Monthly Wild Apricot membership reporting checklist

Use the same steps, definitions and cut-off date each month. When the process stays the same, the trend means something, and you can find the cause of a change more easily.

Before the cut-off

• Confirm the reporting period and the month-end date.
• Confirm whether the board wants a count of people, bundles or paid memberships.
• Record any changes to membership levels or renewal rules that you made during the month.
• Finish routine work on duplicates and pending applications.

Record the Wild Apricot figures

1. Open the Dashboard (Account, then Dashboard). In the members widget, record All, New and Lapsed. These spotlights show the current month only, so record them on the last day of the month.
2. Open Members, then Reports. On the Trends tab, set the date range and levels, and record the active members at the end of the period.
3. Open Members, then Summary. Record the counts by membership level and status.
4. In the summary, review the Renewal overdue column as a work list. It shows members whose renewal date is in the past. These members can have different statuses, so do not report this column as the lapsed count.

Know what each figure counts:

Figure	What it counts
Dashboard New	Members whose Member since date is in the current month
Dashboard Lapsed	Members whose status changed to Lapsed in the current month
Dashboard All	All members except suspended members
Trends report	Active, Pending level change and Pending renewal; for bundle levels, bundle coordinators only
Member summary	Active, Lapsed and Pending; archived contacts and suspended members are not included

The overdue, lapsed and suspended guide explains the statuses.

Make the export

1. Export the member list with these fields: User ID, Membership level, Membership status, Membership enabled, Member since, Renewal due, Renewal date last changed, Level last changed and Archived. Add Member bundle ID or email and Member role if you report bundles.
2. Save the unchanged file with its as-of date in the name.
3. Load it in the report tool and set the export date.
4. Confirm the matched columns and the date order.
5. Read the data-quality panel.

The export guide gives the full steps.

Prepare the board table

Include:

• active members at month end;
• new members in the month;
• lapsed members in the month;
• the estimated renewal outcome rate for completed months;
• net change;
• active members by level;
• bundle or paid-membership figures, if the board wants them.

The tool’s monthly table has the first six items. The tool counts a lapsed member in the month of the Renewal due date. The Dashboard counts a lapse in the month the status changed. The two numbers can differ, so state which one you use.

The estimated renewal outcome rate is estimated from one current snapshot export. Write the export date, the filters and the definitions next to the table. The metric definitions give the exact rules.

Investigate before you explain

For a large change, check the status, level, archived and suspended filters first. Then look for known causes, for example a campaign, the annual renewal cycle, a level change or a data cleanup.

Do not put member names, email addresses or full exports in the board packet unless the board has an approved need for them. The tool’s lapsed-member download contains User ID, level and renewal due date only.

Store and compare

• Store the source export in your approved restricted location.
• Store the board table with the meeting materials.
• Use the same definitions next month.
• If a policy or a calculation changes, write the change in the report.