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From Trial to Launch: Everything You Need to Know

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Transitioning to a new membership management system requires a clear and strategic onboarding process. This comprehensive guide covers every crucial step, from a risk-free free trial to securing committee buy-in and completing your final website setup. By following this roadmap, clubs and associations can ensure a smooth member migration and a successful system launch, making the entire journey to a modern platform like Member Jungle seamless and stress-free.

Getting started with a new membership management system can be a daunting task. There are so many options to evaluate, and once you make a choice, you have to tackle the process of onboarding and getting all your members across to the new system. It's a lot to consider, and it can feel overwhelming.

The good news is that this article is your one-stop guide to the entire process. Whether you're just discovering Member Jungle today or have already signed up and are preparing to go live, this guide will answer your questions and help you navigate a stress-free launch.

In this guide, we'll cover the entire journey in easy-to-follow stages, including:

  • Getting started with a free trial and deciding if it’s the right choice for you.
  • Convincing your committee that a new system is the right choice.
  • Setting up your website and crossing off all the technical bits.
  • Getting all of your members across to the new system.
  • Telling your members about the new system and preparing to go live.

So with no further ado, let’s get into it. 

Part 1: The Trial & The Discovery

Look, Member Jungle is a great system and it has helped hundreds of clubs and associations all over the world; however, it won’t be the perfect fit for everyone. As such, it’s essential to try it out before committing, which is why the 30-day free trial of the Member Jungle system is so important. It allows you to get your hands on the system and see if it will actually work for your organisation’s unique needs.

So, let’s talk about some of the key things you should know about the Member Jungle trial. 

Free 30-day Trial

First, as the name subtly hints at, the trial is completely free and lasts for 30 days. It can be paused if you start the trial, but something unexpected comes up, meaning you no longer have the time to properly investigate the system. The best part is that it is completely commitment-free, and you don't have to provide any payment details. You can just test the system for 30 days without worrying about being automatically charged if you forget to cancel. It's as simple as that.

For more on the free and what’s involved, see Does Member Jungle Offer A Free Trial Or Demo? *SPOILER* yes. 

The Discovery Questionnaire

When you first start your trial, you’ll be asked to fill out a short pre-trial questionnaire. This isn’t a test; it’s a tool to help us understand your club or association's specific needs.

The primary purpose of the questionnaire is to ensure that Member Jungle is the right fit for you. It helps us learn more about your organisation, so we can set up your trial site to be as well-suited as possible. 

You can read more about it in our article on The Importance of a Pre-Trial Questionnaire.

Your Trial Is Fully Functional & Live

The trial you have access to is a fully functioning and live version of the Member Jungle system. This means you can test everything from setting up membership renewals and events to sending emails and customising your website. It’s a great way to explore all the features and work out if they'll work for you. 

Plus, if you do decide to go ahead with Member Jungle, your trial site will become your actual site. So, all the work you do setting up your trial site will be there on your live site, with no need for double-handling.

For more information on the free trial and what you need to know about it, check out 3 Things You Need To Know About Your Member Jungle Trial. 

So that’s a quick overview of the Member Jungle free trial. While not a mandatory step in signing up with Member Jungle, I would thoroughly recommend it. You want to make an educated decision when it comes to choosing a membership management system for your organisation. 

Do check out the following two articles for more info on the trial, too: 

Part 2: Making the Decision

So, you’ve finished your free trial with Member Jungle and you liked it; you think it might be the right system for your organisation. You now have two important tasks to complete: choosing the right package and getting your committee on board. So, let’s talk about those so you know exactly what to do.

Which Member Jungle Package Is Right For Your Membership Organisation? 

At Member Jungle, there are four different packages available, each with a different price and a different set of included features. This allows the system to be more adaptable for a wider range of clubs and associations. After all, a 100-person netball club doesn’t need the same tools or included members as a 15,000-person medical association, so there’s no reason for them to be paying the same. 

 

Which Member Jungle Package Is Right For Your Membership Organisation? 

 

Choosing the right package for your organisation is really important. You need to find one that meets all of your needs, works for your membership size and is in your budget. There's no point getting the perfect system if it costs you more than you can afford.

For more information on working out which package is best for you, check out An Honest Review Of All Member Jungle’s Packages.

To help you work out the exact price of your package, we have a Pricing Calculator on the website that allows you to choose your package, choose how many members you have, what sort of set options you want and any optional extras you want, so you can get the most accurate predicted price of what Member Jungle will cost you.

 

Pricing Calculator

 

For more information on this, have a look at How To Work Out How Much Member Jungle Will Cost Your Club. 

This section is for the person who is convinced but needs to get everyone else on board.

Getting Your Committee Onboard 

Getting your committee on board with a new system can be a challenge. In fact, trying to get committee members to sign off on paying for new software is often one of the most challenging aspects of the entire process.

The resistance often comes from a few common pain points:

  • Time: Committee members are often volunteers, and they don't want to sign up for something that will take up more of their precious time. They are already stretched thin, and the idea of learning a complex new system can feel daunting and overwhelming.
  • Cost: "Paying for a new system is a challenge". They need to know that the investment is worth it and that it will actually save the organisation money in the long run.
  • Complexity: The fear of a steep learning curve or a system that is too complex is a major hurdle. They want to be sure they can use it without becoming an in-house tech expert.

Luckily, these are all challenges that we can help you with. To start, we've put together some key resources to help you, including:

Finally, you can also reassure your committee that we offer training for the whole team to make sure they all know exactly how to use the new system.

Don’t forget, using the Member Jungle system is pretty easy. I even know of one woman in her 90s who uses Member Jungle to manage a club of over a thousand members. Your committee will be fine.

Part 3: Getting Ready for Launch

Once your committee is on board and you have chosen the right package for you, it’s time to get the onboarding process underway.

The Onboarding Timeline

The first step is to let us know you would like to go ahead and which package you have chosen. We will then send you an official quote, which you can sign and pay a one-off onboarding fee to get the process started.

Then, depending on whether you are building your site yourself or we are building it for you, the setup of your new system can begin. From here, there will be several steps to getting your site live, but we will be in contact with you along the way to ensure that it goes smoothly. How long this process will take depends heavily on you, whether you are building the site yourself or are getting us to do it for you. There are several things that we need you to do, which we will also talk about shortly. Generally speaking, depending on you, this process can be anywhere from a few weeks to a few months. 

For more on the timeline of onboarding, check out The Timeline Of Onboarding At Member Jungle.

The Onboarding Process

The onboarding process itself is pretty straightforward, and can be roughly broken down into two different parts.

Getting Your Site Ready

This part is all about the front and backend of your site. It includes importing your members, populating your events, and generally getting the system ready for your members. All of this is covered in our article, Everything You Need To Know About Onboarding At Member Jungle.

The Technical Side of Onboarding

The second part is the technical side of onboarding. This is a little more complicated, but our tech team will be with you every step of the way to ensure it all goes well. This is where we handle things like:

  • Setting up your custom domain name.
  • Configuring your DNS settings.

For a much deeper dive into all of this, have a look at The Tech Side Of Onboarding With Member Jungle; it covers everything you need to know.

Part 4: Launch Day & Beyond

Finally, we reach the point where everything is done; your site is set up, your domain and DNS have been switched over, and the only thing left to do is take your site live and start telling your members all about it. This is the fun part.

We have a few key articles to help you with these final steps:

Beyond those, we actually have a whole category of blog articles that I have written specifically for members. Each article talks members through how to navigate the new system now that their club or association has moved to Member Jungle. In it, we cover things like their data security concerns, how to sign up for events in the new system, how to use the mobile app and more. 

All the articles are here, Member Resources. So, have a look at the articles and share whatever seems relevant with your members. 

Is There Anything Else I Need To Know? 

Honestly, with everything we have covered and all the links and articles I have shared, you’re good to go. You have all the tools you need to navigate this entire process, no matter where in the journey you are.

Just to be on the safe side, however, here is a help article from the Member Jungle support site that also covers in detail a lot of what we’ve talked about today: Complete Member Jungle Setup Guide. 

If you do get stuck or confused at any point, please Contact Us and we will be happy to help you however we can. 

 

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