The 9 Things You Should & Shouldn’t Do During The Member Jungle Accelerator

The Member Jungle Accelerator is where we build and set up your new site for you. You can do it yourself; we've made the whole process super easy. However, one thing we all lack these days, especially if you run a club or association, is time. 

Instead of juggling set up alongside everything else, why not let our team handle it? It’s a bit like cutting your own hair; while you can do it, it's quicker, easier, and probably better to have a professional take care of it instead of trying to learn how to do it yourself, as many of us discovered during covid. 

 

 

Also, does it blow anyone else's mind that covid was five years ago? It feels like it was just yesterday when I ate that random bat on my holiday to China. To be clear, that was a joke, I didn’t start covid, I’ve never been to China, and I only eat good old-fashioned Australian bats, like a patriot. 

I digress. To ensure the Accelerator is quick and effective, there are certain things you should and shouldn't do while the team is getting everything set up for you. Today, I will go over the five things you can do during the Accelerator and the four things you shouldn't do. 

4 Things You Should Not Do During The Accelerator

Let’s start with the things you shouldn’t do so that we can end the article on a positive note.  

1. Don’t Alter The Site Design

If you are already paying for a member of the Member Jungle team to set up and design your site to your specifications, diving into the site designer and starting to play with things like colour and layout can cause many problems. 

You might accidentally change or erase work that the Member Jungle team has been doing, making the process take longer, which no one wants. So, the rule of thumb is don't play with the site design during the accelerator, and if there is something you really want to do, check with the person building your site first to see whether you can do what you want to do without mucking things up.

However, waiting until the site is handed over is best. Then, you can play to your heart's content. 

2. Don’t Modify The Sitemap Or Page Content

During the Accelerator program, our team will set up your sitemap and fill your pages with all the info you've given us. Basically, we're building the framework of your new site for you. If you decide to jump in and start changing the sitemap or adding your own page content while we're doing this, things can get pretty tangled up. The sitemap, especially, can take a long time to straighten out if something goes wrong there.

So, to keep everything running smoothly and avoid any headaches, please hang tight and don't touch the sitemap or page content until we've wrapped up the Accelerator. We promise we'll hand it over in perfect working order, and then you can go wild with your edits. 

3. Don’t Change Membership Settings 

I know I sound a bit like a broken record here, but once again, membership settings are something we will set up for you during the Accelerator, so it’s crucial you don’t touch any of them during this.

I should explain for those younger readers. A record is like an extra-large CD that contains so little music that you have to flip it over halfway through the album. Oh, an album is how music used to be designed to listen to before it was “killed” by Limewire and Napster. Oh right, Napster and Limewire are kind of like Spotify, but Metallica wants to Kill ‘Em All. Is that too much of a deep-cut of a joke? Who knows, who cares? 

 

 

 

Just like with the other sections, please don’t mess with membership settings while we build your system unless you have asked us for permission to make changes. We are setting it up for you, to your specifications, and something that may not make sense to you could have been configured to work with your requirements that you have provided to us.

4. Don’t Add Members During A Custom Member Import Or Dataset Import 

It is not a standard part of the Accelerator, but you also have the option to pay us to do a custom Member Import and/or a Custom Dataset. This is where we import all of your data and members for you, saving you from having to do it yourself. Again, this process isn’t too hard on your own; it’s just easier and quicker to have a professional do it for you. 

If you do get us to do this for you, you really should not then go on to try to add members manually yourself. For one, you’re paying us to do it for you and two, membership data, as I’m sure you know, is complicated and is all too easy to mix up, and you adding data in during the middle of that custom import can make things go very weird. Finally, adding a single member to the system will block us from doing a dataset import completely. So, do not add members or member data if you’ve asked the Member Jungle team to do so. 

Why This Is So Important

As we work on your theme and design, please be mindful that any changes you or your team make in Site Designer or while editing Custom Objects can alter or erase anything we are developing. Please ensure this does not occur during the Accelerator process, as additional costs may arise if we have to redo our work. 

To monitor any changes your team made before and after launch, you can access the System Report in the Security Module. The report details changes to Design, Membership Levels, Events, and all exports of member data. It also includes account details and the IP address, which helps you work out who has been making which changes and accessing information.

5 Things You Can Do During The Accelerator

Well, now that we’ve covered the things you shouldn’t do, I can take my strict teacher hat off and talk about the stuff you absolutely can do during the Accelerator. 

1. Do Add Photos

While we're setting up your system, feel free to add photos to your Photo Module. It won't affect our work and is a great way to personalise your site from the start. Upload your event pics, member moments, and anything that shows off your community. If you want to find out more about the Photo Module and how it works, check out How To Get The Most Out Of Your Member Jungle Photo Module.

2. Do Set Up Your Payment Gateway

It may be less glamorous than setting up your photo module; however, setting up your payment gateway is definitely more important. This setup will enable you to accept digital payments via Stripe through the Member Jungle system. With this in place, you can process renewal payments, ticket sales, and merchandise sales online through your new site.

For more information on how to set up your payment gateway, read Setting up and Managing Your Payment Gateway.

3. Do Add Your Administrators To The System

While we're working on the system, you can add your club administrators and set them up with the right levels of access. Doing this will help streamline the transition and ensure everyone has the right tools from day one. So you can get straight to work and run your organisation more easily. 

For a full guide on adding administrators to your system and setting them up with the correct access levels, have a look at Don't Let Your Committee Get Lost in the Jungle: A Guide To Member Jungle Committee Access. 

4.  Do Add Extra Blogs & Documents

When it comes to adding blogs and documents during the Accelerator, you can definitely include them on your Member Jungle site, and we encourage you to begin adding important content. However, please keep one crucial thing in mind. If our team is already working on specific blogs or documents as part of the setup, your additions may create a conflict.

So, before you dive in and add or edit anything in that section, please check in with us. It's a simple double-check to ensure we're not both working on the same thing at the same time. We don't want any accidental overlaps or lost work. Chances are, it'll be totally fine, and you can add it away, but a quick check-in will help keep everything running smoothly.

5. Do Set Up The Member Jungle App

While we’re setting everything up on your site, be sure to download the Member Jungle App and get to know how it works. Customise the app, change the colours, logo, display order, and more. This way, when your site is ready to go live, you’ll also have the app fully prepared.

For more info on how the app works, get your peepers on this: A Club App To Help Your Club Or Association Thrive.

What Else Do You Need To Know About The Accelerator?

Going forward, the best practice for the Accelerator is to double-check before you make any changes. Making changes without checking can cost you time and money, so just reach out and ensure you are right to make the changes you want. 

For more information about the Accelerator and onboarding, and how long you can expect it to take, check out The Timeline Of Onboarding At Member Jungle.

For a more general overview of what the Accelerator is and contains if you’re still deciding to go ahead with it or not, read What Is The Accelerator At Member Jungle?