Doing Magic with Membership Management — Review of Wild Apricot

Radhika Sivadi

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Doing Magic with Membership Management — Review of Wild Apricot image wildapricotlogo1Wild Apricot reviewsSetting up a membership site can be intimidating, especially if you have different member levels, want to accept payments and have limited tech skills.

Poetically named membership management app Wild Apricot says it provides Member Management Magic. As a freelancer, I have worked with a client who used Wild Apricot before and I must confess I already loved it. But, I never looked past the tasks I did for the client. So I was super excited to look closer at it. Ready?

OK, let’s give it a look.

Either Too Complicated or Too Expensive

Setting up a membership site can be a complicated proposition. You can sign on with a membership management company to do the work, a great solution if you can afford it. Let them worry about emails, events, payments and content for you.

The cheaper alternative is to use separate tools to control emails, take payments, keep the books, handle events and set up content like member directories and documents to share. That’s a lot of data, dashboards and programs to keep track of.

Wild Apricot offers you a third way to handle creating and administering a membership site.

Customizable Membership Software that is Easy To Use for You and Members

Wild Apricot is targeted to nonprofits, associations, clubs and subscription websites, from under 50 members to over 15,000. It is cloud-based so there is no software for you to worry about installing.

You have full control of the membership from application through sign up, payment and renewal. Easy to use website software lets you set up a customized community that reflects the group’s interests and is easy for administrators and members to use. They have a variety of templates to get you started.

The system lets you send out emails and newsletters quickly. You can handle events like workshops and make documents available to members.

Create an Easy-To-Use Community Quickly and Inexpensively

Starting with the ability to create an application that has all the information your group wants to collect when you sign up members online, Wild Apricot gives you full control of the membership process. You decide about your renewal policy and target emails announcing it. You can track the renewal rate easily from your dashboard.

It’s easy for members to create profiles and access the information on the site. Blogs, forums, emails and newsletters make an active community that invites participation by members. Events, sign ups, reminders and calendars keep them up-to-date.

With professional looking templates even non-designers can put together an attractive website for the group. It is easy to take Paypal and credit card payments, manage invoices and export the information to QuickBooks.

You can also take donations for your nonprofit and followup with donors. You can access financial reports with one click from the dashboard.

The Basics: What Does It Look Like?

It is easy to create your own application form.

Doing Magic with Membership Management — Review of Wild Apricot image apricot application screenshot 1Wild Apricot Review

You have full control over membership levels.

Doing Magic with Membership Management — Review of Wild Apricot image apricot membership level screenshot 2Wild Apricot Review

Easily customizable templates make it simple to create an eye-catching website.

Doing Magic with Membership Management — Review of Wild Apricot image apricot customize screenshot 3Review of Wild Apricot

Add blogs, forums and calendars to keep your members well informed.

Doing Magic with Membership Management — Review of Wild Apricot image apricot calendar screenshot 4Wild Apricot Review

Check your financial information easily from the dashboard.

Doing Magic with Membership Management — Review of Wild Apricot image apricot financial screenshot 5 reportingWild Apricot App Review

Donations are easy to accept with custom made forms.

Doing Magic with Membership Management — Review of Wild Apricot image apricot donation form screenshot 6Wild Apricot Review

Professional Membership Sites are Super Easy to Set Up with Wild Apricot

If you want a good looking, accessible membership site, Wild Apricot provides all the functionality you are likely to ever need for your nonprofit, association or group. It handles the member process from sign up to renewal, letting you make targeted decisions at each step.You can build an attractive community that is accessible for your members. Email, newsletters, forums, blogs and calendars invite them to get involved in the online community. Events, payments, donations and financial reports are handled from the dashboard.

Extensive product documentation is available on the Wild Apricot website, and the support team can be reached by email or phone. There’s also a call-back option if you want to schedule a call.

Will It Fit Your Budget?

An ad-supported free service is available for groups under 50 members. For larger groups Wild Apricot offers a free 30-day free trial. Monthly fees are based on number of members, with price points at 250, 500, 2,000 and 15,000 or more members. Most membership groups, whether online groups or off-line groups will be able to support the cost via their membership dues.

Is It For You?

If you want an easy-to-setup, easy to customize membership site with full functionality for emails, payments, memberships and events, Wild Apricot is a good choice. Your club, association or subscription website will have an attractive, accessible community with minimal stress and time.

Ratings: ease of use 5/5, features 5/5, value 5/5 and ease of deployment 5/5

[review title= 'Our Verdict' pros="Very simple and beautiful membership management application" cons= "none" score=10]

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Radhika Sivadi