Frequently Asked Questions

eMembership is a comprehensive, all-in-one membership management platform designed for modern organisations. Unlike competitors like iMIS, Oomi, and ReadyMembership that require multiple third-party integrations, eMembership includes everything you need in one unified platform: subscription management, integrated shop, member self-service portal, custom branded portal, event management, donation management, and campaign tools.

Better ROI: Save £1,500–£4,000+ monthly by eliminating the need for separate tools for e-commerce, email marketing, events, and CRM. With eMembership, you get one platform, one login, one invoice, and one support team—drastically reducing complexity and costs.

eMembership offers a fundamentally different approach compared to traditional platforms:

• True All-in-One Solution: While competitors require 3–8 separate tools (e.g., Shopify for shop, Mailchimp for email, Eventbrite for events), eMembership includes everything natively integrated.
• ISO Certified Security: We're the only membership platform with both ISO 9001 and ISO 27001 certifications, giving you enterprise-grade security that competitors can't match.
• Custom Branding Excellence: Full white-label capabilities with custom domains are standard—not extra-cost add-ons like with Oomi and ReadyMembership.
• Transparent Pricing: Clear, scalable per-member pricing starting at £1.00/member at 500 members down to £0.20 at 20,000 members—up to 83% cheaper than iMIS.

Better Member Experience: Members get one seamless login, consistent branding, and integrated functionality—no jumping between multiple platforms or logins.

Learn more about what makes us different →

eMembership is ideal for any organisation managing memberships, including:

• Professional associations and trade bodies
• Charities and non-profit organisations
• Sports clubs and fitness organisations
• Educational institutions and alumni networks
• Business networks and chambers of commerce
• Cultural organisations and heritage societies

Whether you have 500 members or 50,000+, eMembership scales with your organisation. Unlike competitors that focus on enterprise only (iMIS) or small organisations only (ReadyMembership), we serve organisations of all sizes with the same robust feature set.

eMembership offers transparent, scalable pricing based on your active member count:

• Base Pricing: £1.00 per active member/month at 500 members, scaling down to £0.20 per active member/month at 20,000 members
• Active Member Definition: Contacts with an active subscription OR who have made a transaction in the last 3 months (e.g., shop purchase, event registration)
• CRM Contact Allowance: 5× your active members in CRM contacts at no extra cost (e.g., 5,000 active members = 25,000 CRM contacts for prospects, lapsed members, supporters)
• Optional Modules: Integrated Shop (+£200/month), LMS (+£300/month)
• Annual Discount: Save 10% with annual billing
• Professional Onboarding: Required fee to ensure proper platform configuration

Better ROI: Unlike competitors who charge per CRM contact, you only pay for active members while maintaining a comprehensive database of prospects and supporters.

Try our pricing calculator →

Our billing is based on active members, but you can store many more contacts in your CRM:

Active Member Definition:

An active member is any contact who:

• Has an active subscription, OR
• Has performed a transaction in the last 3 months (shop purchase, event registration, donation, etc.)

CRM Contact Allowance:

You can store 5× your active member count as CRM contacts at no extra cost:

• 500 active members = 2,500 CRM contacts
• 5,000 active members = 25,000 CRM contacts
• 20,000 active members = 100,000 CRM contacts

What This Means:

You can maintain a comprehensive database of:

• Prospects and leads
• Lapsed members
• Supporters and donors
• Volunteers
• Event attendees (non-members)
• Newsletter subscribers

Competitive Advantage: Unlike competitors who charge per CRM contact, you only pay for genuinely engaged members. This gives you the flexibility to nurture a large community without worrying about hitting contact limits.

Yes! We offer a 30-day free trial with full access to all features—no credit card required. This is twice as long as Oomi and ReadyMembership's 14-day trials, giving you plenty of time to evaluate the platform properly.

During your trial, you'll receive:

• Full access to all core features
• A 2-hour free consultancy meeting to understand your needs
• Dedicated onboarding support
• Sample data and templates to get started quickly
• 24/7 support access

Unlike iMIS which only offers demos, you can actually use the platform with your real data and workflows during the trial.

Start Your Free Trial →

No hidden fees. Our pricing is completely transparent:

• Setup Fee: £0 (competitors charge £500–£2,000+)
• Core Features: All included in base price (member management, CRM, portal, email, events, donations)
• Support: 24/7 support included at no extra cost
• Updates: Platform updates and new features included
• Storage: Generous storage included; additional storage available if needed

Important Note: While we don't charge setup fees, we do charge for comprehensive onboarding to ensure the platform meets your requirements in full. This includes configuring subscription management, customising the CRM for your specific workflows, setting up member security, implementing your branding, and configuring your custom portal. There's no such thing as "off the shelf" if it's going to work efficiently for your members and meet your long-term needs. This investment ensures success from day one.

The only optional extras are the Integrated Shop module (£200/month) and LMS module (£300/month)—which you only pay for if you need them.

Yes, absolutely. There are no long-term contracts or lock-in periods. You can cancel your subscription at any time with no cancellation fees. We believe in earning your business every month through excellent service and results, not by trapping you in contracts.

This is a significant advantage over competitors like iMIS that often require annual contracts with penalties for early termination.

Yes, we offer a 10% discount for annual billing. For example, if your monthly cost is £1,000, you'd pay £10,800 annually instead of £12,000—saving £1,200 per year.

Annual billing also simplifies budgeting and reduces administrative overhead. You can switch between monthly and annual billing as your organisation's needs change.

eMembership includes a comprehensive feature set—all in your base subscription:

• Membership Management: Database & CRM, subscription management, automated renewals, multiple tiers, custom fields
• Member Portal: Self-service portal, custom branded portal, custom domain support, profile management, document library
• Communications: Email marketing, automated campaigns, SMS messaging, in-app notifications, newsletters
• Events: Event management, online registration, ticketing, waitlists, check-in tools
• Donations & Campaigns: One-time and recurring donations, campaign management, gift aid support
• Payments: Online payment processing, direct debit, payment plans, automated billing
• Reporting: Custom reports, analytics dashboard, financial reporting, member insights
• Automation: Workflow automation, triggered emails, renewal reminders, task management

Better Member Experience: All features work seamlessly together with consistent branding and one login. Members don't need to navigate multiple systems like they would with competitors using third-party integrations.

See full feature comparison →

Yes! Our optional Integrated Shop module (£200/month) provides a full e-commerce solution including:

• Product catalogue management
• Inventory management
• Order processing and fulfilment
• Member-only pricing and discounts
• Digital product delivery
• Shopping cart and checkout
• Sales reporting and analytics

Better ROI: Adding Shopify or WooCommerce to competitors costs £29–£300+/month plus integration fees and requires members to create separate accounts. Our integrated shop keeps members in one ecosystem and costs less.

Oomi, ReadyMembership, and Civi.plus don't offer integrated shop functionality at all—you must use third-party tools.

Absolutely! Full custom branding is included in all eMembership plans at no extra cost:

• Custom Branding: Your logo, colours, fonts, and design throughout
• Custom Domain: Use your own domain (e.g., members.yourorg.com)
• White Label: No eMembership branding visible to members
• Custom Emails: Branded email templates with your design
• Mobile App Branding: Optional branded mobile app

Better Member Experience: Members stay within your branded environment—no jarring transitions to third-party platforms. This builds trust and strengthens your organisation's brand identity.

Cost Advantage: Oomi charges extra for custom domains, and ReadyMembership doesn't offer true white-label at all. With eMembership, it's all included.

eMembership includes powerful automation to save your team time:

• Renewal Automation: Automated renewal reminders, payment processing, and confirmations
• Email Workflows: Triggered emails based on member actions (welcome, lapsed, renewal, etc.)
• Payment Processing: Automated billing, failed payment handling, and receipts
• Member Journey: Automated onboarding sequences and engagement campaigns
• Event Management: Automated registration confirmations, reminders, and follow-ups
• Task Management: Automated task assignment to staff based on triggers

Better ROI: Automation reduces staff workload by 60–80% compared to manual processes. Tasks that take hours with competitors like ReadyMembership happen automatically with eMembership, freeing your team for strategic work.

eMembership provides comprehensive reporting and analytics:

• Real-Time Dashboard: Key metrics at a glance (member count, revenue, renewals, engagement)
• Custom Reports: Build reports tailored to your organisation's needs
• Financial Reports: Revenue tracking, payment reports, forecasting
• Member Insights: Engagement metrics, retention rates, demographics
• Event Analytics: Attendance tracking, registration funnels, revenue per event
• Email Performance: Open rates, click rates, conversion tracking
• Export Capabilities: Export to Excel, CSV, PDF for further analysis

Unlike competitors that require separate BI tools or expensive add-ons, all reporting is included and integrated. iMIS charges extra for advanced reporting modules.

Yes! eMembership is fully responsive and works seamlessly on all devices:

• Responsive Design: Admin panel and member portal work perfectly on desktop, tablet, and mobile
• Mobile-Optimised: Touch-friendly interface with optimised layouts for smaller screens
• Optional Mobile App: Custom branded mobile apps available (iOS and Android)
• Offline Capabilities: Event check-in and basic functions work offline

Better Member Experience: 60% of members access portals via mobile devices. eMembership ensures they have a great experience regardless of device. Some competitors (like older versions of iMIS) still have clunky mobile experiences.

eMembership includes built-in AI agents that provide intelligent, conversational support 24/7:

• Member Support Agent: Helps members with common queries, account management, renewals, and navigation
• Admin Assistant: Helps administrators manage core services with natural language commands
• 24/7 Availability: Instant responses any time, reducing support workload
• Context-Aware: Understands member history and provides personalised assistance
• Natural Language: Conversational interface—no complicated commands or menus
• Seamless Escalation: Automatically escalates complex issues to human support

Competitive Advantage: None of our major competitors (iMIS, Oomi, ReadyMembership) include native AI agents. They rely on traditional chatbots or require third-party integrations that cost extra and don't understand your membership data.

Real Impact: Organisations using AI agents report 60–80% reduction in routine support queries, faster member onboarding, and higher member satisfaction scores.

For Members:

• Check membership status and renewal dates
• Update contact details and preferences
• Find and register for events
• Access documents and resources
• Get help with password resets and login issues
• Make payments and view transaction history
• Ask questions about benefits and services

For Administrators:

• Generate reports with natural language ("Show me new members this month")
• Create and schedule campaigns
• Manage member records and bulk updates
• Get insights and recommendations
• Automate routine tasks and workflows
• Quick navigation and system guidance

Always Learning: Our AI agents continuously improve based on usage patterns and feedback, becoming more helpful over time.

eMembership implementation is significantly faster than competitors:

• Basic Setup: 2–5 days for standard configuration
• Full Implementation: 2–4 weeks including data migration, customisation, and training
• Complex Migrations: 6–8 weeks for large organisations with extensive legacy data

Comparison:

• iMIS: 3–6 months typical implementation
• Oomi: 4–8 weeks for basic setup
• ReadyMembership: 2–4 weeks

Better ROI: Faster implementation means you start seeing value sooner and avoid prolonged disruption to your operations. You'll also save on implementation consulting fees—iMIS often requires £20,000–£50,000 in implementation services.

eMembership provides comprehensive onboarding and training:

• Free Consultancy: 2-hour consultancy meeting to understand your organisation's needs
• Customised Onboarding: Tailored setup including subscription configuration, CRM customisation, member security, branding, and portal requirements
• Live Training Sessions: Personalised training for your staff (admin and user levels)
• Video Tutorials: Comprehensive video library covering all features
• Documentation: Detailed help centre with step-by-step guides
• Ongoing Support: 24/7 access to support team after launch

Important: We charge for comprehensive onboarding to ensure the platform meets your requirements in full. This includes configuring subscription management, customising the CRM for your workflows, setting up member security, implementing your branding, and configuring your custom portal. There's no such thing as "off the shelf" if it's going to work efficiently for your members and meet your long-term needs.

Better Member Experience: Well-trained staff = better service for your members. Unlike competitors that offer only basic training, we ensure your team is confident and capable from day one.

Yes! eMembership is highly configurable and can be tailored to your organisation:

• Custom Fields: Add unlimited custom fields to member records
• Membership Tiers: Configure multiple membership types with unique benefits and pricing
• Workflows: Customise automation workflows to match your processes
• Branding: Full white-label with your brand identity
• Portal Customisation: Configure member portal layout, navigation, and content
• Payment Options: Configure payment methods, schedules, and plans
• Integrations: Connect to your existing tools via API
• Custom Development: Bespoke features available for unique requirements

Why This Matters: Every organisation is different. We ensure the platform is configured to support your specific workflows, rather than forcing you to adapt to rigid software. This is part of our comprehensive onboarding service—there's no such thing as "off the shelf" if it's going to work efficiently for your members.

eMembership offers bank-level security with industry-leading certifications:

• ISO 27001 Certified: Information security management—the gold standard for data protection
• ISO 9001 Certified: Quality management ensuring consistent, reliable service
• 256-bit Encryption: All data encrypted at rest and in transit
• Two-Factor Authentication: Optional 2FA for admin and member accounts
• Regular Security Audits: Annual surveillance audits plus quarterly internal audits
• Penetration Testing: Regular third-party security testing
• 24/7 Monitoring: Continuous security monitoring and incident response

Unique Advantage: eMembership is the only membership platform with both ISO 9001 and ISO 27001 certifications. Competitors like iMIS, Oomi, and ReadyMembership lack these certifications, putting your member data at higher risk.

Learn more about our ISO certifications →

Yes, eMembership is fully GDPR compliant and helps you maintain compliance:

• Data Protection: ISO 27001 certified data security practices
• Consent Management: Tools to capture and manage member consent
• Right to Access: Members can download their data anytime
• Right to Erasure: "Right to be forgotten" functionality
• Data Portability: Export member data in standard formats
• Privacy Controls: Granular privacy settings and preferences
• Audit Trails: Complete logs of data access and changes
• Data Residency: UK and EU data hosting options

GDPR fines can reach £17.5M or 4% of turnover. Using a non-certified platform puts you at risk. eMembership's ISO 27001 certification demonstrates our commitment to data protection and helps you demonstrate compliance to regulators and members.

eMembership has robust disaster recovery and backup procedures:

• Automated Backups: Daily automated backups of all data
• Geographic Distribution: Backups stored in multiple geographic locations
• Quarterly Testing: Regular restoration testing to ensure backup integrity
• 99.9% Uptime SLA: Guaranteed availability backed by service level agreement
• Incident Response: 24/7 monitoring with documented response procedures
• Redundancy: Multiple server redundancy to prevent single points of failure

Peace of Mind: Our ISO 9001 and ISO 27001 certifications require these disaster recovery procedures. Non-certified competitors may not have the same rigorous standards, putting your data at risk.

Payment security is a top priority at eMembership:

• PCI DSS Compliant: Full compliance with Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards
• No Stored Card Data: Card details never stored on our servers
• Tokenisation: Secure token-based payment processing
• 3D Secure: Support for 3D Secure authentication
• Multiple Payment Gateways: Stripe, PayPal, GoCardless integration
• Encrypted Transactions: All payment data encrypted in transit

Unlike some competitors using outdated payment systems, eMembership uses modern, secure payment processing that protects both you and your members.

eMembership includes 24/7 support at no extra cost:

• Live Chat: 24/7 live chat support
• Email Support: Response within 2 hours during business hours
• Phone Support: Dedicated UK support line
• Help Centre: Comprehensive documentation and tutorials
• Video Tutorials: Step-by-step video guides
• Dedicated Account Manager: For Enterprise customers

Better ROI: Support is included—no extra fees. Competitors often charge extra for phone support or limit hours. With eMembership, you get expert help whenever you need it.

Quality Assurance: Our ISO 9001 certification ensures consistent, high-quality support. All support staff are trained to ISO standards.

eMembership offers guaranteed response times:

• Critical Issues: 30-minute response, 4-hour resolution target
• High Priority: 2-hour response, 24-hour resolution target
• Normal Priority: 4-hour response, 48-hour resolution target
• Low Priority: 24-hour response

These response times are significantly better than most competitors. ReadyMembership doesn't offer 24/7 support, and iMIS support response can take days for non-critical issues.

Yes! eMembership provides extensive learning resources:

• Help Centre: Searchable knowledge base with 200+ articles
• Video Tutorials: 50+ video guides covering all features
• Getting Started Guide: Step-by-step onboarding documentation
• Best Practices: Guides for common use cases and workflows
• API Documentation: Complete API docs for developers
• Webinars: Regular training webinars for new features

Our documentation is consistently rated higher than competitors. iMIS documentation, in particular, is often criticised for being complex and outdated.

Absolutely! We specialise in smooth, hassle-free migrations:

• Full Migration Service: We handle the entire process from planning to go-live
• Data Mapping: Expert mapping of your existing data to eMembership
• Testing: Thorough testing before final migration to ensure accuracy
• Parallel Running: Option to run both systems simultaneously during transition
• Training: Staff training on new platform
• Post-Migration Support: Extra support during first 30 days after launch

We've successfully migrated organisations from iMIS, Oomi, ReadyMembership, Wild Apricot, MemberClicks, and many other platforms.

Migration timelines depend on your data volume and complexity:

• Simple Migration: 1–2 weeks (under 5,000 members, basic data)
• Standard Migration: 3–4 weeks (5,000–20,000 members, moderate complexity)
• Complex Migration: 6–8 weeks (20,000+ members, extensive customisation)

Faster Than Competitors: Migrating from iMIS to another iMIS instance can take 3–6 months. Moving to eMembership is significantly faster because our platform is designed for easy data import and doesn't require extensive custom development.

No. Data integrity is our top priority during migration:

• Comprehensive Mapping: We map all your existing data fields to eMembership
• Test Migrations: Multiple test runs before final migration
• Validation: Post-migration validation to confirm all data transferred correctly
• Backup Retention: Your old system data remains available during transition
• Audit Trail: Complete logs of all migrated records

Our migration success rate is 99.9%, with zero data loss incidents. Our ISO 9001 certification ensures rigorous quality control throughout the migration process.

Yes, absolutely. Your data is always yours:

• Full Data Export: Export all your data anytime in standard formats (CSV, Excel, JSON)
• API Access: Use our API to extract data programmatically
• No Lock-In: No vendor lock-in or proprietary formats
• Migration Assistance: We'll help you export data if you choose to leave

We believe in earning your business through great service, not by trapping you. Unlike some competitors (notably older iMIS versions) that use proprietary formats making export difficult, eMembership ensures your data is always accessible.

Organisations typically see significant ROI from eMembership:

• Cost Savings: £1,500–£4,000+ monthly savings vs. competitors (eliminating separate tools)
• Staff Efficiency: 60–80% reduction in manual administrative tasks through automation
• Revenue Growth: Average 15–25% increase in member retention through better engagement
• Faster Renewals: Automated renewals increase on-time payments by 40%
• Reduced Errors: Integrated data reduces data entry errors by 90%

Example: A 2,000-member organisation switching from iMIS + third-party tools saves approximately £3,200/month (£38,400/year) while gaining better functionality and member experience.

See detailed cost comparison →

Yes! eMembership offers extensive integration capabilities:

• Accounting: Xero, QuickBooks, Sage
• Email: Mailchimp, SendGrid (though built-in email often sufficient)
• Payment: Stripe, PayPal, GoCardless
• Video: Zoom, Microsoft Teams for virtual events
• Analytics: Google Analytics, Facebook Pixel
• Custom Integrations: RESTful API for bespoke integrations

Less Need for Integrations: Because eMembership includes so much natively (email, events, donations, shop), most organisations don't need as many integrations as they did with competitors—reducing complexity and points of failure.

eMembership releases regular updates and improvements:

• Major Updates: Quarterly feature releases with significant new capabilities
• Minor Updates: Monthly improvements and enhancements
• Bug Fixes: Continuous patches and fixes as needed
• Customer-Driven: Feature prioritisation based on customer feedback

All updates are included in your subscription at no extra cost—unlike iMIS which often charges for major version upgrades.

Our ISO 9001 certification ensures systematic quality management, meaning new features are thoroughly tested before release.

No—eMembership pricing is designed to scale affordably with your growth:

• Decreasing Per-Member Cost: As you grow, your per-member cost decreases from £1.00 at 500 members down to £0.20 at 20,000 members
• Transparent Scaling: Use our pricing calculator to see exact costs at any member count
• No Surprise Fees: No hidden fees or usage-based charges
• Unlimited Features: All features available regardless of member count

Contrast with Competitors: iMIS and Oomi pricing often increases disproportionately as you grow, sometimes doubling or tripling total costs. eMembership rewards growth with lower per-member costs.

Try the pricing calculator →

Yes! Our optional LMS (Learning Management System) module (£300/month) provides comprehensive online learning:

• Course Creation: Build unlimited courses with video, documents, quizzes, and assignments
• Member Tracking: Track progress, completion, and assessment scores
• Certificates: Automated certificate generation upon completion
• CPD/CE Credits: Track continuing professional development credits
• Drip Content: Release course content on schedules
• Member-Only Content: Restrict courses by membership tier

Better ROI: Standalone LMS platforms (Moodle, Teachable, Thinkific) cost £200–£500+/month and require separate logins. eMembership's LMS is fully integrated with member accounts and costs less.