Many organizations use featured directory listings as a source of non-dues revenue. Here's how you can automate not only selling featured listings, but also featuring those members in a directory!
The automation requires just 3 steps: create an optional dues rule, create a group based on that dues rule, and then add the group in the directory.
Let's dive in!
Step 1: Create the Optional dues Rule
Navigate to Members > Member Settings > Member Types
Select the Member Type
In the Dues Rules tab, create an Optional Dues Rule for the Featured Directory Listing.
Recommendation: Enable the setting to allow the member to remove the optional dues rule (opt-out) when paying the invoice.
Step 2: Create a Group based on Purchasing the Optional Dues Rule
Navigate to Members > Segments > Groups
To restrict the group to only those who have paid for their dues, include these two conditions:
{Optional dues rule} = has purchased in current term
(Recommended) Open Dues Balance = 0
AE Tip: Adding the open dues balance condition in addition to the Optional Dues Rule condition ensures only people that have paid get the benefit.
Step 3: Add the Group to the Directory
Navigate to Members > Segments > Directories
Choose a Directory
In the Settings tab, select the Group (created in step 2) in the Select Members to be Featured section.
A quick note on two separate groups in Directories:
Members to Include (A) determines who appears in the directory at all.
Select Members to Be Featured (B) determines which of those members are highlighted as featured within that directory.
For a member to be featured, they must be included in both groups:
The member must be included in the directory via the Members to Include group.
The member must also be part of the group added to Select Members to Be Featured.
If a member is included in the featured group, but not included in the Members to Include group, they will not appear in the directory and therefore cannot be featured.
AE Tip: If not set already, be sure to dial in the "shown & hidden" field settings for featured vs basic profiles.
What should I do if my association is already selling featured listings as Ecommerce products?
If your association is selling featured listings as an ecommerce product, you likely already have a process in place to mark the member as featured when fulfilling the order.
Not to fret! The featured checkbox on a member record indicates whether a member should always be featured across all directories. If you previously marked a member to be featured in the settings tab of their record, and take no action, everything will continue to work exactly as it does today.
If you decide to change this process, association staff can un-check Always Feature in Directories after the member's featured time is done.
As members renew going forward, this lets their featured status be determined naturally by whether they purchased the Featured Listing option at renewal. Over time, those with manual overrides will naturally shrink to zero.