allow visitors (or members only) to see a list of your members, search for members, and view member profiles.

1. Go to Sites pages (within the Website module) and create or begin editing the site page where you want the member directory to appear.
2. With the page settings on the left, set the Access level accordingly (Public, Admin only, Restricted).
   
3. Click the Gadgets icon to display the list of available gadgets.
4. Drag the member directory gadget from the list, and drop it where you want it to appear on the page.
5. Hover your pointer over it and click the Settings icon.
6. Within the gadget settings on the left, choose which member records are displayed and in what order, and which fields are displayed for each member and in what order.
   
7. Click Save to save the changes to the page.

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