Fixing Broken Membership Systems: How MJM Helped an Association Regain Control
When MJM was asked to review an association’s membership systems, we expected a quick health check - the kind of routine check-up every organisation should do from time to time. What we found instead was a setup that looked fine from the outside but was quietly costing the organisation thousands of dollars a year, creating frustrated members, and leaving staff buried in manual work.
Where Revenue Was Slipping Away
Members were signing up online, but every step after that was manual.
Accounts were being created in Xero one at a time. Invoices were raised one-by-one, sometimes sent, sometimes held. Payments were matched later, receipts issued, and records updated… if someone remembered.
None of the systems - website, payment gateway, database, or Xero - actually talked to each other.
The result? Registrations were missed, data was scattered, and some members didn’t even know they weren’t officially members.
What We Did About It
We ran a full audit across every system - website, MemberPress, Stripe, Xero, and the member database. Then we rebuilt the process so it worked the way it should:
Found and reconciled missed registrations.
Recovered and invoiced every outstanding membership fee.
Updated processes so that data was consistent across all platforms.
Integrated the systems so no new member could fall through the cracks again.
Handled member communications: we reached out personally to affected members, explained the error, apologised, and ensured their experience moving forward would be seamless.
What It Delivered
22 previously overlooked members reconnected with the association.
Thousands of dollars in recurring revenue recovered that would otherwise have been lost.
Over 250 hours of manual admin saved each year.
Complete confidence restored: no more phantom members, no more inaccurate records, and no more confusion about who’s in or out.
Why It Matters
Most associations don’t realise how much money slips away through outdated systems and manual processes. The problem isn’t visible until you look, but the impact is real.
For this association, revenue recovery was just the beginning. With the foundations fixed, we went on to automate the entire membership process, saving hundreds of hours of admin each year. When the organisation later faced unexpected staff turnover, those systems became the reason everything kept moving.
This is what we mean when we talk about MJM building resilience, not just plugging gaps.
