October 22, 2021
Importance of Forms — Directory vs Membership forms
A lot of individuals, businesses, and organizations have a lot of information to collect from their members or prospects that will be used to tailor searches by users. Making sure that the collected information is either stored properly for privacy or accessible in public search results.
When you are looking to collect information from your members or prospects you have access to information such as contact information, addresses, emails, and a lot more. It is vital to ask the right questions as well as store the collected information in the correct place to help maintain a strong security foundation or have accessibility to information when needed.
Depending on the nature of your organization you may have to consider if directories are necessary for your needs or if membership forms are needed. Alternatively, your organization could benefit from both directory forms and membership forms.
Within your organization, you may have different uses for both forms depending on the information required from your members or prospects. By understanding the differences between a membership form and a directory form within your software will impact your organization by making sure the information is hosted in the correct sections.
For instance, within Member365 you can utilize forms in different manners such as directory forms or membership forms.
The information in directory forms can be visible in public-facing searches and can be accessed via their profile in the Member Portal. You will be able to use the information collected to create directory search listings, making it easier for your members to connect to the resources and contacts they need. Directory forms are ideal if you have specific questions, interests, or specialties that you wish to be visible and filterable which you are also able to attach to the membership application.
Whereas membership applications may be a bit different than directory forms. Within Member365, a Membership application form and a Renewal Form are the same. Each Membership Category can only have one Membership Form attached at a time. When members apply for a membership, you will have accessibility and the ability to view the answers entered to review before approving members as needed. A membership application is the foundation of your member-driven organization, and it is vital that we understand the application process using forms.
These are forms used by your members when applying for membership and require them to provide more information.
We hope that this comparison between directory forms and application forms has provided you with some guidance to make the best use for your business or organization.
Read on for guides on a few specific tips and tricks to using directory forms or membership forms.?