Your members look to you as a source of professional wisdom. The go-to for industry contacts and networking. Why not make it easy for members to learn about and communicate with each other via directories?
This article covers:
The Basics
The Member Directory lets site visitors view individual profiles for groups of members in your database. With it, you can:
Create multiple directories based on groups and/or committees like all members, new members, specific member types, or even directories built from custom fields.
Control visibility by making directories public or restricting them to certain groups and/or committees (or multiple).
Generate revenue with Featured Directory Listings, which double as an advertising opportunity on your site.
Display members visually with the Map View, allowing visitors to browse members on an interactive map or in a list.
Additionally, each directory page includes editable content regions: one directly above the search bar and another at the bottom of the page. These areas can be customized for both directory landing pages and filtered directory views.
đĄ Pro Tip: You can showcase all of your current members while keeping their contact details private. This way, only logged-in members can reach out â turning directory access into an exclusive member benefit!
Create a New Directory
Learn step-by-step how to set up new online directories in Novi and customize the settings that make each one unique. đ Creating Online Member Directories in Novi
Who Appears in the Directory?
Groups and committees are the foundation for your Directories, powering multiple listings that can include any type of record, including members, prospects, or non-members. Each Directory has its own unique URL and customizable settings, independent from others. Best of all, updates to the Group (like adding new members) automatically flow through to the Directory, keeping everything current without extra work.
đ Items of Note:
Groups can only include member records that have been approved. Pending members cannot be displayed in a directory.
Related members and contacts can be listed on profile pages. (For example, an apartment community linked to its management company; Or, the people who inherit benefits from their company.)
If the Group connected to your Directory includes people, you can choose whether or not to display them on the main directory pages. Simply use the Hide People Profiles From Directory List View toggle. Turn it on to hide people or off to include them. For more info, see the Company Staff Lists section below.
Individual member records can be included in a directory. When displaying people, you can choose whether to show their full address or limit it to just city and state.
How To View a Member's Directory Profile Page(s)
From the backend staging area on a memberâs record, click View on Frontend to see that memberâs directory profile on your website. If the member appears in multiple directories, youâll see a drop-down menu with links to each of their directory profile pages.
đ Items of Note:
Directory settings are unique to each directory.
When a record appears in more than one directory, it will display according to the settings of each directory.
Example: If ABC Company is in the âNew Members Directoryâ where contact info is visible to the public, that information will display there. If the same company also appears in the âSupplier Directory,â but contact info is restricted to logged-in members, the contact details will only show when viewed by a logged-in member.
Featured Directory Listings
If a record is marked as a Featured Directory Listing (on the Settings tab of the memberâs record), it will be featured across all directories as long as:The record is included in that directory, and
The directoryâs settings have Featured Listings turned on.
đ Note: Members who opted in to Hide Contact Info on their will remain hidden regardless of the directory settings.
Navigating the Member Directory
You can setup multiple views and options to help members find what they're searching for.
Search & Filter
In the search field, users can look up company names, individual names, keywords, or apply filters based on custom fields and other options. Searches can be refined even further by combining multiple filters. For example, entering a keyword while narrowing results to a specific area of expertise.
Category View
Displays members in an alphabetized list by category, each with its own unique URL.
Example: Areas of Expertise â Easily find a supplier member based on the services they provide.
Random vs Alphabetical Sorting
You have two options for how your directories are ordered: Random (recommended) or Alphabetical.
Random (Recommended)
The directory loads in a randomized order to ensure fairness, so âAAA Companyâ isnât always at the top while âZZZ Companyâ stays at the bottom.
The order automatically reshuffles every hour, giving visitors fresh results while still providing enough time to browse without repeatedly seeing the same member first.
Alphabetical
People are alphabetized by last name.
Companies are alphabetized by company name.
Depending on your member types and settings, people and companies may appear together in the same list.
đ Note: When Featured Listings are enabled, featured members always appear at the top, with the rest of the directory (basic member listings) below them. They follow the selected sort order within the featured group, independent of the basic member listings that appear below them.
How to Set Directory Sort Order
Navigate to an existing directory on the backend or create a new directory.
In the Settings section, select the Sort Order: Random (Recommended) or Alphabetical
Save
How the Final Sort Order is Determined
Regardless of which sort option you choose (Random or Alphabetical), directory listings are always grouped into the following sections, in this order:
Featured members before non-featured (if enabled in Association Settings)
Members with benefits (status: current, grace, or inheriting) before those without
Dues-paying members before beneficiaries
Inheriting members (if enabled in settings)
Within each section, records are sorted based on the selected sort order:
Alphabetical:
Individuals are sorted by Last Name, then First Name
Organizations are sorted by Company Name
Random:
Records are randomized, with the order refreshing every hour.
What's Included in a Directory Profile Page?
On your main directory landing page, visitors will first see a preview card (also called a Member Profile Badge) for each member. By default, this preview may include:
Name (always required)
Logo or headshot
Phone number (if enabled)
Physical address (with the option to display only City/State)
Email address (or a secure contact form, if you prefer not to show emails directly)
Website and social media links
Member type (pulled from the âDisplay Name for Directoriesâ field)
Related People list (for organizations, when enabled)
When a visitor clicks on a profile badge, theyâll be taken to the full Member Profile Page, which is highly configurable. Depending on your setup, this page may include:
Contact information (phone, email, address, website)
Member description (Organization Overview / Professional Bio)
Directory gallery (photos, videos, or other media)
Custom fields (e.g., areas of expertise, certifications)
Related contacts and members
Live social media feeds (e.g. Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter/X)
System fields (such as Member Since Date or Original Join Date)
Additional custom fields, groups, or committees based on your Profile Pages Settings.
đĄ Tip: To keep member emails private, you can enable the Contact Form option in your directory settings. This lets visitors reach members without exposing their email addresses directly.
Featured Directory Listings
When Featured Listings are enabled for a directory, you gain greater control over what appears in member profiles while also creating opportunities for non-dues revenue through premium visibility.
Featured Listing settings are built within each individual directory's settings. You can decide per field whether to display details such as:
Email
Phone
Address
Website
Contacts/Related Members
Logos/Headshots
Directory Gallery
Special Offers
To enable Featured Listings, toggle Featured Listings on at the top of your directoryâs settings. Once enabled, a new Display column will appear in the Profile Pages section. From there, you can choose which fields should be visible only on featured profiles vs. displayed on both basic & featured profiles.
Members can easily update their personal and company profiles within their Member Compass, ensuring their directory listing is complete, accurate, and brought to life with up-to-date details.
Organization People Lists
When determining if related people should show in a directory, consider the following:
1. Related People List: Should the people of an organization be listed on the organization's profile page?
If yes, the organization's record will have a Contacts list (see screenshot above).
2. Related People Pages: If people related to the organization are listed, should they also have their own profile pages and be searchable in the directory?
If yes, each person in the Contacts list will also have a View Profile button (see screenshot above).
On the main directory page, users will be able to search for these people. The profiles will be displayed at the end of the directory list, after the dues-paying members.
Note: If Featured Directory Listings is turned on, these settings will affect what information is shown on the staff profile pages.
People & Related Members in Directories
Hiding or Showing People Profiles
If the Group connected to your directory includes both people and companies, you can toggle Hide People Profiles From Directory List View on or off:
On: Hides individual people from the main directory list.
Off: Includes people alongside companies in the list.
Showing Related Members on Profile Pages
Within the Profile Pages settings, you can choose whether Contacts/Related Members should appear on profile pages. This displays related records from the listingâs family tree such as sub-companies or people who inherit benefits from their company.
If the related contact/member is also included in the Group, their name will link to their profile.
If they are not in the Group, theyâll still be listed but without a profile link.
The Show Only People with Member Benefits checkbox limits the staff list to only those who inherit benefits through their company membership. Non-member records won't show.
Show Related People Profile Pages
If related people should have linked profile pages within the Contacts/Related Members list on a profile, this is determined by the Group that's connected to your directory. Your group's conditions (or group beneficiary settings) should include the related people you want to display.
Directory Gallery
To display media on member directory listings, the Directory Gallery toggle must be enabled within the Profile Pages settings. When enabled, the gallery appears as a carousel that supports both images and video links from YouTube, Vimeo, or Wistia. This gives members a dynamic way to showcase their products, services, or brand story directly on their directory profile.
Member Map View & Location-Based Filter Settings
The Map View displays members on an interactive Google Map using their organizationâs Shipping Address. This allows you to showcase members geographically, making it easy for visitors to see where members are located.
If Show Address for People is enabled, an additional option appears: Only Display City & State for People. When turned on, individual pins show only the city/state location (not the full street address).
Both the List View and Map View have unique URLs, so you can link directly to either or include both in your website navigation. Directory visitors can also toggle between the two views at any time by clicking the buttons at the top right of the directory page.
By default, the map zooms in to the area where most members are concentrated. For example, a county-based association will see a more zoomed-in view than an international association.
đ Note: If you choose to hide the Address field, the related settings (Map View, Show Address for People, and Only Display City & State) will automatically turn off to stay consistent. The reverse is also true: if you turn these settings on within the Profile Pages section, the related settings at the top will also turn on.
A record will not appear in the map view if they:
Do not have a shipping address
Have their contact information hidden from the directory
Have their address hidden from the directory
Hovering over a member in the List View will highlight their location on the map. Likewise, clicking on a pin in the Map View will display that memberâs contact information.
đ Note: Results in the Map View are paged. Only members shown on the current page of the directory will appear on the map. The same ordering and visibility rules that apply to the List View also apply to the Map View.
Searching & Location Filters
Directory visitors can use several tools to search in Map View. The main search box works the same as in List View, but additional location-based options are also available:
Search Tools
Search Near Address â Finds members located near the address entered.
Use Current Location â Attempts to detect the visitorâs current location and display nearby results.
đ Note: This depends on browser permissions for location tracking. If a visitor denies access, the tool will not work.
Location Filters
You can enable or disable location-based filters in the settings for each directory that uses Map View. Available filters include:
City â Text box
State/Province â Text box, supports both state abbreviations and full names (typing âFLâ returns both FL and Florida)
Zip/Postal Code â Text box
County/Parish â Text box
Country â Text box (only if the Country field is turned on in settings)
Setting Up the Map View & Location Filters
The Map View and Location Filters are optional features. Youâll need to turn them on in the directoryâs settings.
đ Items of Note:
When you first enable Map View, Google Maps begins processing your member data in the background. This initial setup can take several hours to complete, so donât worry if you donât see results right away.
You can use Location Filters without enabling Map View, and vice versa. They donât depend on each other. đ
Ready to create a new directory?
Other Member Directory Features & Resources
Bring in ancillary revenue and customize your directory with Featured Directory Listings and learn how to Feature Members in the Member Directory
Have a member who doesn't want to be seen? Hide a member and/or their contact information