What Are Integrated Payments? And How Can This Technology Create Better Membership?

There’s no question about it – you need to collect online payments and give your staff the tools to do so as well. But how you do that can affect the membership experience, efficiency of administrative operations, and your financial transparency.
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Integrated payments technology provides a solution that ties together your online payment processing, your membership data, and administrative tasks – to get them working autonomously and in sync. The result is a more seamless experience for your members and efficient workflow for your staff. 

Take for example these benefits that integrated payments can provide to your organization, and further elevate its performance.
 
Enhanced membership experience
You’re always striving to provide your members – your customers – a secure and modernized payment experience. An integrated payments solution can connect your member database with online payment processing functionality. Your members benefit from convenient options to pay how, when, and where they want. Your organization can offer one-time payments, recurring and installment payments for dues, fundraising, event ticketing, or anything else – and your organization’s branding stays front and center on every form or website page. 
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Bank-grade security features keep your member data uncompromised, ensuring that your brand remains trustworthy. Payment and personal data are tokenized and encrypted and can only be deciphered by the issuing bank during authorization.

When combined with a members-only website, you have the ability to give members the customized view they’ve come to expect. Upon logging in to your website, they can manage their account and view personalized info that matters to them.
 
Frictionless join and renew process
Do you make it easy for people to join your organization? Is it as frictionless as possible for existing members to renew? The right integrated payments solution supports your member onboarding and application process and simplifies it. Whether new members need to go through a complex approval process or are systematically approved, you can capture the member data you need from one place. The technology can employ integration points on the back end for a dynamic approach, so those looking to join or renew can access the same URL – even if you offer multiple types of memberships at various prices.

Integrated payments technology also contributes to increasing member retention rates with features such as auto-renewal, saved payment methods, and card updater services, which automatically replace an expired credit card on file for uninterrupted recurring payments.
 
Increased productivity
Eliminate inefficiencies for your staff with a solution that streamlines and automates administrative operations. Manual data entry, correcting user errors, and downloading info from one program to upload it to another can take hours out of the work week. Integrated payments technology consolidates the tools you need – email marketing, text messaging, online events management, fundraising capabilities, and financial reporting – on one platform. All that time spent on managing multiple programs, which also incur additional expenses, would be better spent on providing the best value to your members.

The memberplanet solution
Our payments technology is fully integrated with a suite of membership, communication, fundraising, and event tools on our platform. You and your staff gain actionable insights with real-time reporting and a centralized database of membership for both your members and potential members. A third-party payment processor won’t consolidate your data for you, which is why memberplanet’s integrated payments solution reigns superior. Streamline operations, spend more time on your mission, and keep a better pulse on your organization – visit memberplanet.com to learn more about how we can help you manage, engage, and grow.

Updated since original publication on 6/18/19.

About Chris O'Meara

Chris has passion for and more than two decades of experience in providing IT solutions to enterprise, mid-market, and small organizations within the nonprofit, member-based associations market. When out of the virtual office, he likes history, travel, volunteering, being an active outdoorsman, and socializing with family and friends.