What the member portal does
The member portal gives each member a view of their own club records. It is the members’ side of MemberCrew. The committee works in MemberCrew to keep the records, and members see their own part of those records in the portal.
The portal is part of the core plan. It is not an add-on.
What members see
In the portal, a member sees their own details as the club holds them. They can check that the club has the right information without phoning or emailing the secretary.
| In the portal | What the member sees |
|---|---|
| Membership | Their membership type and when it ends |
| Renewal | Whether they have renewed |
| Vehicles | The vehicles the club has recorded against them |
| Log books | The log books on their vehicles |
| Invoices | Their invoices and where each one stands |
| Events | Upcoming events, with a way to say whether they are coming |
That matters more than it sounds. In many clubs, a good part of the secretary’s week goes on questions such as “am I paid up?” and “what does the club have for my car?”. When members can look for themselves, those questions shrink.
Keeping contact details up to date
Members move house and change phone numbers, and keeping that information current is a constant job for a club secretary. In the portal, members can update their own contact details.
The committee can still update any member’s record. Every change is recorded in the activity log, showing who did what and when.
Events in the portal
Members see the club’s upcoming events in the portal and can say whether they are coming: going, maybe or not going. They can bring guests, and they can see how many places are left. When an event is full, MemberCrew stops taking more RSVPs.
The committee then sees the counts and the list of who is coming, guests included. The events page covers how events are set up.
Renewing and paying online: coming soon
Online renewal in the portal is on the way. When it arrives, members will renew in the portal, choose how many years to pay for, and pay through Stripe Checkout. The money will go straight into the club’s own Stripe account, not to MemberCrew. MemberCrew will take no cut by default, and clubs will pay Stripe’s standard card fees to Stripe.
Until then, members pay the club by bank transfer, cash or cheque, and the treasurer records the payment against their invoice. Members can already see their invoices and renewal status in the portal, so they can check that their payment has been recorded.
The invoices and payments page covers invoice statuses and recording payments, and memberships and renewals covers how renewals work across the club year.
Members who do not go online
Not every member will use the portal, and that is fine. Some members prefer to pay by cheque at a meeting, and some have no email address.
The portal is an option for members, not a requirement. The committee keeps every member’s record in MemberCrew either way, and the member’s record looks the same as anyone else’s.
| Member | How they pay today | What the committee does |
|---|---|---|
| Prefers bank transfer | Pays the club’s account | Treasurer records the payment |
| Pays at a meeting | Hands over cash or a cheque | Treasurer records the payment |
| No email address | Deals with the committee as now | Committee keeps the record up to date |
Introducing the portal to members
Members will use the portal more if the committee tells them about it in plain terms. A short note in the club magazine, a mention at a general meeting, and a line on the renewal notice usually do more than a long set of instructions.
It helps to tell members three things: what they can see in the portal, that they can update their own contact details and RSVP to events there, and who to ask if they get stuck. Name a committee member, such as the secretary, as the contact for portal questions, so members know where to go.
Expect some members to take a season or two to come around. That is normal, and the committee keeps looking after records the old way for anyone who prefers it.
Why it saves the committee time
The portal moves routine work from volunteers to the members themselves. Members can check their own membership and invoices, correct their own contact details and tell the club whether they are coming to an event.
For the secretary, that means fewer calls asking whether someone is financial and fewer address changes to type in. For whoever runs events, it means a list of who is coming without a round of phone calls. The secretary’s page covers the secretary’s job in more detail.
Privacy
The portal shows a member their own details. That keeps members’ personal information visible to the person it belongs to and to the committee members whose role allows it.
Club data is stored in Australia (Sydney), and the club owns it. For good practice on handling member information, see the guide to keeping member data safe under Australian privacy law.
See it with your club in mind
A demo shows the member portal from a member’s side using the Demo Club’s sample members, such as Alex Anderson and Bree Barlow. Book a demo.