(Wild Apricot non-profit software – raw data from customer survey December 2008)

What aspects/functions of Wild Apricot do you find the most

useful and why? How did it benefit you and your
organization?
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Comment Text Response Date

1. Membership administration is the key feature for us. It will help Mon, 1/12/09 6:19
us a lot once it will be put in place. AM
2. Love the reporting on event registration. Tue, 1/6/09 6:36 PM
3. The membership management is very, very good. When my Tue, 1/6/09 12:27 PM
websites grow, it will be more and more useful. The fact that I
can present a professional looking website without being a
techie is a great advantage and benefits the image of my
organisation.
4. I took on the role of treasurer, and realized we did not have a Wed, 12/31/08 11:38
clear system of managing our membership database. It was so AM
out of date, and since I had payment information, I took on
the task of cleaning it up. I kept it in excel spreadsheet
temporarily, and new I was on a hunt for the solution. You
had exactly what I was looking for in a database membership
solution, and for a very reasonable fee.
5. output to excel Tue, 12/30/08 11:43
AM
6. Consolidated list for contacts. Group emails. Event registration. Wed, 12/24/08 2:58
Renewal. Payment through Paypal. We'd like to get into the web PM
more, but we don't quite understand how to get our current
domain hosted with WA.
7. Although I am pretty good with HTML, I am really just Sun, 12/21/08 9:24
beginning to learn CSS. I know you have tutorials, but something PM
a little more in-depth would help (maybe even more links to read
more of how to build a CSS so someone can build their own on a
crap site). I learn the most by trying it out. Also, it would really
be neat if on a page that is created if you could turn off the CSS.
Why? Sometimes, you just want the look and feel to be
completely different. For instance, we are a church, and I would
love for the youth page or something like that to not have to live
inside the CSS. Maybe there is already a coding way to do this,
 but for us CSS novices, it would be great to have the option. Yes,
I'd agree that this might be a hinderance or danger to those who
aren't fimiliar with basic HTML, but for those of us who know
how to link back to the main site and other pages, it wouldn't be a
problem. Just a thought.
8. Its the ease of use generally that I really like. I now run three Sun, 12/21/08 8:37
sites for different organisations using WA, and they have PM
improved admin processes immeasurably, and almost
eliminated the manual work I used to have to do (which
drove me crazy).
9. The web page templates have been great. The membership Sat, 12/20/08 2:01
payment function is great. When a member chooses to pay PM
manual, I would like the option of checking a box to change to
pending or lapsed or leave active as an option in the management
section.
10. The built in database capabilities saved us development time. Fri, 12/19/08 5:26 PM
Still working our way through all the features.
11. Online registration is the most useful for my organization. Thu, 12/18/08 10:27
PM
12. 1. Custom fields in membership directory - very useful as it Thu, 12/18/08 7:09
enables us to send out targeted e-mails to members based on their PM
location / interests. 2. PayPal integration - this makes it very easy
for us to charge for events, and the multiple registration types is
very handy 3. The ability to export members list and event
attendees lists is VERY useful to us - this is data that we need to
be portable. 4. HTML e-mails and notifications allow us to create
captivating communications to our membership
13. Very easy to use for our members. Quick and easy to update Thu, 12/18/08 2:53
when there is a change needed. For example a date change or PM
spelling error or information added.
14. I love the online searchable database and how you can send Thu, 12/18/08 7:52
emails to just certain groups using this function. I also thought AM
the web design was easy to use. I love being able to have multiple
administrators. Having this website has reduced lots of our
group's paperwork needs and reduced labor - important
when everyone is working for free anyway.
15. Email blasts, events & member management. Great flexibility! Mon, 12/15/08 10:53
PM
16. Online registration, and keeping track of membership is Mon, 12/15/08 3:13
awesome. Being able to add pages to meet our different trips PM
needs, and to be able to have a private members only area is
great... that's where we put our newsletter download.
17. Ease of allowing non-technical users to update the website Mon, 12/15/08 11:00
 AM
18. built in auto subscription recurring payments Mon, 12/15/08 4:55
AM
19. search and email blast, event functions, on line registration and Sun, 12/14/08 11:11
payment for members and events PM
20. Easy web site development and changes. Easy e-mail blasting. Sat, 12/13/08 2:24
PM
21. the member directory, a log in aspect, and the ability to register Sat, 12/13/08 12:48
for events. I'm still working on the payment option. PM
22. Integrated database, email, and web function well together and Fri, 12/12/08 7:36 PM
make communication much easier and our records more accurate.
23. I love the membership database. We always have an up to date Fri, 12/12/08 3:38 PM
membership list that we can "blast". I also love the members only
pages.
24. I love the fact that I can create events and have members in Fri, 12/12/08 3:18 PM
the same environment. Kudos.
25. Event registration and payment. Membership sign up form and Fri, 12/12/08 2:53 PM
payment. Ability to download membership lists and event lists.
26. Very easy to use and manipulate. The member profile services Thu, 12/11/08 11:06
and restricted areas are awesome. PM
27. On-line registration is needed and we do not have the staff to Thu, 12/11/08 4:20
design and manage our own system PM
28. membership processing. easy website Thu, 12/11/08 2:40
PM
29. Having the integrated member application, database, and Thu, 12/11/08 1:06
directory is what brought me to Wild Apricot. There just PM
weren't any other services out there offering the full
integration of those items (without charging $500-1000 per
month, based on our org size). It decomplicates my life as a
volunteer administrator (by unifying several systems I had to
use before for the same purpose) and increases the accuracy
and timeliness of the member directory -- which previously
was only printed every few years.
30. Online membership registration! That's the reason I bought it. Wed, 12/10/08 9:12
PM
31. Ask me next year. Wed, 12/10/08 4:08
PM
32. I like the fact that I spent no time maintaining the site and I can Wed, 12/10/08 3:44
use any computer to work on it. PM
33. The manual and knowledgebase is excellent and easy to use for Wed, 12/10/08 2:44
technotards.... Ease of Start up Membership Management Event PM
 Management/Registration Economical Responsive updates
34. Electronic applications are great. Members having control over Wed, 12/10/08 1:01
keeping and updating their information is great. Having a way for PM
members to share with each other is great. Getting to member
information is easy. In most ways it works as a site for our club
and its members.
35. The event calendar and being able to send out notices & Wed, 12/10/08 12:49
reminders was very helpful to increase member participation. PM
36. Online payment, membership management including renewal Wed, 12/10/08 12:12
notifications and invoices. PM
37. the most useful aspect is the facility to intergrate forms etc into Wed, 12/10/08 11:28
my website...(everyone thinks i designed it !!!!) AM
38. administration of emails, events, and members all in one, so we Wed, 12/10/08 10:50
don't need many different systems. AM
39. Spacing is not easy to fix - single space/double etc. Templates, I Wed, 12/10/08 8:40
know are meant for emailing; but there are times I would like to AM
PRINT a decorated template, and only the text will print--in color
or in B&W. I would like to see a place to be able to track "No
Shows" at events--people who register but do not attend. Also a
way to download it.
40. Really a huge help in back office and payment automation. Tue, 12/9/08 10:48
Really well integrated with payments systems. Great ability PM
to integrate with non-WA webpages by use of Widgets.
Benefits will be significant cost savings in the accounting and
bookkeeping area. Also, provided our members with an
excellent tool to handle their membership matters on their
own instead of calling us.
41. I like the events management, although I don't like how it affects Tue, 12/9/08 7:33 PM
membership. I like that people can sign themselves up.
42. The event management part of the package is terrific and has Tue, 12/9/08 7:28 PM
simplified managing registration for our workshops and
other events a tremendous amount. It has saved a lot of staff
time!! Thank you!!!!!!
43. Page templates made it very quick and easy to get the new Tue, 12/9/08 4:59 PM
site up and running. We appreciated the free trial period and
the ability to work without a multi-year commitment. We also
like the ideas and frequent updates/newsletters.
44. The ability to have a membership database online as well as a Tue, 12/9/08 2:30 PM
member directory.
45. The ability to have a great CMS with recurring membership Tue, 12/9/08 2:06 PM
billing, events, and members-only sections (which are also
editable by members) are AWESOME. Wild Apricot is the
 only affordable CMS I know that provides these features.
46. WYSIWYG, made it possible for non-tech staff to maintain the Tue, 12/9/08 1:04 PM
site. It allowed us to go from a stale site to one that is up to date.
47. Member management and recurring payments are Tue, 12/9/08 12:42
excellent.....It runs itself (with the exception of manual PM
cancellations which is OK).
48. Easy publishing, adding documents, etc. Glad that email blasts Tue, 12/9/08 11:57
can have pictures now. Directory search function (and speed) is AM
outstanding and really helps to get users onto the site.
49. The membership directory is the most useful for our organization. Tue, 12/9/08 11:53
We are able to e-mail members. The directory also lets us create AM
different groups - like regular members, associate members, and
prospective members. We can keep the prospective members
inactive until their paperwork for DAR is approved. We also like
the calendar feature and the ability to mark an entry to be sent
several times as a reminder.
50. Members being able to self-manage. Tue, 12/9/08 11:06
AM
51. Not sure Tue, 12/9/08 9:50 AM
52. Slick system. Tue, 12/9/08 9:21 AM
53. Online registration is 95% of what we do with Wild Apricot. I Tue, 12/9/08 9:17 AM
don't think it can handle the type of membership we have,
although I would like it if it could.
54. I like all of the functions that I utilize. Tue, 12/9/08 8:33 AM
55. membership database & online registration Tue, 12/9/08 7:44 AM
56. Web page customisation is most useful, because it allows me to Tue, 12/9/08 7:16 AM
create the right feel for my site, i.e. corporate logo, colour, font,
layout. Having members register themselves for events makes
attendance record keeping easier. But being able to control
members' Discussion Forum settings is desired (see above).
57. blast emails Tue, 12/9/08 6:48 AM
58. Managing event bookings Managing membership renewals and Tue, 12/9/08 4:55 AM
members information
59. All required elements for membership based organisation in one Tue, 12/9/08 3:33 AM
package. The white label feature has provided my company with
the facility to offer a flagship product under our own company
label
60. Very handy being able to embed code in pages. Used feature to Tue, 12/9/08 2:07 AM
integrate Google maps.
61. Love the member directory and the permissions settings, Tue, 12/9/08 1:48 AM
although I really am concerned that new members can view it
 before they have been approved. The event calendar is fab
(although would love to be able to change the look/size/feel of
the calendar). Maybe different template options for the calendar
would solve this...? Being able to use PayPal standard is so great
(saves us money and time). I can't thank you enough for that.
Different registration forms for different levels is brilliant. The
widgets are great for tying in with my main websites. Thanks for
not forcing me to use your site or nothing (as so many do)! I
literally had companies asking me "why would we do that?"
when I was researching assoc. software. But most of all, thanks
for constant evolution and listening to your users needs. In the
end, that is what matters the most.
62. The membership database function is largely wonderful. Some Tue, 12/9/08 1:25 AM
quirks in the advanced search function, seems to me. Love the
event registration, renewal, and donation functions; wish I didn't
have to rely on PayPal for financial functions) (majority of my
members refuse to use PayPal...)
63. Relatively easy to setup the members database. Tue, 12/9/08 1:02 AM
64. Self update membership roster and downloadable for printing or Tue, 12/9/08 12:46
USPS mailings. AM
65. Being able to integrate membership with conference software, to Tue, 12/9/08 12:07
check and see who is a member. Sending of automatic reminders AM
when membership is due. Members able to change their own
information.
66. Member database ROCKS! able to manage 800+ member Mon, 12/8/08 10:40
database. in a few months setup member database and PM
completed annual member renewal process with minimal
problems.
67. Automated user member signups. Mon, 12/8/08 10:12
PM
68. My officers and committee chairs have found it incredibly Mon, 12/8/08 9:58
easy to use - we run the range of totally not web-friendly to PM
programmer. We love the calendar, membership
management, and website.
69. Overall ease of use; great support; helpful community forums Mon, 12/8/08 9:41
with questions and tips. As a professional association, we lean PM
heavily on the membership and event functions, and
completely ignore the Donor functions. We can implement
new things and change old ones faster and easier than with
our previous application, and that allows us to promote
ourselves better and to support the needs of our members
better than before.
70. database management; event registration Mon, 12/8/08 9:30
PM
71. The updates. Although I have to admit, I haven't been keeping up Mon, 12/8/08 9:29
with them. This is one of my goals for 2009. PM
72. email program, membership registration, event registration Mon, 12/8/08 9:22
PM
73. I think that the cost of the service is very reasonable Mon, 12/8/08 8:55
PM
74. Currently we find strengths in the features to allow members to Mon, 12/8/08 8:43
update their record or search the directory. It also helps us control PM
who has access as before anyone with our "traditional" username
and password could download the directory.
75. Even and membership management greatly reduce our Mon, 12/8/08 8:34
administration effort. I really appreciated. For a better system, PM
membership and event report is a higher level need, agree? We
need to know who is the active / non-active member and a easy
way for public to free subscribe our information without make a
confuse login with password (may be just visit once)
76. Membership management, Event Registration, Document Mon, 12/8/08 8:31
Publishing. PM
77. I use the software so that people who work for me can track their Mon, 12/8/08 8:24
earnings. Also I use it for new sign-ups to complete a lengthy PM
registration process.
78. The automated and recurring email functions. Mon, 12/8/08 8:08
PM
79. email blasts, membership maintenance, event processingh Mon, 12/8/08 7:29
PM
80. Membership Management, Event Management Mon, 12/8/08 7:28
PM
81. The event system is great and makes our workshops and Mon, 12/8/08 7:27
fundraising much easier. The membership database is also very PM
useful, because it allows us to send out both bulk e-mails and use
the export option to do bulk paper mailings updated
automatically.
82. A database of all member information. Mon, 12/8/08 7:20
PM
83. The membership, donor, meeting managment, and ease of Mon, 12/8/08 7:19
management. PM
84. Keep track of my members. Mon, 12/8/08 6:54
PM
85. There are too many features to list them all, but the member list is Mon, 12/8/08 6:18
a great tool and having multiple communities and the intranet PM
function is a great tool as well.
86. programs and event management, payment processing and Mon, 12/8/08 6:12
website content PM
87. love everything about it, kep it up. Mon, 12/8/08 6:05
PM
88. The event reminder is a very nice feature. It brings everyone to Mon, 12/8/08 6:02
the same place if event happenings have changed from original PM
enrollment. The original person in charge of the database and
website was charging $1 per month per member and probably
earned it with the number of people he had to handhold to get
their directory listing correct. I was reluctant to take on the job
but finding you made the job painless and not the least bit time
confusing. Setting the whole thing up took about 80 hours once I
understood how everything worked. The integration with our
website www.thecbcc.com was excellent.
89. Event Managment, as there is a boom in online videos and Mon, 12/8/08 5:56
webinars it your event managment that enables both online PM
events and offline events to be put in the same system.
90. It's all useful. Mon, 12/8/08 5:52
PM
91. The membership database import and payment system seems Mon, 12/8/08 5:45
flawless. Very happy with that: we had 25 new members in PM
the first month after public launch!
92. The ability to control access to only paid subscribers. Mon, 12/8/08 5:29
PM
93. Member Database and automated functions that stem from that. Mon, 12/8/08 5:09
PM
94. Love that everything is in one place--i.e. forums, renewals, Mon, 12/8/08 4:58
members only section. We were able to collect dues online for PM
the first time because of Wild Apricot and change the design
of our website without hiring a web designer or having to
upgrade expensive software.
95. Creation of events with broadcast emails Mon, 12/8/08 4:52
PM
96. So many its hard to choose. The database is so important to us. Mon, 12/8/08 4:52
PM
97. The RSVP, donation tools are most useful. The automatic Mon, 12/8/08 4:48
response and reminders are also great tools. PM
98. WA had already paid for itself by automating membership Mon, 12/8/08 4:45
and event registration notifications. PM
99. Integrated database and payment gateway Mon, 12/8/08 4:39
PM
 100 I enjoy the fact that I can choose which info in a profile can be Mon, 12/8/08 4:37
. made public/non-public. & I love that members can upload PM
photos.
101 I'm trying to build an internet presence for my home inspection Mon, 12/8/08 4:37
. company. It's been nice to be able to have an easy to use website. PM
102 1) Event sign-up - Payment tracking, attendee limits and multi- Mon, 12/8/08 4:31
. tier pricing 2) Members only pages 3) Online forums 4) PM
Document uploads 5) Event reminders 6) Electronic invoicing
103 I am very pleased with the email blast feature! Mon, 12/8/08 4:29
. PM
104 The blast e-mails and being able to take credit cards online. Mon, 12/8/08 4:28
. PM
105 I absolutely LOVE the event management system and the vibrant Mon, 12/8/08 4:17
. professional look of the website. PM
106 Being able to sort thorough members and download information. Mon, 12/8/08 4:15
. PM
107 The administration panel Mon, 12/8/08 4:10
. PM
108 Frankly, web services are cheap--google sites being free. For us, Mon, 12/8/08 4:06
. the main differentiator has been memebrship management that is PM
itnegrated with the web service. We are also planning on
explorign the vent capailibites which seem cool but are not
critical for what we do.
109 The biggest benefit is that it was a packaged program that got my Mon, 12/8/08 4:06
. site up and running quickly. PM
110. Not my decision. Mon, 12/8/08 4:05
PM
111. Membership area is in general fantastic! Event registration Mon, 12/8/08 4:02
with Paypal Pro is SO helpful - we're astonished with the PM
number of folks using it. We are an all volunteer association
with a rotating board and no physical location - so to have the
ability - for a nonprofit amount of money - to keep everything
together is fantastic!
112. We love that it is web based and that you can add multiple Mon, 12/8/08 4:00
administrators. Both organizations I work with are volunteer, so PM
this helps alot! The membership database capabilities are very
helpful!!
113. event registration membership database; customized database Mon, 12/8/08 4:00
PM
114. It was the fastest way to get a membership site up and running. Mon, 12/8/08 3:48
PM
 115. It allows me to communicate to members of my club, which in Mon, 12/8/08 3:45
turn brings our club together and has encouraged us to be more PM
involved and participate more in club activities.
116. I like how easy it is to create a new page. Mon, 12/8/08 3:45
PM
117. Membership, events and web presence all handled in one Mon, 12/8/08 3:44
coordinated system. It's a freakin' dream. PM
118. CSS formatting. Let's me easily adjust the look of the site to what Mon, 12/8/08 3:44
the customers want. PM
119. Email blasts! Mon, 12/8/08 3:44
PM
120 event announcements. We don't have to think about them Mon, 12/8/08 3:42
. anymore. PM
121 The ease of use and the flexibility of the system make it easy to Mon, 12/8/08 3:38
. accomplish many different functions. PM
122 all Mon, 12/8/08 3:37
. PM
123 Membership and event registration processes are pretty automatic Mon, 12/8/08 3:35
. and fairly easy to set up. It's the main reason I recommend it to PM
nonprofit and association clients.
124 online payment through PayPal cuts down on our financial admin Mon, 12/8/08 3:32
. time, and it helps to have event registration lists generated PM
automatically by registrants
125 All of it, really! Allows so many of us operating in separate Mon, 12/8/08 3:31
. geographic locations the ability to have access to up to date PM
membership information.
126 Being able to create new pages as needed for data published by Mon, 12/8/08 3:31
. our members. And the greatest part of the software is being able PM
to download pdf's of docs and pictures very easily. This is the
biggest aspect of this program that helps make the user
experience so useful.
127 Member self-service (member create and manage their own Mon, 12/8/08 3:31
. profile) and online event registration/payment are the best PM
features... The CMS - content management system is GREAT!
128 Website management - much easier for anyone to update the Mon, 12/8/08 3:31
. website Membership maangement - better than Excel PM
spreadsheets Online donation - integrated with the website Email
blasts - better than copying and pasting addresses into email
software
129 It is helping us tremendously in organizing a large-scale Mon, 12/8/08 3:31
. conference. PM
 130 Web, Membership Management, Event Management. Great for Mon, 12/8/08 3:29
. streamlining things (e.g. automatic renewal notices appear to be PM
working well and getting a decent % of people to renew). Like
the RSS event feeds but want a way of being able to subscribe to
only certain types of events (e.g. Work Parties vs. Races / Events)
so we can push out the content more easily to appropriate
channels.
131 Member directory is great, will roll out event registration in 2009. Mon, 12/8/08 3:28
. PM
132 The MOST useful thing is that members can update their Mon, 12/8/08 3:26
. own information. They can also add an image. Also, in case I PM
get hit by a bus, other members can continue the website. It is
easy enough to use that many members can share the
responsibilities for maintaining the site.
133 The membership directory is the reason we're there and it's Mon, 12/8/08 3:23
. wonderful--once I figured out what needed to be visible! PM
134 Member database--easy to use. Mon, 12/8/08 3:23
. PM
135 Auto Email reminders for renewal of membership On line sign up Mon, 12/8/08 3:22
. for events on Calendar Ability to enable and control member PM
access.
136 we love the event registrations Mon, 12/8/08 3:20
. PM
137 Just the seamlessness of the whole system. It's so easy to use and Mon, 12/8/08 3:19
. is much cheaper than an assistant. (Although I'd like one of PM
those!)
138 That I don't need to do html so can actually make updates Mon, 12/8/08 3:19
. and changes at anytime. PM
139 Auto Invoicing Mon, 12/8/08 3:15
. PM
140 I like how the levels of membership are broken down at a glance Mon, 12/8/08 3:14
. fast. Also search detail are nice. I am looking forward to using the PM
invoice tool in 2009. This will save us lots of time as we do get
invoice request a lot.