New Online Membership Management Software, Exciting news from the Membership Team! Options

[Membership Team]

Hello everyone,

We are working on implementing a new membership software setup. The product is called Wild Apricot and we think you will all be really pleased with the way it will improve your renewing experience.

First of all, here is how membership works now: When you fill out the online application/renewal form, it sends us your information in the form of an email. One of our Membership Team volunteers still has to manually enter all the data for new members, and manually update any changes such as new phone number, address, motorcycle information, etc., for renewing members. We also have to manually input your renewal date and your payment information. And all of this is kept in an Excel spreadsheet. It's pretty stone age, really.

But with the new software, a lot of things are streamlined. First of all, existing IIRA members will be able to log in online at any time (you'll have to click "forgot password" and retrieve an auto-generated password the first time around – see below for detailed instructions). Then you can view your profile, make any updates or changes, including adding or removing a motorcycle or changing your membership type (more on membership types below), and renew right then and there. Then – and this is really cool – when you update this info, it's immediately updated in the database! No more typing for us, and consequently, no more typos!

Next you'll be able to pay with PayPal like you've always been able to do – right there in the membership database. You can also pay with a credit card. Your payment is automatically recorded in your profile in the membership database. And what's more, once you've made your first renewal and payment through PayPal, existing members are automatically set up for auto renewal. This is called a subscription or recurring payment. So if your membership expires next year on July 15th, the new membership system will automatically renew your membership on July 15th, 2010 and get your payment from your PayPal account. It'll notify you with an email, but you don't have to do a thing. No more unintentionally expired memberships because you forgot or were so busy you couldn't get around to it! Of course, if you don't want an auto-renewal subscription, all you need to do is log into your PayPal account and remove the subscription.

Another neat thing about this membership system is it will send you reminder emails when you're coming up for renewal – 14 days in advance, 7 days in advance, and on the date your renewal is due, unless you login and renew before that time. Also, if you haven't renewed within 7 days of your renewal date, the system will send you a grace-period reminder email. After 30 days, your membership will go into inactive or lapsed mode.

If you want to renew by using the paper form that comes in this newsletter and mail it in with a check, sure – we'll still accept those. But for those of you who like the independence and control of logging in and making your own updates, we think this is going to be right up your alley.

Membership Levels Explained

Until now we've had four different types of membership levels: Full, Associate, International and Significant Other. Basically they're staying the same, but we're changing the names. We now have Full Member, Full Member (No Roadside Assistance), and International Full Member. We still have memberships for spouses and significant others, but these are now called "Associate." Here's a quick glance at what the list of membership levels will look like:



Again, what used to be called the "Significant Other" membership is now called the Associate Membership. The Associate Membership must be attached to a Full Member or International Full Member. It does not include roadside assistance (and never has). The Associate Membership is still appropriate for a Full Member's spouse, girlfriend/boyfriend, child over the age of 16, or any other non-motorcycle riding individual who wants to be a part of the Iron Indians and is attached to a Full Member or International Full Member in good standing.

How to Get Started Using the New System

The new membership database is going to be online within the next day or so.

To get started using the new membership system, you first need to retrieve your password.

Here's what to do the very first time you want to log in:

1. Go to http://www.ironindian.com click on the Membership menu at the top, then Join/Renew.

2. Scroll down until you see "RENEWING Members Log in Below." You'll see a box for E-mail and Password, and below that, "Forgot password."



3. Click on "Forgot Password."

4. Enter your email address - the one you gave us on your last renewal application – and click Submit.



5. If the system finds your email address, it will email you instructions on how to change your password and get logged in.

a. This is what the email message will look like:



Note the "from" address. If you get any messages now or in the future from IronIndianRiders@roundtablelive.org don't panic! It's OK, that's the email address the system uses to send automatic messages. If you reply to the email, it'll be sent to us at the Membership Team.


6. Follow the instructions in the email and enter your new password.

7. Go back to the Membership Page and use your email address and new password to get logged in and have your first look around!

8. When you're done, scroll all the way to the bottom and click "Logout."

*** If the system doesn't find your email address, try your back-up email address. If you don't have a back-up email address or if you know you've gotten rid of the email address we have on file, or if you have any problems at all with this, please email us at membership@ironindian.com. Please be VERY DETAILED about what the problem is! Remember, we're new to this too and we need to work together! Please also be sure to include your first and last name AND your IIRA Membership Number; unfortunately we don't know you all by email address or forum name!

Once you've retrieved your password and got signed in, you're good to go. Instead of emailing the Membership team with a new phone number, new email address or new motorcycle, you can log in any time to update your own record.

Please feel free to give us any feedback here about the new system, whether you like it, or if you had an awkward experience, a problem – whatever. It's new to us too so we're still working on making it as easy, simple, and streamlined as possible for everyone.

Renewing

When it's time for you to renew, first get logged into your profile.

Next decide if you want to change your Membership Level – for example, if you want to add or drop Roadside Assistance, or if you want to add or drop an Associate Member (spouse, girlfriend/boyfriend). If you don't want to change your Membership level, skip to the next paragraph. If you do want to change your Level, click on the Change membership level button.



The system will display another button called "Start in a new window." Click this button and choose the appropriate membership type, then click Next.



If you did not need to change your Membership Level, click the "Renew until…" button. Again, the system will display another button called "Start in a new window." Click this button and in the new window choose whether or not to update your profile and click next. If you haven't checked your profile info in a while, we recommend choosing YES to review your profile.

For those of you with more than one motorcycle: It's very important that you put a checkmark in the check box for your 2nd, 3rd, or 4th bike. If you don't check that box you won't be prompted to pay your extra $5 per additional bike and consequently you won't get coverage!




So ... fill out all the required information in your profile and follow the prompts to either pay manually (i.e., mail us a check) or online (i.e., pay with PayPal).



If you choose Online for payment method it'll take you to PayPal:



New Members

For new brand new members or for those who let their memberships expire for more than thirty days, there is also a new online form to fill out. The new form is also on the Membership page at http://www.ironindian.com/membership.html. It's pretty straightforward, just click "Start application in new window" and go to it.

Again, for those of you with more than one motorcycle: It's very important that you put a checkmark in the check box for your 2nd, 3rd, or 4th bike. If you don't check that box you won't be prompted to pay your extra $5 per additional bike and consequently you won't get coverage!

Your Membership ID Number

With our new membership software the current State/Country-based numbering system that we have been using since 2002 would have to remain a manual process. But the reason for implementing the new system is to remove as much of the manual work as possible.

We had thought that we had found a way to keep moving forward with the current numbering system but it is not sustainable without a high probability of mistakes: meaning multiple members could end up with the same number.

We have come up with a solution.

Going forward all new members will get a randomly generated membership number from the membership application software. All current members and people who have been and remain members can keep their old State/Country-based number.

Going forward any member who allows their membership to lapse beyond the 30 day grace period will lose their original State/Country-based number and the system will generate a new membership number for them.

This new numbering system will go into place as of July 4, 2009. This means any new application received on and after July 4, 2009 will NOT get a state or country based number; they will get a system generated number.

We will allow the month of July 2009 to be a renewal grace period for expired members who wish to keep their old state/country based number. Anyone who renews after August 1, 2009 and is beyond the 30 grace period will be given a new system generated number.

Also, Significant Other members used to have their own unique membership ID number, but with the new system, Associate Members' ID numbers will be an extension of the Full Members to whom they are attached. For example, if the Full Member's ID is 46000031, the Associate's will be 46000031-01.

Again, if you have any questions or feedback, you can post it here. If you've tried retrieving your password and it won't work or if it tells you your email is not recognized, email us at membership@ironindian.com.


Thank you,
The Membership Team Volunteers