Introduction

MemberOrganizer is a web-based administration system for associations. It handles members, invoices, subscriptions, accounting, communication via email and SMS, online enrollment, and more. Invoices can be sent by email or via Betalingsservice, for example. You can also configure the system to accept payments with Dankort and MobilePay.

Being web-based has many advantages:

  • No software installation required

  • Works on Windows, Linux, Mac, and tablets (e.g. iPad)

  • No software updates to install

  • Can be used anywhere there is an internet connection

  • Data — e.g. member lists and invoices — can easily be shared and viewed by several people

  • Tasks can easily be shared among several people

  • Automatic backup of all the association’s data

The philosophy behind MemberOrganizer is that the system should work for all kinds of associations. Therefore it includes a flexible member module where the association can define up to 20 extra member fields in addition to the standard fields such as name, address, and so on. The association can also rename member fields, change the order they appear in, and hide fields that are not needed.

In addition to the up to 20 configurable extra member fields, you can create an unlimited number of groups and/or activities that members can be grouped by. With this structure, almost any association can find a model that fits its needs exactly.

The system also gives members a high degree of self-service through the Member Portal — a kind of website where members can enroll in the association and/or sign up for various events, activities, or training sessions. Members can also update their own master data via the Member Portal and view previously sent invoices.

There is also an App for the system. If you have many activities that members need to subscribe to and unsubscribe from, the App is a very useful tool.

The invoicing engine is also designed to meet the needs of all types of associations. For example, you can tailor invoice amounts with individual membership fees for different member types or activities.

Central to the system is the concept of mass invoices, which makes it possible to send an invoice to, for example, all of the association’s members at once — even with individually tailored amounts for each member type. You can also invoice members based on the month they enrolled.

The accounting module is built on traditional accounting principles with a daybook, chart of accounts, balance sheet, annual accounts, VAT report, budget, year-end closing, and more.

You can also configure the system to automatically transfer invoices and payments to the daybook. Combined with a Betalingsservice or Dankort solution, this can save the association many hours of work, as large parts of the invoicing process are automated.

Please continue reading in this user manual. You can also watch a video presentation of the system: Watch presentation

Self-administration and support

MemberOrganizer is a tool that the association uses itself to manage members, invoices, accounting, and other tasks. In normal day-to-day use, it is the association — typically the treasurer, secretary, or other volunteers — that performs the work in the system: maintaining member data, setting up membership fees and activities, sending invoices, posting in the accounts, and so on.

When someone writes that they want a solution «where you administer the member list and payment of membership fees», it can mean two things: either that the association itself wants to use a system for this — or that they expect MemberOrganizer to carry out the tasks for them on an ongoing basis, as if we were the association’s extended arm. The standard model is the first: you use the system yourselves, and we help you get started and provide guidance along the way.

Support is included in the subscription. You can always contact us if you are unsure whether the system can do what you need, or how to use a particular feature. We advise and give instructions — but as a rule it is the association that performs the actions in the system, possibly following our guidance.

If you are unsure whether your setup fits what you want to use the system for, read Setup during the startup phase. It explains, among other things, that there is no single fixed «correct» setup, and what helps us guide you best.

Exception: bookkeeping service. As an add-on, MemberOrganizer can offer a paid bookkeeping service where we can perform selected bookkeeping tasks on an hourly basis. This applies only to the accounting for which you have chosen that service — not to member administration, invoicing, and other day-to-day use of the system, which the association continues to handle itself.

Development of new features

At MemberOrganizer we spend our time primarily on two things:

  • Support for our customers.

  • Development of new features for the system.

When we decide which new features to develop for the system, there are no fixed rules, but one thing is certain: we primarily develop things that we assess will benefit many of our customers.

Therefore we always listen to what customers ask for, and we note all requests and ideas.

However, we cannot implement everything customers ask for. People ask for a very wide range of things, and we simply cannot do it all.

It is important to stress that the system as a whole has the features you can expect from a modern and solid membership system. The system has been under development since 2009, when it all started, so it naturally handles the basics. The reason for so many requests is rather that our system is used by a wide variety of different types of associations — and perhaps also that we are always receptive to requests and ideas.

It is often specific corners of the system that customers have wishes about — something that will help one particular customer in one particular situation. There are naturally also requests of a more general nature that will likely benefit more than one customer.

We are often asked whether we can develop a specific feature for payment, and the clear answer is: we could, but that is not how we work. As mentioned earlier, we develop the system with features that benefit as many customers as possible, so you cannot get features developed for payment. On the other hand, you receive — perhaps without noticing — constant small updates to the system that you do not pay for separately, in addition to the subscription you pay and any extra modules you may have chosen as a customer.